Trump hits Harris over CNN interview: ‘She’s a defective person’
Former President Trump criticized Vice President Harris Friday after her recent interview with CNN, calling her “defective.”
“I think she would’ve been better off if she just did interviews, even if they weren’t great it woulda been better … because now everyone’s watching and now we see, she’s defective,” Trump said Friday at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a conservative nonprofit. “She’s a defective person.”
“And we don’t need another defective person as president of the United States,” Trump said, likely referring to President Biden, who dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Harris. “We just had that.”
He also said Biden was “sharp as a tack,” during the presidential debate in June and complained that it was “unfair” he had to spend millions going after the wrong person during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee (RNC) last month. Biden stepped aside from the race in late July, days after the RNC concluded.
His latest attacks come after Harris sat for her first major interview as her party’s presidential nominee Thursday, alongside her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). CNN’s Dana Bash interviewed the pair following growing pressure on Harris to sit for an interview.
Trump has unleashed personal attacks on the vice president as her political star has risen since she rose to the top of the Democratic ticket in recent weeks. The vice president in the interview also brushed off her GOP rival’s questioning of her racial identity.
“Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please,” Harris responded.
“That’s it?” Bash asked.
“That’s it,” Harris answered.
During a campaign stop earlier Friday, Trump briefly commented on the interview.
“Did you see her on television last night? This is gonna be the president of our country? I don’t think so,” he said in Pennsylvania.
The former president also took a swing at Bash, calling her “nasty.”
“You know, I know Dana. She’s always, you know, always nasty. She was so nice to the Democrats,” he said, adding, “It was a very weak interview from the standpoint of CNN. I think CNN should be ashamed of themselves.”
Trump and his allies criticized CNN for pre-taping the interview instead of airing it live as a way to cover up potential Harris slipups — but there were no gaffes recorded. The outlet aired the interview in its entirety, as was mentioned at the start of the program.
The critique comes after the former president lauded Bash and CNN anchor Jake Tapper in June for their moderation of the debate against Biden, when he praised the hosts for treating him “very fairly.”
The Hill has reached out to the Harris campaign and the White House for comment.
Updated Aug. 31 at 9:38 a.m.
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