Dana Perino questions polls showing Harris' lead, calls presidential race 'a knife fight in a phone booth'

WASHINGTON, DC: On Tuesday's episode of Fox News' 'The Five,' the panel engaged in a lively debate about the 2024 presidential race, particularly focusing on whether Vice President Kamala Harris is genuinely in a competitive position against former President Donald Trump.

Host Dana Perino suggested that Trump should frame himself as an underdog in the election. She argued that Harris is "losing airspeed and altitude," making it "smart" for her to claim she's the underdog.

Dana Perino questions poll accuracy showing Kamala Harris in the lead

Dana Perino, elaborated, quoting Politico to describe the situation as "like a knife fight in a phone booth." She suggested that if she were Trump, he would also claim to be the underdog. "I think they could both plausibly say that," She remarked, noting that while Trump leads in the race to 270 electoral votes, Harris is ahead in the national average.

Perino also expressed skepticism about the reliability of current polls, noting that after the Labor Day weekend, people often come back with skewed perceptions.

She commented, “Everybody was home or visiting wherever they were, and they come back from whatever individual bubble they were in. And they come back and say, ‘Nobody I know is voting for Kamala Harris,’ or, ‘Nobody I know is voting for Donald Trump,’ and they think that is evidence.”

Despite varying perceptions, Perino maintained that the race between the two candidates is essentially a dead heat.

Her remarks followed a Politico article suggesting that Harris is leading Trump in several key swing states, including Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia, which supported Biden in 2020.

The polls also indicate Harris is ahead in Wisconsin, a traditionally Republican-leaning state, while Trump currently leads in North Carolina.

Dana Perino slams Kamala Harris' campaign’s strategy in swing states

Dana Perino also criticized the Harris campaign's strategy of visiting New Jersey, Virginia, and Minnesota this week. She argued that these states were within reach for Republicans and speculated that the campaign might be attempting to "shore things up" in these areas.

Looking ahead, the first debate between Harris and Trump is scheduled for September 10. The debate rules are still unresolved, particularly regarding whether the microphone of the candidate not speaking should be muted.

Brian Fallon, senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, stated, "We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast.”

Fallon suggested that Trump’s team prefers a muted microphone because they do not think Trump can “act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.”

He added, “We suspect Trump’s team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button.”