Harris to Interview with Fox News Wednesday

by Sharon Rondeau

(Oct. 16, 2024) — Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier will interview 2024 Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris Wednesday afternoon in an unprecedented appearance by a Democrat presidential candidate, Baier said Wednesday morning on “Fox & Friends.”

The recorded sit-down will take place outside of Philadelphia and air “in its entirety” during Baier’s 6:00 p.m. news hour, “Special Report with Bret Baier” of which he is executive editor.

It will be Harris’s first appearance on the network, which the Pew Research Center states has a right-leaning audience.

Harris became the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee within days of Joe Biden’s July 21 decision to exit his re-election campaign following concerns from many quarters, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA14) about his mental acuity and ability to win against Republican nominee and former president Donald J. Trump.

In his announcement on “X,” Biden endorsed Harris, although White House stances and Harris campaign statements since then have at times appeared contradictory.

Baier has not announced the topics to be covered, but according to Newsweek Wednesday morning:

Harris is expected to address a host of campaign issues during her one-on-one with Baier, including abortion, immigration, the economy, healthcare, and foreign policy.

Baier will likely press the Democratic nominee on her record on border security, which is a top concern for voters and an issue in which Trump consistently has an edge over Harris.

Harris will also likely be asked how she will handle the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, and the ways in which a Harris administration’s policies would differ from the Biden administration’s.

She is expected to zero in on her record on reproductive rights, as well as Trump’s fitness for office…

On Wednesday morning’s “Fox & Friends,” Baier told co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade that although the Harris campaign previously declined appearing on the network, her about-face could have come about due to recent changes in the polls, particularly in “swing” states. “I think that a lot of it is about a changing map, and we’ve seen that develop over recent days, and swing states are tight, or even trending toward the former president,” Baier said. “…she is doing an event outside Philadelphia with disaffected Republicans who are now coming to her side…I’ve been talking to the campaign for a long time…and this is what they chose to do.”

In its entirety, Baier said, “they’ve given us 25, 30 minutes” to be recorded at 5:00 p.m. and aired “just as we did it” with “no editing.”

CBS News has been credibly accused of “editing” Harris’s response to a question on the Middle East posed by journalist Bill Whitaker on October 7. Calls to the network to release the “full transcript” of the interview have thus far yielded no results.

It is “a process” to decide which of the many questions he wishes to pose to her, Baier said.

The race against Trump is extremely close, with no recent surges in polling for either candidate, Baier said and pollsters report.

He said the interview will “be respectful” but open to “redirecting” if necessary.

“Special Report” has also invited Trump to engage in a similar interview, Baier added.

At 11:00 a.m. EDT, Fox’s Harris Faulkner will host an “all women” townhall with Trump in Cumming, GA which will air live on Faulkner’s daily show, “The Faulkner Focus.”