On Tuesday, NewsNation host Chris Cuomo criticized the efforts of Kamala Harris’s supporters to suppress negative criticism of her, especially as she faces off against former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.

Since Harris launched her presidential campaign on July 21, following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal and endorsement, her approval rating has seen a notable increase, rising by over 7% to 45.7%, according to FiveThirtyEight polling averages.

However, Cuomo argued that the portrayal of Harris as a standout candidate is misleading, given her previous unpopularity.

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During an episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, Cuomo expressed his disagreement with the notion of protecting Harris from criticism simply because she is running against Trump. “Kamala Harris is not a godsend, alright? You people didn’t even like her six months ago. Now, all of a sudden, she’s black female Jesus, the way [former President Barack] Obama was black Jesus,” Cuomo said, drawing a comparison between Harris and Obama. “And let me tell you something: he had a lot more going for him than Kamala Harris does. And not just as firsts go, but his type of campaigning, his type of persuasion, his charisma.”

Cuomo pointed out Harris’s challenges, noting that she faced skepticism within her own party. “Her process f**ked her also,” he said. “There are a lot of misgivings about her. There is an underlying feeling that she didn’t get this the right way. She may not have won a primary; she didn’t even make it to the first round of primaries when she did run.” Harris had dropped out of the 2020 Democratic primary race before the first votes were cast.

Despite these setbacks, Harris gained enough support from Democratic delegates to secure the nomination in July.

However, critics from within the Democratic Party, including some left-wing voters and former President Bill Clinton adviser Doug Schoen, expressed concerns about the nomination process.

Cuomo emphasized that shielding Harris from criticism is not the way to strengthen her candidacy. “This idea of ‘Don’t say anything bad about her because Trump,’ I don’t buy that,” he said. “She has negatives, so does he. Does he have more? Yeah. He also has a way more intense following. That’s why this race is so tight.”

He also challenged the narrative that the tight race can only be explained by labeling half the country as bigots. “Maybe you’re not as right about everything as you think you are. Maybe you should be a little bit more open to the people that you disagree with. Maybe they’re not all racists.”

In September, Cuomo also defended Trump supporters, suggesting their support is driven more by a desire to change the system than by personal admiration for Trump. “Most of the people who support Trump are desperate to change the system, and they are willing to swallow everything that he isn’t because of what he is — which is a dis

ruptive force of what they want changed,” Cuomo stated.

He added that not all Trump supporters align with Trump’s personal behavior or rhetoric, but they support him because they believe he will disrupt the political establishment.

As the election draws closer, Trump continues to hold leads over Harris in key battleground states.

According to RealClearPolling averages, Trump currently leads Harris in all of the top seven battleground states, setting the stage for a highly competitive election.

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