Kamala Harris' Fox News Debut Reels in Millions

Vice President Kamala Harris' first-ever interview on Fox News was a hit with viewers, drawing in a whopping 7.8 million people. This was nearly five times the network's average daytime audience for the third quarter of the year. The sit-down with Bret Baier, Fox News' chief political anchor, was the third most-watched event of Harris' campaign, trailing only her debate with Donald Trump and her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Interestingly, the Fox News interview had more viewers than Harris' first media availability since becoming the Democratic nominee, which was a CNN interview with Dana Bash. The 26-minute interview was packed with tough questions from Baier, who wasn't afraid to interrupt when he felt Harris was sidestepping or giving rehearsed responses.

While the interview didn't break the record set by President Biden's post-debate interview with ABC News, it did attract more viewers than Harris' recent appearances on other networks like "60 Minutes," MSNBC, "The View," and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Earlier in the day, Fox News aired a town hall with Donald Trump that drew 2.9 million viewers. There were some hiccups leading up to the interview. Harris arrived 17 minutes late and her team reduced the interview time, as they perceived Fox News as being hostile. Despite the tense environment, the interview was a ratings success. A Fox News poll released before the interview showed Trump leading Harris by a slim margin of 50% to 48% among likely voters nationwide.

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