Internet users were in stitches over Kamala Harris’s interview for CBS News, which aired on Sunday. After she appeared to misspeak and answered “democracy” when asked what America’s greatest national security challenge was, Twitter erupted in a barrage of comments.
Responses from users alternated between marvelling at how “unprepared’ the VP was for the interview and questioning her knowledge of what democracy was.
Other comments in the VP’s interview slammed Harris for her “inability to think on one’s feet”.
During the interview for “Face the Nation,” which aired on 26 December, when Margaret Brennan asked what was the biggest national security challenge facing the US, Kamala Harris replied:
“Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is, I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000.”
She went on:
“And we are embarking on a new era where the threats to our nation take many forms. Including the threat of autocracies taking over and having outsized influence around the world.”
Doubling back, however, she clarified that when answering the host’s question she meant to underscore the importance of a “fight for the integrity of our democracy”.
Kamala Harris has been hosting roundtables and giving interviews towards the end of the year to underscore the work her office and the Biden administration have done.
Elsewhere in the extensive pre-recorded interview for CBS News Harris revealed that her “biggest concern” was finding herself in a “bubble” and losing touch with people’s needs. She emphasised her hope of “getting out of DC more,” as her approval rating slipped to 28 percent in recent polls over a plethora of perceived policy missteps.
As of 21 December, 40% of registered voters had a favourable opinion of Harris and 52% had an unfavourable opinion, according to a Times average.