Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, co-chair of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, tried desperately to defend her candidate’s recently articulated policy stances during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
It did not go well.
Host Kristen Welker and Whitmer discussed a series of policies, including Harris’ proposed “price gouging” ban on food companies, immigration, healthcare, and others.
The train wreck began when Welker asked about President Joe Biden’s “historically low approval ratings” and whether Harris “should be doing more to distance herself from President Biden.”
Whitmer replied, saying that the president “is going to go down as one of the greatest presidents we’ve had in a long time in this country” and that Harris “has been a big part of this administration.”
Harris campaign co-chair Gretchen Whitmer: Kamala Harris and Biden are “partners” in their failures pic.twitter.com/T8VATghEmQ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 18, 2024
“They’ve been partners. They’ve delivered for the American people. So I think we’ve got to tell that story,” Whitmer said, somehow with a straight face.
The conversation turned to Harris’ declaration that, if elected, she would institute a ban on price gouging for food companies ostensibly to counteract the effects of inflation on everyday Americans. Welker brought up recent criticism of the policy coming from the left and right and asked whether it is the appropriate solution to the inflation problem.
Whitmer answered by dodging the question, saying, “People are reading too much into what has been put out there.”
“We know that Kamala Harris is going to be focused on building up more affordable housing. We know that Kamala Harris has already delivered on making sure that health care is more accessible responsible and affordable for Americans, and will protect Obamacare. That’s a million people who have health care in Michigan right now that Donald Trump has been trying to rip away. That only adds costs onto people’s backs. And so that’s why I think this opportunity economy that Vice President Harris is talking about laying the broad strokes for her, I think shows we really do. She sees every American, she understands what people are struggling with and wants to help you keep more money in your pocket.”
NBC: Do you think Kamala’s communist price control scheme is the best way to bring down prices in Michigan?
Harris campaign co-chair Gretchen Whitmer: “People are reading too much into what has been put out there.”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 18, 2024
Surprisingly, Welker didn’t let that evasive answer stand and pressed the matter. “Well, Governor, I hear you saying that folks are reading too much into it, and yet it is what the vice president is proposing. You have former President Trump calling the policies Communist. The Washington Post Editorial Board called it a gimmick. Is this plan to ban price gouging anything more than a gimmick, governor?” the host asked.
Whitmer replied:
“I think it speaks to Kamala Harris’s values that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets. She wants hardworking Americans to be able to get ahead. She wants to make sure that there is corporate responsibility. We know we’ve got to have business growth in this country, small business growth, big business growth for good paying jobs. But we also know that you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line. And I think there’s a balance there. And I think that’s what this is all about.”
The host then pivoted to Harris’ prior radical stances in which she supported single-payer healthcare, doing away with private health insurance, and banning fracking.
“Do you think that Vice President Harris needs to do more to explain why she has shifted on those positions?” Welker asked after bringing up former President Donald Trump’s allegation that Harris is acting like a chameleon on policy.
The governor responded with a laugh so fake it could be featured in Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. “Well, any, I think, insult from the Trump campaign is laughable when you think about his years in office and who he fought for. He fought for himself. He’s laid out nothing in terms of a vision for America. He’s feeding into people’s anxieties and anger,” Whitmer said.
The governor argued that the nation “saw so many deaths from COVID because he put out misinformation, denied that it was even a problem” and said Trump “calls other people names, but offers nothing of value to the American people when it comes to a vision or a plan to make people’s lives better.”
NBC: Kamala Harris has called for banning fracking, supporting single-payer health care, and eliminating private health insurance. Does she need to better explain her positions?
Harris campaign co-chair Gretchen Whitmer: *laughs* pic.twitter.com/701pQX0jQd
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 18, 2024
Later in the interview, Welker brought up a recent incident in which Harris snapped at pro-Hamas protesters who were heckling her during a speech. “I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Harris said, addressing the protesters.
“Do you think she handled that moment well?” Welker asked.
Whitmer responded, saying she is “not going to go and second guess” and that “it was in the moment.”
“I can tell you this. Kamala Harris cares about every person. She cares about Arab-American voters and Muslim voters and Palestinian voters. She cares about Jewish voters and Jewish Americans as well. You can both want peace in the region and a cessation of violence and the return of hostages. We are a country that continually falls into these false choices. You can do both. And I think that’s why we need a leader like her. She’s been meeting with people in the community communities, all of these communities. Her campaign cares about everyone.”
Let’s face it. It’s not easy to defend Harris’ policy stances – especially ones like an arbitrary price gouging ban that will only make the problems worse. Perhaps this is why Democrats have urged the vice president not to seriously discuss policy until after the election – they know her stances are unpopular.
