JUST IN: Kamala Harris Fox News Interview Draws Big Ratings -- Trounces Trump Town Hall

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Oct 17th, 2024, 3:02 pm


Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris drew impressive ratings on Wednesday night, proving the event to have been a successful strategy for both the cable news network and the Democratic nominee. According to early Nielsen ratings, 7.1 million viewers tuned in to watch what was an at times contentious interview between the Fox anchor and presidential candidate. In the advertiser coveted 25-54 age demo, 882,000 viewers watched.

Harris made the case for her own candidacy and argued that former President Donald Trump is an unstable figure unfit to serve as president — including in the eyes of many of his former cabinet members. Baier confronted Harris on some of her evolving positions on border policy and through tough questions and aggressive follow ups extracted some of the most meaningful answers she’s provided on the campaign trail to date.

The viewership was considerably higher than the audience that usually tunes into Special Report, which is already the top show on cable news in its hour. For comparison, in the third quarter of 2024, Special Report averaged 2.5 million viewers a night.

That Harris would appear on Fox News was never a given. She has never before gone on the network that is considered anathema to many Democratic voters. Her campaign reasoned that the benefit of being the first Democratic presidential candidate to go on Fox News in 8 years was to appeal to undecided or persuadable voters, or Republicans who voted for Nikki Haley and are questioning their support for Trump.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/tv/just-in-kamala-harris-fox-news-interview-draws-big-ratings-trounces-trump-town-hall/

[TygrBright]

1. Alert the cleanup team - ketchup on the walls at Marm-a-Lardo. n/t

[moreland01]

2. Unfortunately

The righties claim that Brett B put her in her place. Trump is delusional enough to think it was a bad interview for her. Hopefully some watching will judge for themselves.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. They are the only ones claiming that

The other media, including the tabloids that love a good click, are characterizing it differently.

When you see words such as "tense", "feisty", "testy", "fiery", and "heated", that means they had to concede to a battle.

[groundloop]

4. Those "righties" will never change their minds, there's a good chance quite a few persuadable voters were also watching.

I didn't watch, but from the sounds of it Madam President did a great job and anyone who truly hasn't made up their mind yet will have seen that she can hold her own against anyone.

[calimary]

17. Well, maybe he did. Unintentionally, that is. He put her in FIRST PLACE.

All kinds of reasons for it.

Appearing to n Pox Noise meant she marched into enemy territory, and more than held her own. Probably gave Brett the shakes. I JUST heard Ari Melber say she “wiped the floor” with Brett B.

They very wrongly figure she can’t be a formidable opponent because she’s a woman daring to invade a man’s world and that’s a no-no for those Neanderthals. And they either ignore or dismiss or try to forget her powerful no-nonsense resume and professional credentials. She is their equal plus about a thousand.

[cstanleytech]

23. It's the independent voters that tend to lean Republican usually that matter .

Influencing those are what's needed because you can never change the far rights mind or what little they have.

[mercuryblues]

5. Typical

A bit of mansplaining, mixed in with if we ignore BB rudeness we can call it a draw. IMO, he is so immune to that type of behavior that he doesn't even notice it. Trust me, women notice.

This article is so off the mark. Brett was a bullying ass, trying to exert control over what Harris was allowed to say. She wouldn't have any of it and ended up putting him in his place.

[moniss]

10. Mediaite

is known for a right lean anyway. Their characterization of what BB was doing is purposely slanted. If you read between the lines of that it is clear they were saying he put the "uppity" black woman in her place. As you so rightly pointed out women who watched this knew very well what was going on. I remember years and years ago my mother explaining to me what mansplaining is. I came up in the time of the big change in American society where women had worked jobs during WW 2 and had their own money. It is almost impossible today to get young people to truly understand how it was so prevalent prior to WW 2 that a married woman, or a single woman living at home, had to ask their husband or father if they could go anywhere or buy a pair of shoes or a dress. People may think it's like a crazy fable but I really do have a memory of many of the women in the area where I grew up not having a driver's license or knowing how to drive. If the husband or father said no then that was that.

When it came time to be at the grocery store I have memories of women being told by their husbands "put that back we're not getting that." Sadly I also have horrible memories of several of the same women flinching when hearing it. I knew why.

[marybourg]

13. You must not have grown up in NYC.

“It is almost impossible today to get young people to truly understand how it was so prevalent prior to WW 2 that a married woman, or a single woman living at home, had to ask their husband or father if they could go anywhere or buy a pair of shoes or a dress.”

In the home I grew up in, my mother managed the finances (extremely competently), made her own decisions, and was at least 2/3 of the power behind joint decisions. Same, as far as I could tell as a child and teen, in the homes of most family and neighbors.

[moniss]

14. Midwest. nt

[GenThePerservering]

21. I grew up in various parts of the US

and in my parents' generation it was generally the women who managed the finances - the husband would bring the paycheck home, hand it to her, she'd give him spending money for the week, and they made all big financial decisions together. One explanation I heard was that women were just better with money, a big reason being that they ran the household and knew how much things cost. Another reason being that they were thrifty and not into trying to impress "the guys" that they were rich.

My grandmother's generation was the same. The husbands were fine with it - one less thing to deal with, everything runs smoothly, and he gets the say in the big stuff.

This was working class to middle class, just everyday people.

[moniss]

24. My area was German and Dutch predominantly and

very old school so to speak. It was not unusual to come across grandparents who spoke no English. Rural community and very conservative. The men had no problem generally with the women "handling" the bills etc. but that is different from what I'm talking about. It wasn't about doing the books it was about being allowed to buy things unless the "man of the house" said it was OK. It was just very typical where I grew up and it was very typical that the wife didn't have a driver's license. I can remember sitting and listening to plenty of conversations among the women about having to ask if it was OK to buy new shoes or a dress. I heard the complaints when the husband said no. It wasn't always a "being mean" thing as much as it was just pretty much a given that the husband or father had total say and it was pretty much the way it had been for a long time. The Second World War kicked off a lot of change but things take longer or start later in certain areas of the country.

I had relatives who never spoke English, I lived in an area where it was very common that someone would live their whole life and never see anything further than 7 miles from home, I lived in an area where the one room school house was not a distant memory of days gone by, I lived in an area where several farmers still had their horse teams into the 1950's despite having a tractor or two, I lived in an area where the windmill had a generator attached to it, I grew up in an area where the state highway had only recently been paved, I grew up in an area where taking milk cans to the dairy plant was not a distant memory, I grew up in an area where the electrical system was so unreliable that every summer storm meant you lost power maybe for days, I grew up in an area where many people never dreamed of being able to take a vacation or even wanting to their whole lives, I grew up in an area where nobody locked their doors even if they did go away to visit relatives. I grew up with four corners being my town and one of the corners was a 2nd generation General Store that still had a hitching rail, on the other corner was a two story brick building that had been the stage stop with rooms upstairs on the other corner was an old stucco walled little tavern and on the last corner was the old shanty house of one of the first farmers in the area. There were a few houses going west by the one room school house and the little church.

I completely understand that people in the towns and cities had a different experience. But I'm here and living proof to tell people that the "town and city way of life" was as foreign to us, and many like us, as if those people were from another planet. It was very patriarchal and not always mean spirited but sometimes it was. It was just how it was for millions of us. I'm happy for those who apparently lived and grew up in more progressive areas or those quicker to take on change. But I grew up in an area where, even though there were fairly decent sized cities only 25 miles away of 12,000 people or many more with factories and all sorts of things we never knew, there were plenty of people in my area who recognized the names but in 70 years of life had never been further than a few miles in any direction. There are DU members who know the sort of life and people I'm talking about. They lived it too like I did.

[BaronChocula]

6. The lack of fear and the confidence

in facing off against anyone comes from her knowing her own intelligence.

trump's fear and lack of confidence in facing off against anyone comes from him realizing one thing - he's an incapable sack of shit lacking in intelligence.

[robleb]

7. Even the MAGAts...

don't want to listen to the same old whining and narcissism, even though now punctuated with fancy dance moves

[Beartracks]

9. Bill Maher describes Trump's go-to dance move as "jerking off two guys at once." Fancy indeed!

[Mr.Bill]

11. Slight correction,

Mayer said Trump looked like we was jerking two giraffes at once.

[birdographer]

8. From what I heard,

they cut the interview short, less than the hour allotted for it. I didn't watch it, so I don't know if that's true. But if it is, why would they do that if ol' Brett was doing a such a great job?

[Mr.Bill]

12. They are claiming it was Harris'

people were the ones who wanted it stopped.

[Figarosmom]

15. For years now FOX , CNN and others have said

It's about the ratings in who they show and promote. Sooooo well see if that's so.

[70sEraVet]

16. As aggressive as Baier was in trying to talk over her answers.....

it was more like an unmoderated debate than an interview, with Baier being the pinch-hitter for tRump.
I think Harris did a great job, and that going on FOX was a briliant, if risky, idea. My guess is, she succeed in peeling off some tRump voters.

(I doubt you'll see tRump try to match her by going on Rachel Maddow's show)

[Polybius]

18. I work with several MAGA's

Every one watched it because it was Fox.

[Aussie105]

19. A bit of reality therapy for Fox viewers.

Much needed.

[Martin68]

20. Good news. Not only did Harris kick ass on Fox, she did so ion front of an audience that needs to see this happen.

Big audience and excellent message. Not many Democrats would handle themselves as well as Harris did. She aced it.

[GenThePerservering]

22. FEARLESS

And that is what we need!