Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign faced many challenges, and one unexpected setback came when the popular YouTube show “Hot Ones” turned down a request to interview her. The revelation came during a recent episode of the “Pod Save America” podcast, where Harris’ campaign team members reflected on the reasons behind her unsuccessful run for the presidency.
For those unfamiliar with “Hot Ones”, it is a YouTube show hosted by Sean Evans, where celebrities are interviewed while eating progressively spicier chicken wings. Over the years, “Hot Ones” has gained a massive following, with stars from various fields, including music, sports, and entertainment, sharing their experiences on the show. However, despite its widespread appeal, the show has steered clear of politics, refusing to host any political candidates, including Harris.
“It didn’t work out. Maybe they leveraged that to get Trump in the studio, I don’t know.” – David Plouffe, Senior Adviser to Harris Campaign.
Stephanie Cutter, the media strategist for Harris’ campaign, explained that the show’s refusal to interview the candidate was not an isolated incident. ““Hot Ones” didn’t want to do any politics, so they weren’t going to take us or [Trump],” Cutter said. This sentiment was echoed by other campaign officials, who noted that this rejection was part of a larger pattern where Harris’ team struggled to book appearances on popular, non-political platforms.
In contrast, former President Donald Trump appeared on numerous podcasts and internet shows during his campaign, tapping into popular culture in ways that Harris was unable to. Trump made appearances on shows like The Joe Rogan Experience and Bussin’ with the Boys, among others. These appearances helped him reach a broader, more diverse audience that wasn’t traditionally engaged with politics.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ campaign chairwoman, pointed out that Trump’s ability to gain access to these cultural spaces was a major factor in his appeal. “I don’t think [Trump] had the same problem,” she said. “He was able to tap into some cultural elements that Harris was not.”
The “Hot Ones” rejection became a part of a larger discussion on how Harris’ campaign struggled to connect with non-political media outlets. According to the campaign staff, the failure to break into this circuit of interviews played a role in the candidate’s inability to resonate with voters in ways that could have helped her campaign.
Additionally, Harris’ campaign notably turned down an invitation to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience. The podcast, known for its long-form interviews, was seen as an opportunity to reach millions of listeners. However, reports indicated that Harris’ campaign insisted on a short, one-hour interview and requested that Rogan travel to Austin for the meeting, which led to a breakdown in negotiations. Rogan, whose episodes often exceed two hours, was reportedly unwilling to accommodate the demands, and Harris never appeared on the show.
David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris, suggested on the podcast that the campaign’s decision to reject the conditions was a missed opportunity. “We offered to do it in Austin, people should know that,” Plouffe said, adding that the campaign may have been trying to leverage their offer to secure an appearance on Rogan’s show. “It didn’t work out. Maybe they leveraged that to get Trump in the studio, I don’t know.”
Despite these setbacks, the Harris campaign did manage to secure some high-profile appearances. However, her inability to break into non-political spaces, such as “Hot Ones” and The Joe Rogan Experience, remains a topic of discussion among campaign officials. These missed opportunities have been blamed for failing to connect with voters who were tuning in to cultural platforms that other candidates, like Trump, embraced more successfully.
As the campaign staff reflected on these challenges, they acknowledged that Harris struggled to find her place in the broader media landscape. “The media strategy that we had, it didn’t work,” said one campaign staffer, summing up the difficult reality the campaign faced in trying to reach a wider audience.
While “Hot Ones” has never hosted a political candidate in its nearly decade-long history, its refusal to feature Harris stands as a symbol of the broader difficulties her campaign encountered in engaging with popular media. The lesson seems clear: in an election where cultural influence played a significant role, connecting with non-political platforms could have made a significant difference.
Kamala Harris’ campaign faced many hurdles in its bid to reach voters, and the decision by “Hot Ones” to turn down an interview is just one of the many challenges cited by campaign officials. While it may seem like a small setback in the grand scheme of things, it highlights the growing importance of cultural media and how access to these platforms can impact the success of political campaigns.
