CNN’s Jake Tapper Stunned by Map Comparing Harris and Biden Results: ‘Holy Smokes’
The damning graphic aired before Harris’ defeat was confirmed.
Jake Tapper was left dumbfounded early Wednesday by an election map showing that Kamala Harris had failed to improve on Joe Biden’s performance four years ago.
“You asked: Are there any places that the vice president is overperforming Joe Biden in 2020?” John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent, said to Tapper as the pair looked at data displayed on the network’s notorious Magic Wall. King then changed the display to highlight states where Harris had outperformed Biden’s 2020 result by 3 percent or more—producing a completely dark map.
“Holy smokes,” Tapper said in response. “Literally nothing?”
“Literally nothing,” King confirmed.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“Literally not one county?” Tapper asked. King clarified that the map showed states, and then switched to another display showing counties where Harris outperformed Biden by 3 percent or more. At that stage in the evening, just before 2 a.m. Eastern Time, Harris had only done so in 58 counties.
“There might be more out here in the West Coast,” King added. “It’s possible one or two more as they finish the count here. “But in the states that matter… in one county in battleground Pennsylvania, she’s outperforming President Biden by 3 percent or more.”
Around 90 minutes later, King called the race for Donald Trump, declaring: “He’s going to get there.”
“I’m probably not supposed to say that on television,” King said, noting that his network had not yet projected a Trump victory. “But he’s going to get there,” he said.
CNN eventually called the race for Trump at 5:30 a.m. ET.
The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.