CNN's Bakari Sellers got into a near-shouting exchange with fellow CNN panel members on Thursday as they debated whether it was important to voters that Vice President Kamala Harris give a sit-down interview.
Sellers went head-to-head with political commentator S.E. Kapp and Tricia McLaughlin, former communications director for Vivek Ramaswamy, about whether voters are concerned that Harris hasn't given a sit-down interview since she entered the presidential race. Harris has not given a sit-down interview since becoming the presidency's presidency on July 21 when President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, instead speaking at rallies in front of friendly audiences.
Kapp said Republican nominee Donald Trump could “trap” Harris by answering press questions at a Thursday news conference at Mar-a-Lago. Sellers said Harris doesn't need to give press interviews to win voters' support.
“Nobody cares about us or that anyone is going to answer any questions,” Sellers said.
“No, I talk to voters in battleground states all the time. They have questions, they want answers, because whether their fans are asking Bakari, whether their friends are asking, whether their surrogates are asking, they're not getting real answers,” Kopp argued.
Last night, a CNN panel got into a furor over whether voters care about Kamala Harris' lack of media appearances. pic.twitter.com/jRG3H8Uydb
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 9, 2024
The panel debated whether Harris would benefit from answering questions in person, with Sellers arguing that Harris' rallies are proof that she has the support of voters and is not just “online.” Cupp argued that Sellers would require other candidates to sit down for interviews. (Related article: 'She's going to be exposed': Trump accuses Kamala Harris of trying to avoid debate)
“You will lose. And you're not the only one to argue that she doesn't need to do that. This is very internal Washington stuff, this is our problem. If you do that, you lose credibility, because if it were anyone else, you would demand that they sit down for questions. And if she does that, she'll be a better candidate.”
McLaughlin then got into an argument with Sellers, pressing her whether Trump's claim that his rally drew more people than Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington was worse than Ms Harris' failure to answer questions.
“That's a misnomer,” McLaughlin responded.
“So can you accept that Donald Trump lied when he said that?” Sellers asked.
McLaughlin argued Trump's comments were about “appearances” and said this election was the most “substantial” in modern history.
The Trump camp Planned Trump and Harris are trying to get Harris off script as the vice president continues to enjoy “married life.” Agreed The former president proposed debating with Fox News hosts on Sept. 4, but instead suggested taking part in the Sept. 10 debate moderated by ABC News.
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