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Harris agrees to the first interview with Fox News on Wednesday

Harris agrees to the first interview with Fox News on Wednesday

Topline

Vice President Kamala Harris will do an interview with Fox News for the first time on Wednesday as part of her countdown sprint of interviews, a possible overture to the network’s conservative-leaning viewers.

Important facts

The interview will be Harris’ first-ever “formal sit-down interview” with the network and will last 25 minutes, Irena Briganti, senior vice president of communications at Fox News, told Forbes.

The interview will be conducted by Bret Baier, Fox’s main political anchor, who will be in Pennsylvania, and will air on Baier’s show “Special Report” on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. EDT, according to a Fox News press release.

The move goes beyond the presidential candidate’s interviews last month, which included a sit-up session as well as friendlier interviews with “The Howard Stern Show,” the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show.” . Down with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

Important background

Fox News is consistently the most-watched cable channel, surpassing CNN and MSNBC in average viewership and is particularly popular with Republican-leaning viewers. While Baier is part of Fox’s news division, the network’s most popular shows are its prime-time conservative opinion shows like “Hannity,” and reporters like White House correspondent Peter Doocy are known for their often tense questions to President Joe Biden. The network’s ratings and conservative leanings could explain Harris’ departure from a precedent of staying away from the network as she tries to reach voters in the final stages of a razor-thin election. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Harris’ vice presidential running mate, appeared on “Fox News Sunday” two weeks in a row this month, and the network has interviewed other top Democrats this year. The overtures to Fox come as Harris’ opponent Donald Trump appears regularly on Fox News, declines interviews with CBS’ “60 Minutes” and declines Harris’ debate challenges on CNN. Former President Donald Trump will appear on Fox News in a pre-recorded town hall-style event on the same day as Harris, discussing “the economy, abortion, immigration and health care” before an audience of women, according to a Fox News report, according to a press release.

Surprising facts

According to the New York Times, President Biden has also not appeared on Fox News since taking office.