Katie Couric blasted Vice President Kamala Harris for her evasive responses in multiple interviews ahead of the presidential election.
During her podcast “Next Question with Katie Couric,” she had a detailed post-election discussion with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.
The former White House press secretary noted that one of Harris’ “better interviews” was her Fox News session with Bret Baier.
“I always find that people do better when they’re asked really challenging, pointed questions. I always felt that way about Hillary Clinton,” Couric remarked.
WATCH: Katie Couric admits Kamala was an awful candidate
“Answer the G**damn question, please.”pic.twitter.com/MtvCNzrKcS
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 18, 2024
“If you are giving them these almost weird, like, amorphous softballs, it’s really hard to kind of hone your message and be succinct and say what you really need to say.”
Couric said that she was “frustrated” with Harris’ inability to answer questions “really succinctly,” when pressed for answers.
The veteran television host pointed towards a CNN town hall, where Harris was asked about changing the Supreme Court.
“She had an opportunity to talk about ethics and what, you know, [Supreme Court Justices Samuel] Alito and Clarence Thomas were doing, and she answered, like, in one sentence, and then went on to something that had nothing to do with the question,” Couric noted.
“You know, people notice that,” she added. “And it’s like, ‘Answer the g-dd–n question, please!’”
Couric also mentioned Harris’ controversial remarks on “The View” about differentiating herself from President Biden, calling it “one of the most damaging things.”
She questioned Psaki, who due to her former role at the White House was and “insider,” why Biden didn’t tell Harris to separate herself from the administration.
“Let’s talk about areas where you can, where they’re legitimate, and God speed,'” Couric continued.
“I think somebody wrote that it was almost as if they were more afraid of hurting Joe Biden’s feelings than winning the election.”
Psaki described the period as a “unique and painful summer” for Biden, noting a sense of “fragility” in the Democratic Party sidelining him.
She remarked that Biden was “beloved” when he stepped aside, and Harris managed the politics delicately.
Couric pondered, “If I were running for president, Jen, I would sit down with my brain trust, and I’d be like, ‘Okay, let’s play out these questions. What am I gonna say?'”
“And I would have had a template that I would have carried around with me in every interview, and I would have reviewed them and said, you know, ‘This is what I believe, and this is how I’m going to handle a question like that.’ Now, why didn’t they- it just didn’t seem like that was done. Am I crazy?” she contemplated.
She also criticized Harris for not doing interviews for weeks after becoming the Democratic nominee, saying it drove her “crazy as a consumer.”
Before the election, Couric challenged guest Charlamagne Tha God’s view of Harris as “authentic.” Couric countered, describing Harris as too scripted during public appearances.
Charlamagne, host of The Breakfast Club, asked Harris directly about sticking to “talking points” and sounding “very scripted.” Harris defended it as “discipline.”
He reflected, calling Harris “authentically” herself, a “seasoned veteran politician,” contrasting her discipline with former President Donald Trump’s lack of restraint.
“So when you have a politician who is in an interview or in a conversation and they’re being disciplined, as she says, and getting their message across and telling us what their policies are and, you know, detailing
their policies, it’s kind of like, “We want to be entertained,” right?” he questioned.
“And that’s not what I think we need from our politicians. So, to say, “do I think she was being authentic?” Yeah, I think she was being authentically who she is, which is a very disciplined, seasoned veteran politician,” Charlamagne remarked.
Couric disagreed, acknowledging that Harris was improving at the time, but insisted that she replied too heavily on talking points and fears speaking candidly.
“I have to beg to differ with you on that point. I think that she takes a really long time to get to her point, and that she does rely on talking points too often,” Couric stated.
“I think she’s gotten much better than she used to, but it’s almost as if she’s afraid to say something that will later come back to haunt her,” she added.
Couric criticized Harris for not clearly articulating policy positions, saying it leaves voters wanting compared to Obama or Clinton.
“I just wish she would say, ‘This is our plan,’ or, ‘You’re right, a lot of illegal immigrants have come into this country during the Biden administration, but this is why, and this is what I want to do about it moving forward,’ you know?” she asked.
“I don’t find her explanation of policy that compelling compared to, say, someone like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.”
Charlamagne understood Couric’s perspective, suggesting caution in politics is common due to past statements haunting officials. However, he noted, “There’s only one Donald Trump. Nothing seems to haunt Donald Trump.”
Watch the full episode here: