Last month, Kamala Harris appeared on “The View” for yet another softball interview. During the show, co-host Sonny Hostin served up a golden opportunity for Harris to distance herself from Biden’s failures.
"Would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?" Hostin asked.
"There is not a thing that comes to mind," Kamala replied.
The moment was promptly exploited by the Trump campaign, which featured the exchange in campaign ads.
It was inevitable that the Trump campaign would use Kamala's interview on The View in a campaign ad.
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) October 16, 2024
This ad is now running in battleground states. pic.twitter.com/0OPYmThLzd
This week, in a recent episode of “The View” podcast, Hostin spoke with host Brian Teta about the exchange and the impact it had on the election.
“One of the things that keeps coming up is, did Sonny Hostin personally cost Kamala Harris the election with her question?” he asked.
“Oh wow, I wish I had that much power because I would have flipped it in the other way,” she replied.
Teta pointed out that many pundits, including James Carville, believe it did cost Kamala the election.
“Look, I think it goes to show how important this show is, you know, in this country and actually internationally,” she replied.
With regard to the question she asked Kamala, Hostin clarified she was asking Harris what she would have done differently over the past four years, looking for Harris to highlight her personal vision or experience.
"I followed up because I was surprised at the answer,” she said. “Look, I think it wasn’t so much about the question, but it was really more about the answer […] I followed up with ‘Is there anything that you would do differently?’ And the reason I followed up is because that wasn’t a gotcha question. That was a layup, really. It was an important question, and I think one she should have expected.”
Related: They're Gaslighting Us About Why Kamala Didn’t Do Joe Rogan’s Podcast
“That’s what I thought," she added. "I actually thought it was a chance for her to explain to all the people who are saying, I want a change agent, for her to explain that of course she has a different lived experience from President Biden. But they did have one of the most successful administrations in our country.”
“That’s the tricky part,” Teta said.
“And I thought she would then say, I would build on the wins that we’ve had," Hostin replied. "And I had a laundry list of wins in my head. And she didn’t answer it that way. She said not a thing comes to mind. And listen, I think it goes to show you how loyal she was to the president, who gave her the opportunity to run for president, who chose her as his vice president.”
While Hostin refrained from calling Harris’s response a “right or wrong answer,” she recognized its impact, saying, “I was surprised at the answer because it was a question that really could have inured to her benefit. It was a question that could have been a changemaker.”
Sunny Hostin admits that she tried giving Kamala a softball question… but then it backfired and might be why she lost pic.twitter.com/WNGimcmdAn
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 13, 2024
I don't doubt that Hostin doesn't want to believe she cost Harris the election, and would never admit to thinking she did. But honestly, as damaging as it was, I strongly believe the outcome of this election was baked into the cake well before she botched her response to Hostin's question.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member