Outrage as Kamala Harris cracks open a beer with Stephen Colbert amid ‘drinking problem’ allegations

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris recently embraced the notion that successful political candidates are those whom voters feel comfortable enough to share a drink with.

During a segment on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', she popped open a cold Miller High Life, generating both laughs and controversy.

Kamala Harris engages voters with humor and strategy

According to Mediaite, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins introduced the clip from Tuesday, October 8, episode of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' as part of Kamala Harris’ “media blitz”, which also included appearances on 'The View', the popular podcast 'Call Her Daddy', and Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show.

Collins highlighted that Harris was now “cracking open a cold one” with Stephen Colbert, inviting discussion about her approach to engaging voters.

In the segment, Stephen Colbert remarked that people are calling the 2024 election a “vibes election", suggesting that elections are often decided by the personal connections candidates establish with the voters.

He playfully asked, “Would you like to have a beer with me, so I can tell people what that’s like?”

As the audience cheered, he presented two cans of Miller High Life, noting he had checked with Harris about her drink preference beforehand.

Harris shared that her last encounter with the beer was at a baseball game with her husband, Doug Emhoff.

They clinked cans, with Colbert exclaiming, “Taste like the beautiful city of Milwaukee,” to which Harris responded with the beer’s famous slogan, calling it “the champagne of beers".

Analysts weigh in on Kamala Harris' media strategy and its potential impact

The segment sparked conversations about Kamala Harris' media strategy. Kaitlan Collins asked her panel about the implications of Harris' recent appearances.

Karen Finney, a former advisor to Hillary Clinton, praised the campaign's efforts to engage voters in today’s “very fractured media environment,” highlighting the importance of being present on platforms where voters are active.

CNN’s chief media analyst Brian Stelter echoed this sentiment, describing it as an “all of the above strategy".

He found it particularly noteworthy that Harris chose to drink on air, especially given that both of the previous presidential candidates—Joe Biden and Donald Trump—were teetotalers. This raised questions about the "George W Bush test," or the idea of who voters would prefer to share a drink with.

Collins then turned to Alyssa Farah Griffin for insights on Harris' earlier appearance on 'The View'. Griffin remarked on the show's significant influence, noting that “the road to the White House is through 'The View',” given its history of hosting presidents who eventually won elections.

The program, she explained, reaches a large audience, particularly women who may not follow political news closely but are interested in key stories.

Griffin also commended Harris' appearance on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, which boasts an impressive 5 million weekly downloads. She suggested that Harris’ team recognizes the need to “flood the zone” with their outreach efforts, although she felt this strategy could have been implemented earlier for greater impact.

Noteworthy, Harris cracking open a beer on the late-night show comes at a time when the Trump campaign recently rolled out a new line of ads and statements saying that Harris has a “drinking problem".

However, no evidence has been offered up to support the allegations, which are being pushed by Trump's allies across social media, as per Newsweek.

Internet reacts to Kamala Harris cracking a beer with Stephen Colbert

After Vice President Kamala Harris cracked open a beer on TV, some social media users questioned her campaign's relatability and others critiqued her overall approach.

One user wrote, "I really don't understand the logic of doing this on live TV, but her campaign must think this will be relatable. Her campaign has done pretty well over the past two months but they seem to be getting more desperate."

Another added, "If you listen to her talk she seems drunk half the time."

One commented, "Is there anything authentic about the Democratic Party? Back to having a beer to be relatable."

One added, "No point in hiding it no more right? Just get drunk while on the campaign trail right? Imagine if Trump did this."

Another replied, "She’ll literally do anything for votes, no matter how misguided. Who is telling her to do these things, a 20yo intern?"

One person said, "Her drinking a lot doesn’t bother me nearly as much as her low IQ and lack of morals. But when you add her drinking into the mix it’s just religious."

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