MSNBC Reporter Defends Harris’ Lack Of Interview

New York Times columnist Bret Stephens confronted MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ apparent strategy to evade press scrutiny, prompting Ruhle to defend her vigorously.

During their appearance on Bill Maher’s show, the discussion shifted to the upcoming presidential election. Stephens expressed concern that Harris’ lack of concrete answers on specific policies would not win over undecided voters like himself. “I’m an undecided voter. I’m never going to vote for Trump, I’m not sure I want to vote for Kamala. My fear is that she doesn’t really have a very good command of what she wants to do as president,” he said. “It would be great for her to sit down with [Maher], or George Stephanopoulos, or you, Stephanie.”

He also addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, questioning Harris’ clarity on her stance regarding this issue. “It’s not too much to ask Kamala, ‘Are you for a Palestinian state, if Hamas is going to run that state?’” he inquired.

Bret Stephens asks Stephanie Ruhle why Kamala Harris has not done interviews and stated clearly what her policy positions are. Ruhle responds that 'We don't live in Nirvana':
Bret Stephens: "I'm an undecided voter. I'm not sure I want to vote for Kamala. My fear is that she… pic.twitter.com/y80j8kDIWh

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) September 21, 2024

In response, Ruhle suggested that Harris’ candidacy was primarily about not being Trump, saying, “Kamala Harris is not running for perfect, she is running against Trump. We have two choices. There are some things that you might not know her answer to. In 2024, unlike in 2016, we know exactly what Trump will do, who he is, and the kind of threat he is to democracy.”

“The problem that a lot of people have with Kamala is that we don’t know her answer to anything,” Stephens countered.

“But you know his answer to everything,” Ruhle replied, despite her earlier assertion that Trump supported The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.

Stephens added, “People also are expected to have some idea of what the program that you’re supposed to vote for … I don’t think it’s a lot to ask for her to sit down for a real interview.”

Ruhle continued to defend Harris, remarking that obtaining answers from her was unrealistic: “When you move to Nirvana, give me your real estate broker’s number, and I’ll be your next door neighbor. We don’t live there.”