Tipsheet

Why Kamala's Interview With a Muslim Influencer Went Off the Rails

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 05, 2024 6:50 AM

Kamala Harris had one interview that never got published because it was a total trainwreck. We’ve seen serial failures from this woman when she’s behind the camera. This interview might be the worst, and I know I’ve said that a lot because each media spot has added a Lincoln Log to this structure of political incompetence, but this one might be the worst for numerous reasons. For starters, Kamala is doing shockingly bad with Muslim voters. They’re either staying home, voting third party, or backing Donald Trump.

There is zero enthusiasm for Kamala among Muslim communities. She doesn’t do herself any favors discussing how awesome bacon is with a Muslim influencer. No, I’m not kidding. The New York Times had a lengthy profile on Kareem Rahma, who hosts two online shows, Subway Takes and Keep the Meter Running, where the vice president was interviewed. It never aired because it was awkward, too structured, and a tad offensive. Most of the piece is about Mr. Rahma, but the Kamala bit is pure gold. What a trainwreck: 

Rahma also had policy concerns. As a Muslim and an Arab, he objected to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians — including many women and children — since Hamas’s attack on Israel last October, in which 1,200 people were killed and over 200 were kidnapped. In three phone calls with Harris’s staff and the Democratic National Committee, he said, he had proposed raising the conflict with the vice president — perhaps at the end of the episode — but was rejected. 

Because he is not a professional journalist, Rahma, like other content creators who have interviewed presidential candidates, isn’t beholden to common editorial standards enforced by traditional news media outlets, including rules against the exclusion of topics as a precondition for an interview. He ultimately agreed to the campaign’s terms, reasoning that he could choose not to publish the video if it made him feel uneasy. 

[…] 

The interview with Harris hadn’t gone as planned. 

What happened was a dispute over Harris’s take. Rahma said he had been told that the vice president would be taking a stand against removing one’s shoes on airplanes. When they sat down, however, Harris had surprised him with a different take: “Bacon is a spice.” (Two senior campaign officials said this topic had been raised in advance. Rahma and his manager dispute this.) 

Rahma, who doesn’t eat pork for religious reasons, was taken aback. “I don’t know,” he says, in an unpublished video recording of the interview, his voice rising to an unusually high pitch. Harris elaborates that bits of cooked bacon can be used to enhance a meal like any other seasoning. “Think about it, it’s pure flavor,” she says. 

Rahma asks Harris if he can use beef or turkey and what kinds of dishes would benefit from bacon. He then pauses the interview and tells her that he doesn’t eat it. He asks if they can do the airplanes take instead. But, on the advice of a staffer, Harris decides to declare her love of anchovies on pizza — an alternative the campaign had floated earlier in an email. Rahma wraps the discussion one minute later. 

“Well,” he says, with an awkward laugh. “I’m 100 percent unsure on both of those.” 

[…] 

“It was so complicated because I’m Muslim and there’s something going on in the world that 100 percent of Muslims care about,” he said. “And then they made it worse by talking about anchovies. Boring!” 

The campaign apologized for the bacon take and proposed a reshoot. But, after publishing the Walz interview, Rahma ultimately decided not to move forward with it. 

This was a softball interview, and Kamala botched it. What else is new, but discussing the wonders of bacon with a Muslim is beyond hilarious. Her inability to read a room continues to be something to behold. Imagine her if she were to be one-on-one with Putin. Red Dawn might become a reality.