CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was slammed over his ‘entitled’ questioning of Kamala Harris at a Pennsylvania town hall Wednesday.
Harris faced questions on immigration, abortion and her performance as vice president during the event which was originally intended to become the second Harris-Trump debate.
But some social media users claimed Cooper used his male privilege to talk down to the vice president.
‘It is infuriating how a white male feels entitled to interrupt the Vice President while she tries to answer a freaking question. Looking at you @andersoncooper,’ Aaron H. wrote.
Kamala fans were furious that Cooper grilled Harris over her record while failing to mention the legacy left by her White House predecessor – who failed to show up.
‘Anderson Cooper just asked Harris why she and Biden haven’t fixed all the issues she’s talking about over the last four years,’ said X user Chris D. Jackson.
‘Really? I mean, were you in a coma? Did you miss the part where they had to clean up a pandemic, save the economy from flatlining, rebuild crumbling infrastructure, and fend off fascism both here and overseas?’
The Biden fan continued his screed, suggesting Cooper turn the onus on Trump.
‘Maybe flip that question over to Trump, the guy who actually had four years in office and somehow managed to be ranked as the worst president in history by historians,’ he pondered. ‘Yeah, let’s hear his answer.’
Another user claimed the CNN host would not have grilled Trump so harshly if the former president had shown up to the event.
‘Anderson Cooper has NEVER talked to Trump with this tone and continue to press for an answer HE wants. NEVER!!’ user Trill Clinton wrote.
Meanwhile, others credited Cooper for his persistence when Harris dodged questions on immigration.
‘Anderson Cooper pushed back hard on Harris’ answers on border security and her thoughts on the wall,’ wrote one.
Another said: ‘Even Anderson Cooper is calling her out. But of course she didn’t answer the question at all.’
Harris dodged a question on the effectiveness of a border wall and her past stance on the issue.
‘But you do want to build some wall?’ asked Cooper, after pointing out that funds for wall construction were included in the bipartisan bill that Harris backed.
The Democratic nominee replied: ‘I want to strengthen our border.’
Harris had been asked a question from a male college student about government benefits migrants receive.
She started answering the question by giving her usual response on immigration, knocking former President Donald Trump for derailing that bipartisan bill that would have provided, in her words, a ‘long-term’ immigration fix.
Cooper then interjected and asked why she and President Joe Biden didn’t sooner implement the executive action that has drastically cut down illegal border crossings.
She answered that they were hoping to get the long-term deal struck with Congress.
Cooper then pointed out that border wall funds were included in the bill – and noted how Harris had previously called it ‘stupid’ and a ‘medieval vanity project.’
‘Well let’s talk about Donald Trump and that border wall. So remember Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it. Come on, they didn’t,’ she said.
‘How much of that wall did he build? I think the last number I saw was about 2 percent. And then when it came time for him to do a photo-op. Do you know where he did it? In the part of the wall that President Obama built.’
Cooper then tried to get Harris to admit that a wall was effective for some border protection, but the Democrat refused to bite.
The town hall’s audience is being filled with undecided voters and is taking place in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, one of the swing counties surrounding Philadelphia.
Ahead of Harris walking out onstage, Cooper said that the voters came up with the questions themselves, but still would be reading them from pieces of paper.
The questions, Cooper pledged, have ‘not been edited in any way by CNN.’