MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle will interview Kamala Harris on Wednesday, less than a week after defending the Democratic presidential nominee on “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Ruhle’s defense came during a back-and-forth exchange with fellow panelist Bret Stephens. The New York Times columnist pressed Ruhle on Harris’ lack of press interviews since she became the nominee, and said it would be great to hear her clarify her stance on Israel-Palestine. Ruhle said she wasn’t as concerned about Harris’ silence as she was the “threat” of another Donald Trump presidency.
“Let’s say you don’t like her answer — are you going to vote for Donald Trump?” Ruhle asked Stephens. “Kamala Harris is not running for perfect, she’s running against Trump.”
Ruhle continued: “We have two choices, so there are some things you might not know her answer to. And in 2024 — unlike 2016, for a lot of the American people –we know exactly what Trump will do, who he is, and the kind of threat he is to democracy.”
Stephens told Ruhle that he’s not voting for Trump, but that he’d still like to hear more from the sitting vice president.
“I don’t think it’s a lot to ask her to sit down for a real interview, as opposed to a puff piece,” Stephens said.
Ruhle, again, said it wasn’t a big deal.
“I would just say to that, when you move to Nirvana, give me your real estate broker’s number, and I’ll be your next door neighbor,” Ruhle said. “We don’t live there.”
On Wednesday, Harris will sit for her first one-on-one network interview since becoming the nominee. (Harris previously did a joint interview with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with CNN’s Dana Bash on August 29.) Ruhle’s interview with Harris will be recorded in Pittsburgh and air at 7:00 p.m. ET Wednesday during a two-hour edition of “All in With Chris Hayes.”
Last week, Oprah Winfrey hosted a town hall with Harris that included a number of Hollywood stars; Harris received celebrity endorsements from Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jennifer Lopez, and Julia Roberts during the event.
Heading into Wednesday, Trump and his running mate JD Vance have given 58 interviews since the Harris-Walz ticket was announced, according to Fox News. Harris and Walz, during that same time, have given 21 total interviews.