Nate's Top 10 Clips
And other key Kamala interviews all in one place
Does Kamala Harris do interviews? Yep. Although the goalpost continues to be moved from “She doesn’t do interviews” to “She only does friendly interviews” and on and on, the truth is Vice President Harris has been putting herself out there nonstop in her (abbreviated) campaign for the White House.
Kamala is working hard to get in front of every audience and to let us know she wants to be a President for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. She’s speaking to voters everywhere on the campaign trail, including packed rallies, town halls, press pools, network news, sit-down interviews, talk shows, podcasts, and — yes — even Fox News.
And let’s not forget the debate where she outperformed Donald Trump so badly he refused to debate her a second time. As you now know, I like to be a curator of news for my friends and to help combat misinformation as much as possible. So, here are 10 clips (and links to more) of interviews with our MVP (Madam Vice President)!
Nate’s Top 10 Highlights
[ Listed in the random order that they uploaded, which I apparently can’t change! These are my edits, and I do not own the rights, of course. Feel free to watch the full videos and other interviews from their original sources in the links at the bottom of this post. ]
My favorites are #7 and #10
Clip #1: Abortion Access on the podcast Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper
Clip #2 : Stimulus Checks on the podcast Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe
Clip #3: Why hasn’t she done it already? on CNN with Dana Bash
Clip #4: Putting Country Before Party on ABC’s The View
Clip #5: Her Faith and Her Talking Points on the podcast The Breakfast Club
Clip #6: Decision-Making and more on the podcast The Howard Stern Show
Clip #7: Immigration at NBC’s Univision Town Hall
Clip #8: The Border and more on Fox News’s Bret Baier
Clip #9: The Economy on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Stephanie Rhule
Clip #10: Courageous Leadership on the podcast Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
If you want to watch the full videos or her other interviews, I’ve linked the ones I could find below. I’d also ask that you to keep a few things in mind as watch:
(1) Donald Trump’s interviews and rallies are consistently confusing, vindictive, and focused on his own problems rather than the American people.
(2) Donald Trump doesn’t understand policy and cannot answer any questions about lowering the cost of groceries, childcare, elder care, or anything else. That’s why he relies only on hateful rhetoric and lies that dehumanize his opponents, immigrants, and anyone who does not support him without critique.
(3) Kamala Harris doesn’t always give the best soundbites or the strongest interviews, although there are many strong points made that you can clip from them. As the saying goes, though, let’s not compare her to the Almighty but to the alternative.
(4) In my last post I attempted to make the “Case for Kamala” as a follow up to the prior post that was aimed at helping Republicans consider crossing the aisle. And I want to also share again here one section of that post that was specifically about her interviews. Links are below this excerpt.
Kamala does not give the best soundbites. She does not always have the strongest interviews. For an audience concerned more with style over substance, that’s a problem. For an audience who likes to be entertained or riled up, that’s a problem. For an audience waiting for a misstep and longing for a reason to discredit her, that’s a problem. But even in her long-winded responses, for those willing to consider the substance of her statements, there is a depth of understanding and discipline that far exceeds the capacity of her opponent.
Take for example her famous “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree” line and the often quoted, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” It’s spawned many memes and critiques by people claiming they have no idea what she’s saying. But the substance and context of those statements are actually important and powerful. They come from a speech about understanding that none of us lives in a silo. That we are all connected to one another, to our past, and to our future. We didn’t just start from scratch, but instead we were born into a world and a family and a context that already existed. We didn’t just fall out of thin air or, as Kamala’s Indian mother would say, out of a coconut tree. Context is key.
This perspective matters for a future president because it demonstrates that she doesn’t view anything in isolation, but rather understands that the best way to improve things for the future is by deeply understanding our individual and collective histories and the present situations they’ve created. The best way to solve a problem is to consider it in its full context, to take in all the available information and all the relevant perspectives. Her quote about, “What can be, unburdened by what has been” was not a gaffe but actually something she has said for years and even published in her book. It’s a statement of hope that says we can imagine a future for ourselves that is not limited by our past.
Have these statements been confusing to people and made fun of? Unfortunately, yes. But compare that to the confusing and oft-made-fun-of statements from the former President. When Trump rambles about the fictitious Hannibal Lecter, Arnold Palmer’s penis size, sharks, or his own crowd sizes, there’s no deeper message he’s trying to convey. It’s not a matter of poorly communicating a considered perspective, it’s just the result of having no disciplined message at all and no one holding him accountable for his nonsense. She’s expected to be flawless, while he gets away with not only saying things that make no sense but also with saying things that cause real harm. And things that demean and divide.
The truth about interviews is that we all will see what we want to see. It’s one of the truest examples of confirmation bias this election cycle. Take her Fox News interview with Bret Baier, for instance. Everyone on the right was convinced she did horribly and didn’t answer the questions while everyone on the left said she crushed it and put Bret in his place for a hostile interview. In each of the interviews she’s done, each side can find something to clip that supports what they already thought about her. It matters, though, that she is working to expand her base and make the case that she wants to be a President for everyone. Trump has never made such a claim. He only demonizes and belittles anyone (from any political persuasion) who critiques him. Can you imagine Trump going on MSNBC or being interviewed by Rachel Maddow? He’d never do it. And he’d never see the value of doing it or trying to win over voters from the left or center. He’s even threatened to take away the licenses of any news organization that he doesn’t like, including NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN and convinced his supporters that this is a normal and legitimate position to take. It’s not. It’s the position of dictators and weak men whose ideas and ego can’t stand up to the slightest scrutiny. We deserve better. We deserve a President for all Americans. Even when she isn’t the most captivating public speaker.
Network News Interviews
Podcast Interviews
Podcast: All the Smoke
Podcast: The Breakfast Club
Podcast: Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper
Podcast: Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe
Podcast: Howard Stern
Podcast: Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Other Interviews
Interview with Liz Cheney in Pennsylvania
Interview with Liz Cheney in Wisconsin
Interview with Oprah Winfrey
Interview with Rev. Al Sharpton