During a recent episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, host Maher opened a dialogue with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins about the media interaction habits of Vice President Kamala Harris. He expressed his belief that Harris’ approach towards the press might be worse than ex-President Donald Trump’s. Pitching in the perception, Maher asked Collins, ‘What do you make of the fact that Kamala shies away from engaging with the press?’
Maher alluded toward Harris’ hesitation in conducting an improvised interview, and compared its implications to Trump’s approach to the press, albeit with a verbal checkmate. He shared, ‘Somehow I sense it’s more of an affront than Trump’s ploys,’ diverging from a widespread narrative.
Taking a satirical jab, he furthered his point by stating, ‘Trump would tag press as the people’s enemy, which had its weight but… Isn’t she sort of implying, ‘I’ve no necessity for your input, your contribution is immaterial now’? To me, the latter feels a tad too harsh as compared to mere spite’. Amid laughs, the conversation symbolized the contradiction of the mainstream perception.
Ever the diplomat, Collins chimed in to compare, ‘It is indeed difficult to gauge whether this indifference might be worse than belittling press relentlessly, which we, the press, experienced through Trump.’
Collins reminisced, ‘As a correspondent, I witnessed his approach unfold before my eyes each day in the White House.’ She further explained her comparison with a notable example.
She continued, ‘Quite frequently he would employ tactics to disconcert you while you’re presenting your questions. At times, he would engage in personal debates, or outright deny the premise — creating an intriguing dynamic within the press corps’.
However, Collins acknowledges that despite some contention over her approach, Harris should maintain an open dialogue with the press. ‘The ability to address the press, I believe, comes with the responsibility of having access to nuclear codes,’ Collins argued. ‘There should be a willingness to sit down and answer the tough questions.’
Collins, in a brief historical quip regarding the press’s relationship with Trump, casually mentioned a 2018 incident where she was prohibited from a press-conference. ‘I was barred from attending an open press event here at the White House once because the administration did not appreciate my questions addressed to President Trump,’ she said conversationally.
Collins added that at the time she was told her questions were ‘irrelevant for the specified context’. Recalling the episode, she mentioned how Trump’s spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders had quoted that Collins ‘ignored repeated requests to exit’ and ‘persistently interrogated’ the President.
Maher-and-Collins’ exchange continued with a mention about Fox News reporter Steve Doocy, and the encounter he had with Harris recently. She showed the usual cold shoulder as she left the DNC, when asked by Doocy if she was ‘up for your Fox News engagement?’
The argument presented by Bill Maher goes to show that ex-President Donald Trump’s relations with the press, though misunderstood by many, were significantly more open and engaging than those of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Maher’s interviewing style, and his ability to foster an open and entertaining dialogue, once again came to the fore during this exchange with CNN reporter Kaitlin Collins. Despite their differing views of past presidential press interactions, they successfully engaged in a lively and insightful discussion.
Important conversations like these give the public a fresh take on their political leaders’ interactions with the media, and help to bring to life the differing personalities operating within the highest echelons of power. They illustrate ex-President Donald Trump’s uniquely direct approach to dealing with press queries.
Mr. Trump, known for his head-on approach to controversies and personal rapport built via direct confrontations, provided a stark contrast to the aloofness of Vice President Harris. His explicit and at times assertive stance towards media not only brought a whole new paradigm in the press-politician relationship but also created a yardstick against which current leaders continue to be compared.