Hours before the doors to the Iowa Caucus closed for their proceedings on Monday, ABC’s World News Tonight teamed up with the Biden White House to write off any results to come and to paint any eventual GOP nominee as equally terrible as any other. It was a sign that ABC was itching to just move past the Republican nomination process, so they could focus on helping with the Democratic general election message.
“Tonight, the White House with an eye on Iowa. Vice President Kamala Harris telling me they are ready to take on whomever emerges the winner,” chief White House correspondent and President Biden’s chief apple polisher Mary Bruce boasted.
After leading Harris through extremely awkward banter about how Monday was the “big day,” Bruce teed up the extremely unpopular Vice President for some tough talk about how all Republicans were the same and how they’d beat any of them:
BRUCE: So are your concerns the same no matter who the Republican nom -- the Republican candidate is, the Republican nominee?
HARRIS: Well, let me just tell you this, no matter who the Republican nominee is, we're winning. We're winning.
BRUCE: Do you -- you've seen the numbers? You know, a lot -- do you think Donald Trump at this point is a foregone conclusion?
HARRIS: I don't know. But look, if it is Donald Trump, we've beat him before, and we'll beat him again.
Of course, at no point did Bruce press Harris on her unpopularity, Biden’s sagging head-to-head poll numbers against every major GOP candidate (Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis), nor the Democratic Party’s discontent with Biden heading their ticket.
Instead, Bruce wanted her to go after Haley:
BRUCE: I asked her about South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley who often makes note of Biden's age, warning that if he is reelected, Harris could end up president.
She's made you a frequent target. She says she is really running against you. She's argued that you're a drag on the ticket. What do you say to her?
HARRIS: Listen, let's see what Iowa says to her. [Awkward laughter]
Notice how Brice framed Biden’s age as just an issue for Haley while ignoring how it was an issue of concern for many voters, including Democrats.
“Now, Harris has been busy crisscrossing the country taking on a leading role on issues like abortion rights,” Bruce led into her conclusion. “But the campaign is also facing criticism for not being aggressive enough. Harris telling me they can't take anything for granted saying they have to earn this re-election,” she ended on a note of confidence.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
January 15, 2024
6:45:27 p.m. Eastern(…)
MARY BRUCE: Iowa! Big day. The first Republican votes are being cast.
KAMALA HARRIS: It’s a big day.
BRUCE: Big day.
Tonight, the White House with an eye on Iowa. Vice President Kamala Harris telling me they are ready take on whomever emerges the winner.
So are your concerns the same no matter who the Republican nom -- the Republican candidate is, the Republican nominee?
VP KAMALA HARRIS: Well, let me just tell you this, no matter who the Republican nominee is, we're winning. We're winning.
BRUCE: Do you -- you've seen the numbers. You know, a lot -- do you think Donald Trump at this point is a foregone conclusion?
HARRIS: I don't know. But look, if it is Donald Trump, we've beat him before, and we'll beat him again.
BRUCE: I asked her about South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley who often makes note of Biden's age, warning that if he is reelected, Harris could end up president.
She's made you a frequent target. She says she is really running against you. She's argued that you're a drag on the ticket. What do you say to her?
HARRIS: Listen, let's see what Iowa says to her. [Awkward laughter]
[Cuts back to live]
BRUCE: Now, Harris has been busy crisscrossing the country taking on a leading role on issues like abortion rights. But the campaign is also facing criticism for not being aggressive enough. Harris telling me they can't take anything for granted saying they have to earn this re-election.
(…)
