On October 17th, 2024, longtime media personality and former Fox News host, Geraldo Rivera, expressed criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris following her recent interview on Fox News. The interview conducted by Bret Baier put Harris under the spotlight on immigration, a major national issue.
Despite Rivera’s previous announcement of his support for Harris in the impending election, he expressed disappointment with her responses on immigration.
Following the interview, Rivera appeared on NewsNation, where he described Harris as “feisty” and “more mature” in her overall demeanor. However, he was perplexed by her seeming inability to effectively tackle immigration-related questions. Rivera emphasized that Harris’ team missed a vital opportunity to prepare her for stronger responses, given the anticipated focus on the southern border and the Republican narrative of victimization surrounding immigration.
In the interview, Baier focused on the deaths of several Americans, including Laken Riley, allegedly caused by undocumented immigrants. According to Rivera, Harris overlooked the political manipulation of these tragic incidents. He felt that the Vice President could have offered a more empathetic response and criticized the politicization of these tragedies, a missed opportunity he found significant for her campaign.
The critique by Rivera extended beyond Harris’ interview to the Democratic Party’s overall approach to the immigration issue. He cautioned that the Democrats’ “biggest Achilles heel” is immigration and their failure to offer clear and effective solutions could adversely impact their electoral prospects. Rivera highlighted the risk of this issue playing into Donald Trump’s hands, given the prominence of immigration in his campaign.
This is not the first time Rivera has found fault with Harris’ media performances. He has repeatedly voiced his concern about her handling of critical issues, despite supporting her presidential bid. Rivera has urged Harris and her team to adopt a more strategic approach to contentious issues like immigration and to be prepared for attacks from political opponents.
Harris also faced questions on national issues such as President Biden’s health and international relations, including U.S. policy on Iran, during the interview with Baier. Though her responses on these topics were less debated, her handling of immigration questions dominated the post-interview discussions.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported more than seven million encounters with illegal immigrants since the start of the fiscal year 2021, highlighting the escalating complexity of immigration issues. Rivera stressed that the Democratic ticket must confront the issue of immigration head-on, given these staggering figures.
Given the context of the 2024 presidential race, Rivera’s critique of Harris holds considerable weight. His open support for Harris, coupled with his disapproval of Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election, referring to him as a “sore loser,” places him in a unique position. His criticisms echo the sentiments of moderates and Democratic Party members who seek a stronger stance from Harris on key issues.
As Harris continues to make media appearances, political pundits and supporters will be closely monitoring how she responds to the mounting scrutiny on these critical topics.
