'The sitting vice president generally reverted to talking points'
CNN's Jake Tapper calls out Harris for dodging debate questions
CNN host Jake Tapper argued that Vice President Kamala Harris avoided answering multiple questions during the presidential debate.
CNN host Jake Tapper took Vice President Kamala Harris to task for not answering direct questions during Tuesday's presidential debate on ABC.
On Wednesday, Tapper said Harris was less than forthcoming about her policies, beginning the debate "by punting the first question on the economy."
"It went on from there," Tapper said after playing a clip of her response. "Despite the economy being the number one issue facing the country, the sitting vice president generally reverted to talking points about a few of her policy proposals. Even Harris allies today are saying that she needs to talk more about what she will do for Americans if elected."
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CNN host Jake Tapper called out multiple answers from Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing they failed to directly answer questions during the debate about key issues. (CNN)
The host then noted another major question she avoided answering, saying "she also dodged" on the border.
When asked how she might have managed the crisis better than President Biden, Harris began, "So I‘m the only person on this stage who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations for the trafficking of guns, drugs, and human beings."
"M'kay, that wasn‘t the question," Tapper said of her remark.
"When asked how she would break through the Israel-Hamas war stalemate Harris said this..." he continued, sharing the clip.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former US President Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"We need a ceasefire deal and we need the hostages out, and so we will continue to work around the clock on that," Harri said.
"OK. But again, how?" Tapper asked.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment. Tapper, a vehement critic of former President Trump, cautioned he wasn't "equating" the two candidates.
"While by no means are we equating the two performances last night, it is also true that at times both Trump and Harris fell short of giving straightforward answers to questions about how exactly they would run the country," he said.
ABC has been blasted for how it ran the presidential debate, with many arguing the moderators were outright hostile to Trump while going easy on Harris.
Tapper co-moderated the CNN Presidential Debate in June between Trump and Biden. Biden's poor performance that night directly led to him being pushed out of the nomination by party leaders in July.
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
