The Drama Between Kamala Harris & Katie Couric, Explained

Katie Couric is looking back at Kamala Harris' ill-fated presidential run, and she isn't holding back when it comes to her criticism of Harris' public appearances and answers to softball questions. The veteran TV journalist turned podcaster sat down with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Couric's podcast "Next Question," and the pair reflected on Harris' loss to Donald Trump and analyzed the vice president's challenges and shortcomings during her run after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race.

"I think [Harris] really did well in so many areas, but I was frustrated by her inability to really succinctly answer questions at times," Couric shared, adding that she often noticed that Harris would be asked a pointed question, then give a one-sentence response before she "went on to something that had nothing to do with the question."

"People notice that, and it's like, 'Answer the goddamn question, please!'" Couric said. Psaki — who previously worked as the press secretary to both the Obama and Biden administrations — said that it had been a "unique and painful summer" for Biden after dropping out of the race, and it was tricky for Harris to navigate certain questions about her plans for the future without criticizing Joe Biden and creating tension. This could have been one reason Harris stumbled when it came to fielding questions about what her presidency would look like.

While Katie Couric voted for and openly endorsed Kamala Harris, she wasn't afraid to critique the presidential hopeful even before the election kicked off. In October, Couric welcomed Charlamagne Tha God on her podcast and shared a few similar criticisms about Harris' answers to questions, including her overreliance on canned answers and talking points.

"I think that she takes a really long time to get to her point and that she does rely on talking points too often," Couric said at the time. "It's almost as if she's afraid to say something that will later come back to haunt her." Couric added that she felt Harris "doesn't really articulate to me her true policy position, and that she isn't really directly answering the questions a lot of times."

Interestingly, even in her op-ed about voting for Harris, which she shared to her website on November 3, Couric's reasons for voting for the vice president largely revolved around how dangerous she felt a second Donald Trump presidency would be. It wasn't really a resounding endorsement of Harris' positions or promises. Despite frequent criticism from the press directed toward Trump over his own word salad responses and rally speeches, it seems that — at least for Couric — Harris' lack of transparency and authenticity strongly contributed to her election defeat.