Harris Calls Out Fox for Sanitizing Trump’s ‘Enemy Within’ Rhetoric

Kamala Harris ventured into the lion’s den on Wednesday, sitting for an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier in an eleventh-hour bid to win over undecided and moderate voters.

During the contentious sit-down, during which Baier repeatedly interrupted and attempted to bait the vice president, Harris called out Fox News for downplaying Donald Trump calling “radical left lunatics” the “enemy from within” and proposing that they should be “handled” by military force.

The anchor responded by rolling a clip of Trump painting the backlash against his comments as an exaggeration and accusing Democrats of threatening him with “phony investigations” and the “weaponization of government.”

Harris was quick to point out the shallow attempt to diminish Trump’s calls for violence. “Bret, I’m sorry, that is not what he has been saying about the ‘enemy within’ that he has repeated when speaking about the American people,” Harris said. “That’s not what you just showed.”

“Here’s the bottom line, he has repeated it many times,” Harris continued. “You and I both know that and you and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people. He has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protests. He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him.”

The vice presidents pressed: “This is a democracy. And in a democracy, the President of the United States — in the United States of America — should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he’d lock people up for doing it.”

Earlier in the interview, Harris emphasized that if elected, she would usher in a new era to the White House. “Let me be very clear: My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” she said. “Like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. I represent a new generation of leadership.”

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Ahead of the interview, Baier repeatedly insisted to his followers on social media that his interview with Harris, while taped, would be aired without editing by the network, in its entirety and without commercial breaks. The reassurance comes after CBS drew backlash for how it edited Harris’ interview on 60 Minutes earlier this month.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump sat down with Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner for a town hall event in which the former president once again avoided giving specific answers on his plans for the economy, reproductive rights, and child care costs. The former president also doubled down on his demonization of his opponents, labeling Democrats as “evil” and more dangerous than China or Russia.

Both candidates are spending the final weeks of the campaign in a breakneck blitz of rallies, speeches, interviews, and events. Harris — who has been criticized by the right for avoiding interviews — has embarked on a wide-ranging media tour heavy on podcasts and daytime radio. 

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On Tuesday, Harris spoke to radio host Charlamagne Tha God for a longform interview centered on the issues facing Black Americans, and the contrasts between herself and Trump. At one point Harris agreed with Charlamagne that Trump can be called a “fascist,” and pushed back on criticism that her interviews and answers may come off as scripted. 

“That would be called disciplined,” she told Charlamagne. “There are certain things that must be repeated to ensure that I have everyone know what I stand for and the issues that I think are at stake in this election. And so it requires repetition.”

Where Harris is attempting to deliver a concise, consistent message to prospective voters, Trump has become increasingly erratic in the final days of the race. On Monday, the former president threw a Q&A at a town hall in Pennsylvania out the window, instead playing music videos to the crowd for nearly an hour, while swaying onstage to his favorite songs. He also backed out of a planned 60 Minutes interview after being told his statements would be fact-checked, and canceled another planned appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box earlier this week.

He did sit for an interview with Bloomberg to discuss the economy, but spent the majority of the discussion rambling — or “weaving” through topics to avoid answering questions — and attacking Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait — who repeatedly explained to Trump that tariffs raise prices for consumers.