CNN's Abby Phillip has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris's interview with Black journalists, saying that her answers "lacked specifics." The interview has also been criticized for Harris's apparent lack of preparedness and her tendency to evade questions.
CNN's Abby Phillip has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris's interview with Black journalists, saying that her answers "lacked specifics." Phillip made the comments during a discussion on CNN about the interview, which took place on Wednesday.
Phillip said that Harris's answers to questions about the economy, guns, and the war in Gaza "lacked specifics" and that she did not provide "quick" and "understandable" answers to questions that voters care about.
Kamala Harris's Interview with Black Journalists Criticized for Lack of Specifics
Phillip played a clip of Harris responding to a question about whether voters were better off than they were four years ago. Harris said that the Biden administration had created over 16 million new jobs and the lowest Black unemployment rate in generations.
However, Phillip argued that Harris should have something "quick" and "understandable" ready in response to a question like that, adding, "and that wasn't really it."
Kamala Harris's Interview with Black Journalists Criticized for Lack of Specifics
Other CNN commentators also criticized Harris's interview, with Ashley Allison saying that she wished Harris would have alluded to the next four years in her answer to the question about whether Americans were better off during Trump's presidency.
Scott Jennings said that Harris "got the same question at the debate, and you know what else, why I went back and watched the debate again, every single policy question she got at the debate, she totally ignored and never answered. Why is it that she believes she does not have to answer to journalists who are asking pretty basic questions of a presidential candidate?"
Kamala Harris's Interview with Black Journalists Criticized for Lack of Specifics
Colman Hughes suggested that Harris keeping her answers vague was working for her. "What has worked for Kamala Harris is literally to not make headlines, to give vague but presidential sounding answers to questions, and allow voters to project the image of who they hope she is onto her," Hughes said.
Following the interview, Politico reported on Wednesday that Harris refused to "veer off script." The report said Harris evaded questions about important issues, adding, "she did not break much ground or stray far from her talking points."
The criticism of Harris's interview comes as she has faced increasing scrutiny over her performance as vice president. Some Democrats have privately expressed concerns about her ability to handle the job, and there have been reports of tension between her and President Biden.
Harris's allies have defended her, saying that she is a hard worker who is committed to public service. However, the criticism of her interview is likely to add to the pressure on her to improve her performance.
