Sen. Schmitt and CNN's Berman in Heated Exchange Over VP Harris' Media Avoidance

CNN anchor John Berman and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., engaged in a heated debate over which 2024 presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, has the biggest issues handling media scrutiny.

On a recent episode of "CNN News Central," CNN anchor John Berman and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., engaged in a heated debate over which 2024 presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, has the biggest issues handling media scrutiny.

Schmitt launched the first salvo, criticizing Vice President Harris' lack of coherence in previous media interviews. He argued that her reluctance to take questions during her campaign was a testament to her discomfort in facing media scrutiny.

Sen. Schmitt and CNN's Berman in Heated Exchange Over VP Harris' Media Avoidance

Berman countered that Harris' media avoidance was not unique, pointing to former President Trump's tendency to make false statements and evade challenging questions. However, both Schmitt and Berman agreed that the Democratic nominee would eventually have to face questions from the media.

Berman challenged Schmitt's criticism of Harris by referencing Trump's bizarre press conference from his Mar-a-Lago residence, during which he made a series of false and misleading statements. NPR and the Associated Press both criticized the event, describing Trump's remarks as "riddled with false and misleading statements."

Sen. Schmitt and CNN's Berman in Heated Exchange Over VP Harris' Media Avoidance

Schmitt dodged the question about Trump's performance, instead emphasizing the former president's willingness to face unscripted media interviews. He expressed skepticism that Harris would be able to withstand similar scrutiny.

Berman conceded that Trump's performance was noteworthy, but he also questioned Trump's own credibility, citing the former president's propensity to recount anecdotes that have been debunked by independent fact-checkers.

Sen. Schmitt and CNN's Berman in Heated Exchange Over VP Harris' Media Avoidance

In their reports on Trump's presser, both the Associated Press and NPR specifically pointed out that the account Trump gave of a near-helicopter crash with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown never happened.

Schmitt responded by reiterating Trump's willingness to take questions, contrasting him with Harris' reluctance. He also criticized Harris' recent Time magazine cover, claiming that she refused to grant an interview for the "puff piece."

Harris' team has been criticized for avoiding the press and keeping policy positions vague. A prominent Democrat told Politico Playbook that such tactics were beneficial, claiming that they avoided unnecessary policy discussions and capitalized on Harris' popularity.

In the end, both Schmitt and Berman agreed that the Democratic nominee would eventually have to face media scrutiny if she intended to run for president in 2024. However, they sharply disagreed on which candidate had the bigger issues with media handling, with Schmitt criticizing Harris' avoidance and Berman highlighting Trump's history of making false and misleading statements.