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Millions of Americans watched Kamala Harris make her first appearance since becoming the Democratic nominee on FOX News with evening anchor Bret Baier. While there are opinions across the political aisle as to how it went, the most intriguing part, as a host, was following how Baier handled the interview.
Clearly, Kamala Harris’ goal was to tie every single question back to Donald Trump. Now, that makes sense, given that her campaign strategy has largely been based around not being Donald Trump. But even Baier seemed surprised at times at how much she dodged his fairly direct questions.
Take Question 1: “How many illegal immigrants would you estimate your administration has released into the country over the last three and a half years?”
Harris began to filibuster, when Baier interjected, “Just a number, do you think it’s 1 million? 3 million?”
Harris responded, “Bret, let’s just get to the point. Okay? The point is that we have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired.”
As the filibuster continued, Baier came armed with facts from the Homeland Security Director and the number of apprehensions along the border. He did his absolute best to return to the original question and try to draw an answer.
Throughout the interview, Baier found himself in a similar position, trying to get a direct answer from a candidate who was not interested in giving direct answers and appeared to be more interested in sparring with a seemingly adversarial network.
Another key moment came when Baier showed the data that showed 79% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. Baier asked simply, “Why are they saying that? You’ve been in office for three-and-a-half years.”
Harris said, “And Donald Trump has been running for office… come on, you and I both know what I’m talking about.”
Baier said, “I actually don’t. What are you talking about?”
It was an off-the-cuff comment at the moment, but a fair one. That’s exactly what anyone watching that was thinking. “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about”
As an interviewer, it’s your job to get information and clarity from the interview subject on behalf of your audience. Harris didn’t provide any specifics and was even less clear.
It’s why the best interviewers have to master the tricky balance of trying to think of the best and most efficient way to ask a question while knowing where they want to go. They also have to listen to their interview subject to ask the right follow-ups.
Baier largely put on a masterclass on how to stay professional, not lose your cool, and try to stay focused on asking the questions, while directing the conversation where you want it to go and not letting it go completely off the rails. There were moments when this could have happened. And he didn’t allow it to go there.
Baier showed what a pro he was in this setting despite the confrontation that the candidate was clearly looking to achieve. Baier came off calm, cool, and collected, and as a result, he was the far more likable of the two in the setting. That’s worth a tremendous amount to one’s audience and builds trust with an audience that can’t be fabricated.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
