While Donald Trump sinks into a languid and incoherent end to the campaign, his Democratic opponent is increasing his energy and refusing no challenge.
Kamala Harris was criticized at the start of the campaign for dodging the media and avoiding confrontation. She has just crowned a media blitz with an interview on the most listened to right-wing propaganda network, Fox News.
And she survived.
An avalanche of interviews
After a cautious start to the campaign and as her lead in the polls plateaued, Harris decided to go all out by going to all the platforms.
There were some easy ones, like when Stephen Colbert interrupted his vacation to devote a whole show to him. She targeted women on one side, with The View And Call Her Daddyand men, talking to Howard Stern and Charlamagne Tha God. She also took part in a close interview at 60 minutes while Trump walked away.
Critics have been divided. She made some good shots, but also made several blunders that were greatly amplified. For example, she struggled to clearly articulate what differentiates her from Joe Biden and she did not always know how to escape from the predictable traps that were set for her.
On the other hand, she was able to reach audience segments that were not very connected to the campaign and her performances improved from one time to the next. Above all, she was able to project an image of strength and confidence. The contrast is obvious with Trump, who refuses to face him again in debate after being stripped of his pants on September 10.
Incursion into enemy territory
The highlight of this media blitz was his debate interview with Fox News journalist Bret Baier on Wednesday evening. Nearly eight million people watched Kamala Harris stand up to an interviewer determined to trap her, who systematically interrupted her.
Her critics say she crashed. Her blind supporters say she has triumphed. The truth is more nuanced. Except when Baier stopped her from speaking or when there were no politically sensible answers to questions (Harris has no interest in vilifying Joe Biden, with all due respect to Fox News), she did well. .
In front of an audience usually imprisoned in the information bubble of the right, she demonstrated that she had guts, energy, and that she was attentive to the entire electorate. Meanwhile, his opponent only addresses his base, refuses to debate and strives to avoid leaving his comfort zone.
Above all, during this hostile interview with Fox News, Harris was able to expose the dishonesty of this network when she was asked to react to a watered-down clip where Trump posed as a victim while a full quote would have revealed his anti-democratic impulses (see the ‘boxed).
While Donald Trump seems more and more exhausted and his advisers would like him to shut up, Kamala Harris is pressing hard on the accelerator. This campaign is far from over.
Number of the week
310,000
This is the number of ballots cast Tuesday, the first day of advance voting in the pivotal state of Georgia. This number is more than double the record number recorded in 2020 (136,739). The trend continued on the other days. This high level suggests that the Democratic strategy of encouraging high turnout by favoring early voting appears to be paying off (source: Georgia Secretary of State).
Statement of the week
“I think the biggest problem we have is enemies within. (…) They are sick, lunatic left-wing radicals. (…) And I believe that this problem could be resolved very easily, if necessary, by the national guard or, if it is really necessary, by the army.
– Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, last Sunday.
Donald Trump does not seem at all embarrassed to expose his intention to use force against his political opponents. He has taken up this theme in several other forums, notably mentioning that the “lunatics” and “fascist communist Marxists” he intends to crack down on include, by name, Democratic Representatives Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi.
The lie detector
On several occasions this week, Donald Trump repeated that, in his opinion, the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election had been “peaceful”.
FAKE
Anyone who was able to see the events of January 6, 2021 live or was able to follow the work of the House of Representatives committee on these events will agree that there was nothing peaceful about the transfer of power. The violent events at the Capitol that day resulted in nearly a thousand criminal convictions. This false interpretation is part of Donald Trump’s attempt to rewrite the history of the 2020 election, which he continues to say (without proof) was stolen from him.
Photo of the week
Fox News
As part of an intense media blitz, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris gave an interview to the Fox News network, which is largely hostile to her cause. The heated exchanges with star host Bret Baier were seen by 7.8 million viewers, the largest audience for an interview of this type in the entire campaign.
