Kamala Harris Loses It When Bret Baier Calls Her Out by Showing a Trump Clip

It had been mentioned before that the phrase “safe and rare” applies less to Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion and more to her approach to interviews. On Wednesday, we got a clear explanation why.

Harris’ appearance on Fox News marked her first time venturing into an arena that would challenge her soundbites with active fact-checking. The timing of this wasn’t exactly ideal, as her campaign was transitioning from the "joy and vibes" phase to one where they warned, “Donald Trump will arrest you as an enemy of the state and is borrowing tactics from actual Nazis.” It’s a stark shift to pull off in the final weeks of what feels like an endless presidential cycle.

Around 18 minutes into the exchange, Harris was hitting her talking points, claiming that “the Republicans who are on stage with me” acknowledge Trump is “unfit to serve, that he is unstable, that he is dangerous, and that people are exhausted with a so-called leader who spends most of his time demeaning others and indulging in personal grievances.”

Setting aside the jumble of words at the end of that statement, it's a big departure from the Kamala who once sassily challenged Trump to “say it to my face” at a debate, or rallied with Megan Thee Stallion. Now, she’s comparing Donald Trump to a reality show guest armed with Dr. Strangelove-style weaponry.

That’s when Baier stepped in with a crucial point: If so many people are exhausted with Trump, “Why is half the country supporting him? Why is he leading in many swing states? If he’s as bad as you claim, why does half the country back a man who could become the 47th president of the United States?”

This is the Harris interview equivalent of the famous "Santiago" question from A Few Good Men. If Trump is so obviously unfit, why did the economy perform better during his administration pre-pandemic? Why was inflation lower? And if he’s truly a dictator-in-waiting, why would people elect him?

Harris responded: “This is an election for president of the United States. It’s not supposed to be easy.”

Sure, she said, she comes from a middle-class background.

Baier wasn’t letting up, though. If it’s not easy, why do so many voters say they prefer her opponent? “Are they misguided, this 50 percent? Are they stupid?”

“Oh, God, I would never say that about the American people,” Harris replied. While she wouldn’t directly call Americans misguided, it’s not exactly a full defense of their decision.

Harris pressed on, accusing Trump of belittling and demeaning the American people at his rallies. “He is the one who talks about an enemy within — an enemy within! — referring to the American people, implying he would use the American military against its own citizens.”

But that wasn’t true. In fact, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner had earlier that day asked Trump to clarify his “enemy within” comments. Trump explained that he was referring to those who weaponize the government and judicial system against their political enemies. Think Russiagate or the constant legal battles.

“I’m not threatening anyone,” Trump said in a clip played during the interview. “They’re the ones making threats. They carry out phony investigations — I’ve been investigated more than Al Capone, the greatest gangster. It’s true! It’s government weaponization.”

Harris didn’t take that well.

“Bret, with all due respect, that clip doesn’t represent what Trump has been saying about the enemy within,” Harris said. “That’s not what you just showed.”

Baier pointed out that it was indeed what they had shown.

“That’s not what you showed, to be fair,” Harris reiterated.

“That was a question we asked him,” Baier responded.

“You didn’t show that,” she insisted.

All right, Kamala. Here’s the beginning of the response, which doesn’t differ much from what followed:

Maybe it would’ve been good for her to listen to that in her prep, prior to the interview.

“Here’s the bottom line,” Harris stated. “He has said it many times, and we both know it. We both know that he’s talked about turning the military on the American people. He’s talked about targeting those engaged in peaceful protests. He’s mentioned locking up those who disagree with him. In a democracy, the president of the United States should handle criticism without threatening to jail people for it.”

Just remember: Trump’s the unstable one, not Harris. Trump’s the one threatening imprisonment, not the people pursuing him. War is peace, freedom is slavery, and so on.

The Democratic messaging shift in the final weeks has been noticeable, transitioning from “good vibes” to “LITERALLY HITLER!!” with all the all-caps emphasis you could expect. But when your claims about Trump are directly challenged with evidence, shouting louder won’t makethem true.

This is why interviews remain “safe and rare” on the Harris-Walz side of things. And here’s a silver lining for the vice president: If things keep trending this way and she loses, nobody will be asking her tough questions — or any questions — anytime soon.