(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump reflected on the Harris campaign’s “worst mistakes” in an interview with Time magazine released Thursday.
In the transcript of his “Person of the Year” interview, Trump said “taking the assignment” was Vice President Kamala Harris’s first fatal flaw.
“Take the assignment. Number one, because you have to know what you’re good at,” he said.
Behind-the-scenes of President Trump’s Time Magazine Person of the Year shoot 📸🔥 pic.twitter.com/QTB4TsmSjb
— Margo Martin (@margomartin) December 12, 2024
Trump pointed to his willingness to be interviewed by anyone as one of the main reasons he won a second term.
He said Harris’s refusal to talk to the media drew more negative attention to her than she must have expected, referencing the vice president’s fear of speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan as a moment of impact.
“I think that when she wouldn’t talk to anybody, it shone a light on her,” Trump said.
The president-elect added Harris’s lack of interviews severely hurt her campaign.
“In other words, if she would have gone out and just did interviews where they’re comparable to Steve, if there is anybody comparable, would say, could you do an interview here?” Trump said. “An interview there? You know, she didn’t do anything.”
A play in 4 acts: pic.twitter.com/PALf5S8tHA
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 12, 2024
The president-elect said many thought “something was wrong with” Harris due to her reluctance to speak off-the-cuff.
Trump also addressed frequent praise that his 2024 victory was the greatest political comeback of all time.
🔔 President Trump ringing the opening bell at @NYSE to celebrate being named TIME’s Person of the Year! pic.twitter.com/hprvLEye5Z
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) December 12, 2024
“See, I don’t view it as a comeback. And people have said it was the greatest comeback in political history, and beyond even political history plus,” Trump said. “They said, add sports and add everything else. But I don’t view it that way.”
He said he believes the job he did in his first term added to his popularity.
“I think I ran a great campaign. I think I was popular. I think I did a very good job the first term,” he continued. “We got hit by COVID at the end. But even with COVID, we did a very, very good job that people are starting to recognize.”
He added that his father, Fred Trump, would also not refer to him winning a second term as a “comeback.”
TIME MAGAZINE: “What would your father think of your political comeback?”
DONALD TRUMP: “I think he maybe would not call it a comeback. He would have said it’s just Donald.” pic.twitter.com/YrrFYhAM62
— Julianna Frieman (@JuliannaFrieman) December 12, 2024
“I think he maybe would not call it a comeback. He would have just said it’s Donald,” Trump said.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
