With President Biden out of the 2024 presidential race, the media have had an opportunity to collectively exhale before returning to their normal task, which is to fawn over every word uttered by the Democrats. Vice president Kamala Harris's entry into the presidential race is the latest example.
Watch as NBC’s Tom Llamas introduces Peter Alexander’s report on the beginnings of the Harris campaign:
TOM LLAMAS: And good evening tonight from Paris. I'm Tom Llamas in for Lester. As this city gets ready for the world to focus on the Olympics with the opening ceremony, less than 24 hours away, in the U.S., the sprint to November is on. Vice President Harris telling former President Donald Trump she wants a debate, saying "I'm ready, let's go. Former President Trump saying he won't be nice, and painting her as a radical liberal. Joining the fray, Beyonce, or at least her music, and former President Obama, set to endorse. All of it coming after President Biden's historic Oval Office address, saying his decision not to run is about the very future of democracy.
It’s all there, really. There is the adversarial quote of former President Donald Trump, there is the gushing over Vice President Harris‘s combat of posture, there is the swooning over the eventual endorsement by former President Barack Obama, and there is even the goofy reference to the Harris campaign use of Beyoncé‘s “Freedom“ as her campaign fight song. It only gets worse from there. Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander closed out his report by going off into a tangent about memes and Harris‘s ability to engage younger voters.
PETER ALEXANDER: Yeah, that's right, Tom. I think in both style and strategy, stylistically, the vice president of course, as a younger candidate embracing pop culture, memes, and appealing to younger voters who have been less enthusiastic about President Biden, but also perhaps strategically a different electoral map. The Harris campaign now hoping that her candidacy will mobilize different demographics, including Southern black voters in states like Georgia, where Vice President Harris will head early next week.
Alexander also hyped the NYT/Siena poll showing the race as a virtual dead heat, as did also ABC’s Selina Wang:
WANG: And David, new polling out tonight from "The New York Times" shows just how much this race has tightened since president Biden dropped out. It is now a virtual tie, showing that Harris and Trump are now separated by just one point among likely voters nationwide. And this is just one of several major polls all showing just how much closer this race has gotten since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee. David.
Incredibly, there was restraint from ABC, which was traditionally the most Biden-sycophantic network newscast. Perhaps they, too, need time to adjust to Harris.
Over at CBS, an eager Norah O’Donnell oversold Harris’s speech before the American Federation of Teachers, and also hyped the poll:
NORAH O’DONNELL: Turning now to a consequential day on the campaign trail. CBS News has learned Barack Obama is planning on backing Vice President Kamala Harris, quote: "soon." That's according to a source who also says Obama has been in regular touch with Harris and believes the vice president is off to an impressive start. There’s a new national poll out today that has Harris significantly narrowing what had been a Trump lead, with Trump now ahead by just one point. That's among likely voters.
We’re not even a week in, and the media’s collective sycophancy is off the charts. Between this and the Orwelian retconning of Harris’s record, this campaign coverage may dwarf the worst elements of how the media covered both Obama and Hillary Clinton. Combined.
The Regime Media are back with a vengeance, and have already assimilated into the K-Hive.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening network newscasts on Thursday, July 25th, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
7/25/24
6:38 PM
DAVID MUIR: In the race for The White House, Vice President Harris was also in Texas earlier today. The American Federation of Teachers endorsing her, and Harris pushing back against Donald Trump's insults, telling him to “bring it on”. Tonight, Donald Trump already telling his supporters, “I'm not going to be nice”. And Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance tonight, under new scrutiny for past comments about people who don't have children. Here’s Selina Wang.
SELINA WANG: Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers in Houston. Sounding her campaign’s defining theme that this election is a fight for freedom.
KAMALA HARRIS: In this moment, we are in a fight for our most fundamental freedoms and to this room of leaders I say, bring it on.
WANG: Harris sharpening her attacks on Donald Trump as an enemy of the middle class.
HARRIS: Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take our nation back to failed trickle-down economic policies. Back to union-busting. Back to tax breaks for billionaires.
WANG: Trump, who had counted on running against Joe Biden, now testing new attack lines on Harris, whose name he continues to mispronounce.
TRUMP: This November, the American people are going to tell her, “no thanks, Kamala, you've done a terrible job”.
WANG: Trump abandoning his pledge post-assassination attempt to unite the country.
TRUMP: When you're dealing with these people, they're very dangerous people. When you're dealing with them, you can't be too nice. You really can't be. So if you don't mind, I'm not going to be nice. Is that okay?
WANG: But tonight, new scrutiny for Trump's running mate. Ohio Senator JD Vance and his 2021 comments disparaging Harris for not having children.
JD VANCE: We're effectively run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too. And it's just a basic fact. You look at Kamala Harris. Pete Buttigieg. AOC. The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.
WANG: Tonight, actress Jennifer Aniston sharing Vance’s comments with her 44 million Instagram followers, writing: “I truly can't believe this is coming from a potential VP of the United States.” And the former wife of Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff coming to her defense, noting that Harris co-parents their two children. Kerstin Emhoff writing, For over ten years ,since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a coparent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.” Ella Emhoff adding, “how can you be childless when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I. I love my three parents.” And tonight, the Harris campaign highlighting Vance's statements suggesting that parents be given extra votes in elections.
VANCE: When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power. You should have more of an ability to speak your voice in our democratic republic than people who don't have kids. Let’s face the consequences and the reality. If you don't have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn't get nearly the same voice. Doesn't this mean that non-parents don't have as much of a voice as parents? Doesn't this mean that non-parents don’t have as much of a voice as parents? Doesn’t this mean that parents get a bigger say in how our democracy functions? Yes. Absolutely.
WANG: Tonight, Trump standing by Vance.
TRUMP: He's for the worker. No, he’s great. He’s doing a great job and he’s been very well received.
WANG: Harris says she's ready to meet Trump face-to-face, accepting the September 10th debate on ABC News that Trump and president Biden had already agreed to.
HARRIS: I'm ready. And I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage and so I'm ready. Let's go.
WANG: And David, new polling out tonight from "The New York Times" shows just how much this race has tightened since president Biden dropped out. It is now a virtual tie, showing that Harris and Trump are now separated by just one point among likely voters nationwide. And this is just one of several major polls all showing just how much closer this race has gotten since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee. David.
MUIR: Selina Wang tonight with us as well. Thank you, Selina.
CBS EVENING NEWS:
CBS EVENING NEWS
7/25/24
NORAH O’DONNELL: Turning now to a consequential day on the campaign trail. CBS News has learned Barack Obama is planning on backing Vice President Kamala Harris, quote: "soon." That's according to a source who also says Obama has been in regular touch with Harris and believes the vice president is off to an impressive start. There’s a new national poll out today that has Harris significantly narrowing what had been a Trump lead, with Trump now ahead by just one point. That's among likely voters. And as CBS's Robert Costa reports, both candidates are sharpening their attacks.
ROBERT COSTA: Vice President Harris back on the trail today in Houston, rallying educators at the American Federation of Teachers.
KAMALA HARRIS Donald Trump and his allies want to cut Medicare and Social Security. To stop student loan forgiveness for teachers and other public servants.
COSTA: In the near future, former President Obama's expected nod, which sources say has been held out of respect for President Biden and his Oval Office address last night, will come as Harris is working fast to define her message on her terms, before former President trump and Republicans do it on theirs.
HARRIS: There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. We choose freedom.
COSTA: Harris says she’s ready to rumble on the debate stage.
HARRIS: Yeah, I’m ready to debate Donald Trump. Now it appears he’s backpedaling, but I’m ready.
COSTA: Today, Trump advisors told CBS News Trump is ready and willing to have several debates with Harris. Meanwhile, the vice president is pushing to focus her campaign speeches on policies she championed as part of the Biden administration, such as reproductive rights and gun control.
HARRIS: We want to ban assault weapons, and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?
COSTA: But a bruising political battle is ahead, as Trump casts her as a liberal Democrat who is out of step on the border, abortion, health care, and the economy.
TRUMP: She's worse than him. Because he's a fake liberal. You know, he wasn't that liberal. He was fake. She's a real liberal.
COSTA: Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on Harris' decision on a running mate, with more than a dozen names being considered, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
MARK KELLY: It's not about me. But I've always, always, when I've had, you know, the chance to serve, I think that’s very important, too.
COSTA: Top Democrats privately tell me senator Kelly is near the top of the list because they believe he comes from a key state, plus they say his service in the Navy and at NASA would square up well Senator JD Vance, a Marine veteran. Norah.
O’DONNELL: All right, Robert Costa, thank you very much.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS:
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
7/25/24
6:31 PM
TOM LLAMAS: And good evening tonight from Paris. I'm Tom Llamas in for Lester. As this city gets ready for the world to focus on the Olympics with the opening ceremony, less than 24 hours away, in the U.S., the sprint to November is on. Vice President Harris telling former President Donald Trump she wants a debate, saying "I'm ready, let's go. Former president Trump saying he won't be nice, and painting her as a radical liberal. Joining the fray, Beyonce, or at least her music, and former President Obama, set to endorse. All of it coming after President Biden's historic Oval Office address, saying his decision not to run is about the very future of democracy. It's where we start tonight with Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander.
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, Vice President Harris welcoming an onstage showdown with former President Trump, accusing him of backpedaling from his previous comment to a September debate.
KAMALA HARRIS: I'm ready to debate Donald Trump. I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage. And so I'm ready. Let's go.
TRUMP: Just this week, Mr. Trump said he'd be willing to do more than one debate with Ms. Harris, but appeared to balk at the current plan.
DONALD TRUMP: I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden. But I want to debate her. And she’ll be no different, because they have the same policies.
ALEXANDER: Their head-to-head is quickly heating up. New polls show the vice president has narrowed Mr. Trump's advantage over President Biden, the race effectively a toss-up. On the economy, Harris today slamming the former president's proposals as tax breaks for billionaires.
ALEXANDER: America has tried these failed economic policies before. But we are not going back. We are not going back.
ALEXANDER: Mr. Trump today attacking the vice president.
TRUMP: She's the most radical person probably that we've had in office, let alone the office of the presidency.
ALEXANDER: In Charlotte last night, casting aside his promise from last week's Republican convention that he'd strike a more unifying tone.
TRUMP: We can't be too nice. We really can't be. So, if you don't mind, I'm not going to be nice. Is that okay?
ALEXANDER: It comes as President Biden detailed his decision to drop out of the race.
JOE BIDEN: I revere this office, but I love my country more.
ALEXANDER: Discussing his desire to unite the country by passing the torch to a new generation.
BIDEN: This is also the time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.
ALEXANDER: The vice president soon to receive a major boost. The endorsement of former President Obama, according to people familiar with their discussions, who say the two have been in close touch since she announced her plans to run.
HARRIS: In this election, we each face a question.
ALEXANDER: The Harris team now running with its first campaign video.
ALEXANDER: Set to the Beyoncé song "Freedom." Meanwhile, Mr. Trump's running mate JD Vance is facing new backlash for his past criticism of Democratic leaders, including Ms. Harris, for not having children.
JD VANCE: We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs by a bunch of childless cat ladies.
ALEXANDER: Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston posting, “All I can say is, Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day.” And the Second Gentleman’s first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, praising the vice president as a coparent to the Emhoff children. “I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”
LLAMAS: And Peter, we are in the very early days of the Harris campaign. But they're already embracing a different approach. Tom.
LLAMAS: The new race is underway. All right, Peter, we thank you for that.
