White House ‘Perplexed’ By Kamala Harris Performance on First Foreign Policy Trip: CNN
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Unnamed White House “insiders” were left “perplexed” by the performance of Vice President Kamala Harris on her recent trip to Guatemala and Mexico to address the root causes of the immigration problems at the US Southern border.
This report comes from CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, who joined the vice president on her trip and shared his insights on CNN New Day Wednesday morning.
Early in this administration, President Joe Biden assigned Harris the unenviable task of ostensibly overseeing the hot-button political issue of the flow of migrants to the US-Mexico border. Harris’s team subsequently made clear that her focus would be on the systemic issues at play, focusing on the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, from which the majority of southern border migrants come. Solve the core issue, and not the symptoms, seems a critical component of a reasonable and effective approach.
Harris, however, has been a lightning rod for criticism from conservative media and politicians, who have been laser-focused on her unwillingness to visit the border since she took office.
One could argue that Harris refused to participate in what she has dismissed as a “grand gesture” of a border visit as unnecessary political theater, but her avoidance of the very same political theater has given fodder to her critics (who would likely criticize her regardless of what she said).
But Harris’s apparent dismissal of “playing the part” appears to have given rise to criticism from the left as well, or as the chyron read during the CNN segment read, “VP HARRIS TAKES CRITICISM FROM ALL SIDES IN FIRST FOREIGN TRIP.”
Diamond introduced the segment in a manner that won’t likely be well-received in the vice president’s press shop.
“The Vice President saw this trip as an opportunity to burnish her foreign policy credentials after entering office with very little foreign policy experience,” Diamond opened, adding, “She also hoped to make real progress on the root causes on migration from Central America.”
He then noted some success on the trip but then pivoted to focus on the touch of grey on the trip.
“There was certainly progress, but there are now concerns that some of that progress may have been overshadowed by her answers to some of these questions that her team knew that she would be facing,” he noted. “It’s left some of the administration officials perplexed, and the vice president’s team frustrated.”
Diamond then explained in a pre-produced package how Harris’s flat-footed answer on visiting the border during an interview with NBC News’s Lester Holt was not ideal. She claimed, “We have been to the border,” which suggests either officials of the Biden administration or perhaps her own visit before taking office, though Holt pushed back to remind the Vice President that she herself has not been. Her response noting that she also hasn’t been to Europe went viral.
Diamond expanded on the concerns from the White House in his package.
“Some administration officials are quietly perplexed about the Vice President’s answers to some questions, in particular the particular question she got from Lester Holt where she equated the question about the border with Europe. There was hope the trip would be a success, and in the end, they feel it may have been overshadowed by some of her answers to these questions,” Diamond reported.
The segment also mentioned a tweet from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that criticized Harris , notably telling those planning to migrate across Mexico “do not come,” ergo the “criticism from all sides” chyron.
Watch above via CNN.
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One could argue that Harris refused to participate in what she has dismissed as a “grand gesture” of a border visit as unnecessary political theater
And, "One" could argue that Harris is way out of her element - i.e. being the VP of the U.S.
The thought of her ending up as president is absolutely horrifying!
Both she and her boss are afraid to go there and see the sad reality of their idiotic policy. Reporters might ask them questions they don't have any answers for.
This idea of searching for the "root causes" of this mass immigration invasion if ludicrous. As if the US could do anything substantial in that regard?
I suppose Biden could throw more US taxpayer dollars at the countries of origin of the migrants, which their corrupt governments would keep.
I have to agree with VP on this one. Going to the border accomplishes nothing. It’s a gesture. A photo op. Everyone on the Right who is criticizing her for not going would turn around criticize her on that basis if she did it. What’s happening at the border is the symptom, not the cause.
Attacking the push factors in Central American countries that drive the exodus north is the right approach.
The other half of it, though, is addressing the pull factors in the United States, like lax immigration law enforcement, a porous border, and economic benefits.
No doubt that some will criticize no matter what. Does that outweigh the reassurance that some might get from such a visit especially those most impacted, living along the border. She has not a clue.
At this point, I wouldn't get much hope just from having her show up. Politicians have been posing at the border for years. When they actually do something that changes things, I'll be impressed.
Kamala Harris' performance on the issue of immigration is rather perplexing. Harris being given lead role on immigration would seem to have been preparation for Democrats' agenda on immigration reform. Harris' shift to a more hardline stance on immigration appears to be a repudiation of the Democrat's agenda. In fact, immigration reform isn't a topic of discussion in Democratic circles any longer.
How Harris has handled the issue of immigration gives rise to speculation that Democrats are more divided on immigration reform than we've been led to believe. Democrats' silence on immigration reform is deafening; especially after the last election cycle.
Harris was the AG for California - as most of us know, California has no immigration policy other than let them in, pay them, let them vote, let them hold office and, for gawd's sake, don't arrest them. She learned well.
So what is her plan?
Same plan as Biden and the rest of the Democrats. Completely ignore the situation and downplay it until as such time the system completely and catastrophically collapses. Then try to force their amnesty/immigration policy down our throats; and complain bitterly to their media lackeys that Republicans created the whole situation- and now will not work with them to fix it. Look for a lot of EO's and EA's from Biden's office claiming they can't work with Republicans so he will do it w/o them.
She's a terrible politician. Her Presidential campaign blew up before Iowa and the only thing she accomplished while running was intimating Joe Biden is a racist. No one should be surprised she botched this.