CNN tried rebranding former Vice President Kamala Harris about as smoothly as your friend trying to set you up with a girl who’s got a “great personality.” On Friday afternoon’s broadcast of Inside Politics, the commentary bordered on full-on myth-making. Chief domestic affairs correspondent Phil Mattingly was upbeat that Harris could finally be herself, while lamenting was just under pressure, pulled in too many directions, always trying to avoid looking disloyal to Biden.
NOTUS White House correspondent Jasmine Wright called Harris “fun,” as though that quality (if existent in Harris) instantly should redeem her in the eyes of the American public.
Mattingly boasted that Harris was no longer bound by Biden and could finally campaign the way she wanted and was more natural to her:
But it was particularly tough in this campaign where she was constantly pulled from 50 different directions, and throughout had President Biden standing over her or beside her, saying, “Hey, kid, don't– don't– remember our legacy, right? Like, don't– don't be disloyal to me.”
And I think that the opportunity that this moment has for her or creates for her is to just let it rip, right? Like she doesn't need to be concerned about looking disloyal or about going against the administration - the last administration's agenda. She can say what she feels, what she thinks, and what she thought happened during that race, which I think people would appreciate that authenticity obviously wins in this moment. I think there'd be a lot of appreciation for it.
It was increasingly surreal to watch liberal pundits try to sell Kamala Harris as a political moment, or some type of visionary figure who was just never given the chance to truly come out of her shell and open up: a misunderstood hero. Especially when considering the fact that the first she was able to campaign for president the way she wanted, she was forced to drop out before Iowa.
The panel led viewers to believe she was stifled, misread, mishandled, and misunderstood, but pure of heart. And now, with the dust of the election season settled, she can finally speak her side of the story, free from any Biden loyalists going after her throat.
That would be a compelling story, if people hadn’t already seen the truth play out in the latter half of the 2024 election cycle. Kamala Harris had a big presidential campaign launch, a national profile, and donor enthusiasm. She had celebrity endorsements, an SNL appearance, and “brat”. All campaign bases were thought to have been covered. But within a few hours into election night, it was clear that the American people didn’t want a spokesperson, marketed President.
The desperation to recast her as suddenly genuine, warm, and real, ignores the fact that voters aren’t asking for a reboot when they’ve already seen and hated the pilot.
There’s a difference between a politician who hasn’t had the spotlight and one who’s had it and couldn’t hold the room. Harris belongs in the second category. Every cycle brings candidates who fade. The problem is disconnect with voters, and no amount of airtime could manufacture that.
CNN can keep pretending this moment was some grand unveiling, and telling us we just have to get to know the real Kamala. But viewers remember the last time Kamala Harris was front and center. They remember the cackle laughter, the pivots, the absence of clarity. They didn’t respond then, and there’s no indication they’ve changed their minds now. The network can keep painting a different picture, but the canvas isn’t blank. It never was.
At the end of the day, CNN could keep pitching this “real Kamala” like a sequel nobody asked for. But just like that awful blind date, you can’t forget the strangeness from her campaign. No matter how many times you hear, “she’s got a great personality.”
The entire transcript is below. Click "expand " to read.
CNN’s Inside Politics
August 1, 2025
12:24:41 PM ET(…)
PHIL MATTINGLY: I think– I wanna talk about this because I think this is really important, because what Cuban says is right, and I think Jaz has more experience than any of us at this table–
JASMINE WRIGHT: She’s fun!
MATTINGLY: –but I've experienced it, too. She's a different person off camera than you see in the interviews, which is fine. I don't– it's tough to be on camera sometimes. It's tough when there's a hundred different people in your ear telling you how you're supposed to say something and why you're supposed to say something. But it was particularly tough in this campaign where she was constantly pulled from 50 different directions, and throughout had President Biden standing over her or beside her, saying, “Hey, kid, don't– don't– remember our legacy, right? Like, don't– don't be disloyal to me.”
And I think that the opportunity that this moment has for her or creates for her is to just let it rip, right? Like she doesn't need to be concerned about looking disloyal or about going against the administration - the last administration's agenda. She can say what she feels, what she thinks, and what she thought happened during that race, which I think people would appreciate that authenticity obviously wins in this moment. I think there'd be a lot of appreciation for it.
MICHELLE PRICE: I’m sure there’s questions about candor with President Biden and Vice President Harris to feel even more closed off than usual, giving voters the opposite of what they seem to have wanted.
(…)
