Much has been made about Kamala Harris’ ability to speak off the cuff, and her recent response to a reported teleprompter glitch certainly won’t help quiet the chatter.
The vice president was delivering prepared remarks at a campaign event late last week when the prompter apparently froze and she was left stuttering. On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Andew Klavan, host of The Andrew Klavan Show, to discuss the mishap and what it says about Harris’ abilities.
The Awkward Moment
Harris was giving a speech at a rally in Flint, Michigan, on Friday when she took a noticeable pause. “Remember his number. 32. Today, we got 32 days until the election,” Harris was saying when she suddenly froze.
The Democratic nominee cackled and let out a deep sigh while looking around before finally repeating the phrase “32 days” and “we got some business to do” a number of times. The figure was in reference to the number of days until the November 5 election.
Critics on social media, including the Trump War Room account on X, wasted no time circulating the awkward moment, which many posited was the result of a teleprompter malfunction.
“Kamala’s teleprompter briefly went out at the beginning of her speech — you can tell the exact moment it happened,” the post read. “She had absolutely no idea what to do or say. Humiliating.”
The Harris campaign hasn’t commented on the incident, but the vice president struggled to regain her footing after the stutter.
‘It’s Embarrassing’
Megyn said she was “embarrassed” for Harris because it was not hard to see the moment the “prompter froze and panic set in” for her. “Imagine if she had to sit in front of a microphone and host a podcast for one day… speaking extemporaneously about issues of the day without that prompter,” she said. “The only reason she gets away with it here is because the crowd is full of adoring Democrats.”
In Klavan’s view, moments like this expose the difference between Harris and Donald Trump. “I get frustrated with Trump sometimes, especially during debates when he hasn’t got the detailed responses that I want him to have… but he talks off the top of his head and he is not afraid to say what is on his mind,” he explained. “Every single time she is without a prompter or gets a question… she doesn’t see coming… she unravels completely.”
It is why, Klavan said, people feel like they don’t know who Harris is. “One of the things that I think is actually incredibly appealing about Donald Trump is you are getting Donald Trump… You can hate him, you can love him, but there is certainly nothing phony about him,” he explained. “Kamala Harris… who is she? What is she actually like? We have no idea.”
Ultimately, Klavan believes Harris cannot measure up to the GOP ticket. “Compared to Trump, but also compared to J.D. Vance – who is an educated, articulate man who does have a grasp of the facts – it is just embarrassing,” he concluded. “It is embarrassing to think that she could be representing this country.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Klavan by tuning in to episode 909 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.