Staff Reports
In a recent interview on “60 Minutes,” Vice President Kamala Harris was confronted with the declining popularity of both herself and President Joe Biden. The interviewer questioned why young people’s approval of Biden had dropped from 70% to less than 50%. Harris failed to directly address the question, instead mentioning climate change and student loan debt as top concerns among young people. She laughed and stated that the administration needs to let people know who brought these issues to them. However, her response did little to inspire confidence or explain the low approval ratings.
The CBS News article also highlighted the lack of media coverage as a reason for the disconnect between Harris’s popularity and the administration’s commitment to important issues. However, it is important to note that Harris herself is not very popular, with only 41% of adults approving of her performance in a CBS News/YouGov September poll. Biden’s approval rating was also low at 40%. The poll also showed a decline in excitement over Harris as Biden’s running mate, with only 30% of respondents expressing enthusiasm compared to 58% in August 2020. Additionally, 48% of Democrats admitted to knowing “not much/nothing at all” about Harris’s work as vice president.
REPORTER: Why are you and Biden so unpopular?
KAMALA HARRIS: "The challenge that we have as an administration is we gotta let people know who brung it to 'em! … It is not that the work we are doing is not very, very popular with a lot of people." pic.twitter.com/s31y7wh3P2
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 29, 2023
Harris has faced questions about her unpopularity in previous interviews as well, including a confrontation about her low approval ratings on ABC News. According to a June poll from NBC News, 49% of voters had a negative view of Harris, making her the least popular vice president in the poll’s history. While Harris claimed during the interview that there were polls showing her great approval ratings, no such polls exist. The best recent poll from Harvard CAPS-Harris showed her with a 44% favorable rating and a 47% unfavorable rating.
The “60 Minutes” interview also touched on speculation about Biden’s potential candidacy for the 2024 election. Concerns about his age and ability to finish a second term were raised, with only 34% of respondents in a CBS News poll believing he would complete the term. Harris was questioned about potential support as a nominee if Biden were not running, to which she provided another non-answer. She emphasized her focus on the job and the importance of reelecting Biden, dismissing concerns about hypothetical scenarios.
Overall, the interview highlighted the declining approval ratings of both Biden and Harris, as well as the lack of enthusiasm and knowledge about Harris’s work as vice president. These issues raise questions about the administration’s popularity and ability to address the concerns of young people and the public as a whole.
