A Trump aide has claimed that The View co-host Sunny Hostin “killed” Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign.
Jason Miller, a political strategist and advisor to former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign, made the claim while appearing on Politico’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast.
“I think this Kamala Harris strategy of going out and doing a whole bunch of media has really backfired. I mean, who would’ve thought that Sunny Hostin from The View really killed Kamala Harris’ candidacy?” Miller said.
Miller was referring to a moment in the interview earlier this month when the vice president struggled to answer Hostin’s question about what she would do differently from President Joe Biden if elected.
“I mean, not exactly a trick question,” Miller said. “Voters can pick up on that. Like, wait, you can’t name one single thing that you would do different from Joe Biden?”
When Harris appeared on The View earlier this month, she responded to Hostin’s question: “There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of—and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”
Later in the interview, she noted one difference between herself and Biden: She plans to have a Republican in her cabinet as president.
Hostin has continued to be a vocal supporter of Harris despite Miller’s claims of her inadvertent negative impact on the campaign.
Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign and a representative for The View via email for comment.
Vice President Kamala Harris appears on “The View” on October 8. Trump aide Jason Miller said that a question co-host Sunny Hostin (furthest right) asked Harris “killed” her campaign.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Miller went on to claim that Harris has continued to be unable to answer similar questions weeks later.
Playbook Deep Dive host Rachael Bade said that the question put Harris in a “tough position” as it could “piss off Biden” if she answered.
“However, she’s neck-and-neck in the campaign right now, so you would think the relationship would take a backseat to actually winning,” Bade added.
The vice president’s appearance on The View was part of her media blitz following criticism that she was avoiding the press.
Meanwhile, Trump has backed out of several recent media appearances, including with 60 Minutes and The Shade Room. Harris sat for interviews with both outlets.
Miller countered the idea that Trump was avoiding difficult interviews, pointing to his recently sitting down for an interview with Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief at the Economic Club of Chicago and hosting a Univision town hall for undecided Hispanic voters.
The Trump ally said that the former president has conducted two and a half times as many interviews as Harris has since she became the Democratic nominee in July.
Newsweek could not independently verify that claim.
