Harris was reportedly prepped for border question, making her answer 'all the more unnerving' to allies

Kamala Harris
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris has been facing criticism over her response to a border question on her first foreign trip, and according to a new report, the fact that she was prepared for it is "all the more unnerving" to allies.

Harris during her recent trip to Guatemala and Mexico was questioned by NBC News' Lester Holt about why she hasn't visited the southern border, and when Holt pointed out that she hasn't done so, she said, "And I haven't been to Europe. I don't understand the point that you're making." Last week, The Hill reported that her comments "left almost everyone shaking their heads inside and outside the White House."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Harris reportedly participated in "a wide-ranging media training session" in April, but CNN writes that allies and former aides of the vice president saw her stumble on the border question as being "part of a broader pattern of messaging challenges" that she has faced going back to her presidential campaign.

"Watching Kamala Harris walk this weird tightrope on the border gives me flashbacks of her not having an answer for 'Medicare for All' or her position on busing," a former aide told CNN. "There's only so much staff can do to prepare her. At some point she has to stop being scared of herself." Read more at CNN.

Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.