ADVERTISEMENT

'Answer the G—damn Question': Katie Couric 'Frustrated' by Harris's Word Salads in Campaign Interviews

Katie Couric speaks with Jen Psaki on her podcast "Next Question" (screenshot)
November 19, 2024

Liberal podcaster and former Today show host Katie Couric said she was "frustrated" by Vice President Kamala Harris’s "inability to really succinctly answer questions" during campaign interviews.

"You know, people notice that, and it's like, ‘answer the g—damn question, please!’" Couric said during a Thursday conversation on her podcast Next Question with former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki. Couric referenced Harris’s vague response to a CNN town hall question about Supreme Court reforms. "She answered in one sentence and then went on to something that had nothing to do with the question."

Psaki responded by emphasizing that every presidential candidate should be well-informed and able to answer "the hard questions of the day."

Couric also cited Harris’s comment on The View that she could not think of anything she would do differently than President Joe Biden, calling it "one of the most damaging" moments of Harris’s campaign.

"Ok, Jen, you're an insider. Why didn't Joe Biden say, 'Listen, I know you're going to have to separate yourself from this administration. Let's talk about areas where you can, where they're legitimate, and Godspeed'?" Couric asked.

"I wish that [conversation] would have happened. I don’t know that it didn’t, but I think we can all assume that it didn’t," Psaki replied, acknowledging it was a "unique and painful summer" for Biden.

"[Harris’s] answer on the View was one of the worst… she had many moments of brilliance. That was not one of them," Psaki added.

Couric also criticized Harris for dodging media appearances for weeks after taking over the Democratic ticket. "There was that three-week blackout period which I honestly could not understand, that was making me crazy. What was that?" Couric said.

"I don’t know," Psaki replied, speculating that the Harris campaign was focused on preparing for the debate.