For perhaps the first time, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle managed to look like the sharpest person in the room during her recent interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That’s quite the feat, given Harris’s track record of dodging tough questions, and the fact that Ruhle seemed more interested in defending Harris’s absence from the public eye, brushing it off because, well, she’s running against Trump. It wasn’t the hard-hitting journalism most of us hope for, but Ruhle did make one rare concession: she admitted Harris couldn’t give a clear answer—though, in true MSNBC fashion, she tried to excuse it by claiming the issues weren’t exactly straightforward.
Ruhle tried to pull some substance from Harris by asking about her so-called “economic vision.” The question was framed in a way that acknowledged how many Americans feel left out of the administration’s plans, to which Harris responded with the usual canned talking points about growing up in a “middle-class” family and being energized by the spirit of the American people. It’s a nice enough sentiment, but Ruhle wasn’t entirely buying it, reminding Harris that most voters still trust Trump more when it comes to handling the economy. That must’ve stung.
Harris’s attempt to rewrite history was next-level, claiming Trump left the country with the worst economy since the Great Depression. Ruhle, to her credit, quickly interrupted to point out that this was during COVID, when the entire country was shut down, and even before the pandemic, Harris tried to argue Trump was hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs. In reality, Trump had actually overseen a gain of over 400,000 manufacturing jobs, but Harris clearly wasn’t interested in that little detail. Facts, as they say, can be inconvenient.
The conversation turned to taxes, where Harris stuck to the administration’s tired promise that no one making less than $400,000 a year will see a tax increase. Ruhle pressed her on how this administration plans to pay for things like expanding the child tax credit without raising corporate taxes or if the GOP takes the Senate. Harris offered the usual vague answer about raising the corporate tax rate, while Ruhle tried to highlight the obvious—corporations might just take their business elsewhere if they’re squeezed too hard. Harris, unsurprisingly, dodged this too, claiming that CEOs will somehow prioritize “investing in the middle class” over their bottom line. Sure, because that’s how businesses work, right?
Ruhle wasn’t done yet, though. She pointed out that Harris couldn’t even explain why the Teamsters Union didn’t endorse her, even after she claimed to stand by workers and unions. Harris’s long-winded answer didn’t address the core question, and Ruhle’s frustration was palpable. Harris also threw out the usual attacks on Trump for “breaking promises,” but it seemed like another attempt to distract from the fact that her own policies, particularly on radical environmental issues, have done more harm to labor than good. Add to that her role in preventing U.S. Railroad Workers from striking, and it’s no wonder unions are keeping their distance.
The cherry on top was when Harris claimed she was going after companies for price gouging, but she couldn’t really explain how she’d do that without implementing price controls. Instead, she just rattled off vague promises about a comprehensive plan to lower the cost of living, without offering any specifics. Ruhle, for her part, didn’t push for details on this “plan,” leaving us all wondering what exactly the vice president has up her sleeve—if anything.
Kamala just claimed that President Trump lost 200K manufacturing jobs before the pandemic.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 25, 2024
This is a lie. It's not even remotely close to being true.
American added 414K manufacturing jobs in the first 38 months of the Trump admin.pic.twitter.com/QEQh7RRNeB
