During a recent episode of Inside with Jen Psaki, leftist commentator Don Lemon delivered an unexpected and candid assessment of Kamala Harris and the current political landscape, leaving host Jen Psaki visibly caught off guard.
The segment, which initially focused on the familiar narrative criticizing former President Donald Trump, took a surprising turn when Lemon offered a more realistic view of Harris’s standing among voters.
The conversation began with Psaki echoing the recurring theme of Trump’s supposed reluctance to debate Harris. “I do want to start tonight with the debate over the debate that we watched play out today because I think it tells us a whole lot about the state of the presidential race right now,” Psaki said, referencing Trump’s decision to possibly skip the September 10th ABC News debate.
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She continued, “I mean, it all started late last night when Donald Trump suggested he may skip the scheduled September 10th ABC News debate. Yep, if you’re keeping track here, that’s the one he already agreed to, then tried to back out of, then agreed to again. This time, he cooked up a new grievance against ABC News as an excuse to weasel out of it, writing in a lengthy post…”
Despite Psaki’s framing, Lemon was quick to address a critical issue: Kamala Harris’s limited public exposure and her struggles with unscripted speaking engagements.
Lemon pointed out that Harris has rarely conducted meaningful press interviews, raising questions about her readiness for a debate with Trump. The idea that Trump would fear debating Harris, Lemon suggested, is implausible, given her track record in public speaking.
As the debate date approaches, Harris’s campaign has reportedly been making unusual demands, according to Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign. Miller disclosed that Harris is pushing for a seated format and even requested permission to use a “cheat sheet” during the live event. These demands, Miller argued, reveal the campaign’s lack of preparedness and desperation to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump.
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“Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate,” Miller stated, emphasizing that the Trump campaign is committed to the original debate format. He further criticized the Harris campaign’s attempts to alter the rules, saying, “If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem.”
Miller continued, highlighting a pattern of avoidance by the Harris campaign: “This seems to be a pattern for the Harris campaign. They won’t allow Harris to do interviews, they won’t allow her to do press conferences, and now they want to give her a cheat-sheet for the debate. My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump.”
However, the most revealing moment of the interview came when Psaki questioned Lemon about his experiences interviewing people across the country.
Expecting positive feedback about Harris, Psaki was instead confronted with a stark reality.
Lemon shared that in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and even areas of New Jersey, many people were unfamiliar with Harris.
He emphasized that Harris might need to reintroduce herself to the public.
Lemon elaborated, “They did… listen, um… it depends on where you are. We went to a number of different battleground states: Pennsylvania, Ohio. We were in Michigan, Indiana, on our way, obviously, to Illinois, on our way to Chicago. It depended on where you were. Pennsylvania—well, I shouldn’t say Pennsylvania, I should say Philadelphia—was a bit more liberal, and the answers to the questions about her and him were quite different. But for the most part, in Pittsburgh or at the Jersey Shore and Atlantic City, in Ohio especially, many people did not know who she was; they weren’t familiar with her. I think she has to reintroduce herself to the public. But for him, I think that they thought he’s better for the economy and that, again, he brought money into the community or that he was on black people’s side.”
Lemon’s comments highlighted a significant challenge for the Harris campaign: a lack of recognition and connection with voters in crucial states.
As the election season progresses, it remains to be seen how Harris will address these issues and whether her campaign will adjust its strategy to improve her public image and voter outreach.
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