MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle stopped by Morning Joe on Friday to react to criticisms that she conducted a softball interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Ruhle dismissed the idea, joking that “all press is good press” before getting more serious and claiming that criticizing Harris for using “platitudes” is unfair because she’s a politician and that’s just what politicians do.
Co-host Joe Scarborough declared, “I noticed that [Fox News’s] Howie Kurtz was saying you launched a softball interview with Kamala Harris, and you seem to be the running banner for about 30 minutes about how what a softball interview this interview was. Of course, nothing, nothing like Donald Trump and Sean Hannity.”
As Hannity himself said, he’s a commentator with an agenda, but Ruhle fancies herself as a straight-talking business and economics reporter, so unless Ruhle wants to be viewed as a liberal version of Hannity, the standard should be higher for her.
Nevertheless, Scarborough asked, “I’m just curious what your thoughts were about Fox News desperately suggesting that she bombed a softball interview.”
Downplaying the seriousness of the moment, Ruhle chirped, “Well, to Fox News, I would say ‘thank you,’ because, as I learned from Donald Trump, all press is good press, so I am thrilled to be all over their airwaves all day long.”
After a digression into all the merchandise Trump is selling, Ruhle tried to get serious, “No, that's nonsense. Obviously, for anybody who watched the interview I did with Vice President Harris, we sat down for 25 minutes and talked about one single topic, the economy. It is the number one issue for voters. If Donald Trump would like to sit down and have that same conversation, I'm ready for you.”
Ruhle then proceeded to defend Harris, “it's hard, because many people feel like she's speaking in platitudes. She's speaking about an economic vision, and she's not giving details. She's got an 80-page detailed policy proposal and do I think that she answers every single question and gives people exactly what they want? She doesn't. You know why? Because she's a politician, and none of them do. They all speak in platitudes.”
It is also because Harris is trying to campaign as a centrist and a progressive at the same time, so people do not know which Harris is the real one. Regardless, not missing a beat, Ruhle then condemned Trump for speaking in platitudes, “Donald Trump has given absolutely nothing except mass deportations, which would be a huge issue for our economy, and he just says, you know, ‘I delivered you the best economy ever and I'm going to put across, you know, blanket tariffs.’”
For Ruhle, the big question Harris has to answer is not a policy one, but a tactical one, "She needs to solve for why he still polls better on economic issues with voters because that, to me, is mind boggling. You know, when you talk to voters across the board, they say, 'I don't know what any politicians do for me, but I did get my taxes lowered,' and she made it clear, when the individual tax cuts expire next year, the one group of people who will get their taxes raised are people who make over $400,000 a year."
On the previous Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Ruhle claimed that demanding Harris give a serious interview was asking for “Nirvana” and now that she herself had an opportunity to conduct such an interview, she is claiming that Harris can’t be expected to give serious answers. Even by the standards of the two people involved, that’s pretty shameless.
Here is a transcript for the September 26 show:
MSNBC Morning Joe
9/27/2024
9:05 AM ET
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Stephanie, Mika, Mika likes watching Fox News.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: No, I don't like it, but I do watch it.
SCARBOROUGH: And she keeps it on all day just to be like, did it to catastrophize.
BRZEZINSKI: No.
SCARBOROUGH: And yesterday I noticed that Howie Kurtz was saying you launched a softball interview with Kamala Harris, and you seem to be the running banner for about 30 minutes—
BRZEZINSKI: Yes. All--30 minutes? All day.
SCARBOROUGH: About how what a softball interview this interview was. Of course, nothing, nothing like Donald Trump and Sean Hannity, I’m sure, but I’m just curious what your thoughts were—
BRZEZINSKI: And that she bombed it.
SCARBOROUGH: — about Fox News desperately suggesting that she bombed a softball interview.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Well, to Fox News, I would say “thank you,” because, as I learned from Donald Trump, all press is good press, so I am thrilled to be all over their airwaves all day long.
SCARBOROUGH: Can I buy one of your watches, will you do a brand of watches?
RUHLE: Yeah, it was great, because I was watching Fox News, and I'm now excited about Melania's memoir, I'm going to have to pick that up this weekend, and I can get a silver coin that Donald Trump launched on Monday, obviously, one of the hundred grand watches and I haven't gotten my sneakers yet, but I’m sure they can tell me where to get them.
No, that's nonsense. Obviously, for anybody who watched the interview I did with Vice President Harris, we sat down for 25 minutes and talked about one single topic, the economy. It is the number one issue for voters. If Donald Trump would like to sit down and have that same conversation, I'm ready for you and I think it's hugely important and it's a vulnerability for both candidates, but it's really tricky, Joe, because you obviously want to cover all of these topics, but to just do it with one candidate, it's hard, because many people feel like she's speaking in platitudes. She's speaking about an economic vision, and she's not giving details. She's got an 80-page detailed policy proposal and do I think that she answers every single question and gives people exactly what they want? She doesn't. You know why? Because she's a politician, and none of them do. They all speak in platitudes.
But Donald Trump has given absolutely nothing except mass deportations—
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
RUHLE: — which would be a huge issue for our economy, and he just says, you know, "I delivered you the best economy ever and I'm going to put across, you know, blanket tariffs," but the thing that I think that she needs to answer for more is despite all of the economic wins over the last four years, despite the fact that Donald Trump emotionally connected with that blue collar worker, but he didn't deliver for that blue collar worker, she needs to solve for why he still polls better on economic issues with voters—
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
RUHLE: — because that, to me, is mind boggling. You know, when you talk to voters across the board, they say, "I don't know what any politicians do for me, but I did get my taxes lowered," and she made it clear, when the individual tax cuts expire next year, the one group of people who will get their taxes raised are people who make over $400,000 a year. Now, a lot of people in blue cities and states are wondering what happens to that state and local tax deduction.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
RUHLE: Donald Trump said we're going to lift that cap. He's the one who put it on. We don't yet know what she's going to do.
