A CNN host held a Harris campaign spokesman to his own standard after he appeared to hint that turning down interviews may be a sign of mental decline.
CNN anchor Boris Sanchez turned the tables on Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams after he criticized former President Trump for backing out of an interview.
On Tuesday, Sams posted a tweet sharing a headline from The Daily Beast, “Trump Abruptly Cancels Another Mainstream TV Interview,” with emoji eyes and wrote, “Trump pulls out of another mainstream media interview, just like he did with 60 Minutes… As he is facing scrutiny over his mental acuity.”
During an interview that same day, Sanchez referred to the post, holding the Harris campaign senior adviser’s feet to the fire.
“I want to ask you about something you posted on social media that is related to this. You posted a side-eye emoji in response to Trump dropping out of a planned interview with CNBC, alluding again to Trump’s mental fitness,” he said. “Now the vice president was invited to appear with them but declined. She also declined to be at that Bloomberg conversation, or to have a conversation with Bloomberg, I should say. She also declined an interview with ‘Time’ magazine. Declining media hits really isn’t an indicator of mental fitness, is it?”
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Sams appeared to argue that Harris’ Wednesday interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier should dispel any belief that she has avoided tough questions so far.
“Well, you know, I think anybody who thinks that the vice president’s dodging tough questions should tune in tomorrow when she sits down with Fox News for an interview. And so, I think she’s out there taking questions even from really tough corners. Today his appearance at Bloomberg was the first event he has done in one entire month with a mainstream media outlet. Everything else has been in conservative media or friendly spaces,” he said.
“And so, I think that when you think about what he is doing right now in the close of this campaign, who are we talking to? Who are the two candidates talking to in this closing few weeks of the election? There’s a small number of undecided voters out there who are trying to make up their mind about which of these candidates is offering ideas that could help their lives,” Sams said.
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That same day, at the Bloomberg event that Sanchez had mentioned, Bloomberg News’s editor-in-chief John Micklethwait had specifically noted to television viewers that “The Economic Club of Chicago and Bloomberg both invited Vice President Harris to a similar interview about her economic plans. She has declined so far.”
Trump engaged in a contentious interview with Micklethwait. At one point, during a back and forth on tariffs, Trump said, “It must be hard for you to spend 25 years talking about tariffs as being negative and then have somebody explain to you that you’re totally wrong.”
Micklethwait fired back at Trump, saying he could be “plunging America into the biggest trade war.”
Harris’ Fox News interview will air on the October 16 edition of Baier’s “Special Report” at 6 p.m. ET.
