Kamala Harris took part in major interviews with Howard Stern and Stephen Colbert, closing out a busy media day for her campaign.
Tuesday (Oct. 8) turned out to be a major media blitz for Vice President Kamala Harris, as she took part in interviews with Howard Stern and Stephen Colbert after appearing on ABC’s The View. The Democratic presidential nominee’s appearance on Stern’s Sirius XM show had a few key moments, beginning with Stern blasting former President Donald Trump for declining a 60 Minutes interview. “It just says so much,” Stern said. “He didn’t want to be fact-checked. This is madness. This is insanity. What do you mean, you don’t want to be fact-checked?”
Harris would jab Trump for his false claims about the 2020 presidential election, calling him a “sore loser” and taking him to task for his “dictator on day one” comments. “Understand what dictators do,” said Harris. “They jail journalists, they put people who are protesting in the street in jail.” She also commented on the bombshell report of Trump sending Russian President Vladimir Putin COVID tests at the height of the pandemic when he was in office. “People in America were struggling to get tests and this guy is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use?” she said. Stern declared that he’d vote for her in November.
In her appearance on Late Night With Stephen Colbert, Harris opened up more, even sharing a beer – Miller High Life – with the host who expressed that he got advance permission to do so. Harris spoke about her Republican endorsements from Liz and Dick Cheney, praising them for putting “country over party.” Colbert asked her about her thoughts during her debate with Trump last month. “It’s family TV, right? It starts with a W, there’s a letter between it, then the last letter’s F,” she said, laughing and adding later on in the interview, “This is what happens when I drink beer.”
The appearances by the vice president were strategic in targeting key journalists supportive of her campaign, as many observers complained that she was ignoring traditional media outlets. Stern’s base, predominately composed of white males, is a key demographic for the Democratic party, evidenced by the “White Dudes For Harris” collective. Colbert has been a strong supporter of both Harris and President Joe Biden in the past, appearing as a host for fundraisers.