Harris criticizes Bret Baier over Trump’s ‘enemy within’ response

Vice President Kamala Harris’ Wednesday interview with Fox News was tense from the start. In one of the most hostile moments, the Democratic presidential candidate told host Bret Baier that he was toning down one of Donald Trump’s most inflammatory comments.

The exchange began after Harris drew attention to the former president’s recent comments labeling “radical left lunatics” as “the enemy within” and stating that they should be “handled” with military force.

“He’s the one talking about an enemy within…suggesting that he would turn the American military against the American people,” Harris said of her Republican presidential rival.

Baier responded that Fox News asked Trump about those comments on Wednesday and then aired a clip of Trump defending his words. In the clip, Trump says his opponents exaggerated their comments and that he was the one who was considered the enemy.

Harris wasn’t having it.

“Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that clip was not what he said about ‘the enemy within,’ which he repeated when he talked about the American people. That’s not what you just showed,” she said.

Harris and Baier talked for a while as he began to defend the use of the clip.

“Here’s the bottom line: He repeated this many times, and you and I both know it,” Harris said. “And you and I know he talked about turning the American military against the American people. He talked about going after people who are involved in peaceful protests. He talked about arresting people because they disagree with him.”

The president should be “able to handle criticism without saying he would arrest people for doing so,” she added.

That exchange followed another combative moment, when Baier asked Harris if she thought Trump supporters were “stupid.”

Harris appeared visibly offended by the suggestion.

“I would never say that about the American people,” she responded.