Welcome to ElectionLine’s A View From Abroad series, in which we speak with media figures who are not from America but keep a close eye on its politics. Every few weeks, these smart observers provide a unique perspective on the fraught and unpredictable campaign for the White House. This week, we have a Q&A with Vanessa Jaklitsch, the chief U.S. correspondent of Spain’s Telemadrid TV. Jaklitsch has covered American politics for more than a decade, posing questions to President Donald Trump at the height of the Covid crisis and interviewing Joe Biden administration figures, such as National Security advisor John Kirby. She claims to be the first Spaniard to receive an I-1 journalism visa under Trump’s White House and has served as a board member of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents USA. Our exchange was conducted over email and has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Deadline: What has it been like covering one of the most unpredictable U.S. elections ever?
Jaklitsch: Covering the U.S. as a foreign correspondent from Spain has been the most wonderful adventure of my life. For the last decade, everything that happened from the political scenario felt like an extraordinary experience. Somehow, we as journalists have had to get used to the “unprecedented” and “historic” stories to tell our audiences almost every single day.
These last U.S. elections have not been an exception. On the contrary, no one was ready for what happened. Probably not even Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. The campaigns of both parties, Democratic and Republican, had to adapt to the last-minute circumstances. And the media too.
As another journalist friend told me recently, “There are years that last a century, and weeks that vanish in a second.” So, given what we have seen these latest months, especially in the summer, the only thing that is certain right now is that anything is possible.
How have the dynamics of the race shifted since Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee?
She, evidently, began to take on almost all the limelight, to be more present in the day-to-day-running of the government. Until this moment, as a Vice President, she has been quite discreet – as her role demands, and many have even pointed out her lack of charisma and leadership.
But it looks like she proved them wrong. Suddenly, after President Joe Biden resigned, she was ready to become the first woman and Indian-Black American President of the United States. Her official nomination as a Presidential candidate for the Democratic party has unsettled her opponents and, at the same time, has renewed the hopes of her own political party.
Kamala Harris
Getty Images
Has her entry re-energized the campaign?
It has, absolutely. Her campaign has renewed the hopes of the youngest who were unmotivated by Joe Biden’s age handicap and some of his most controversial political positions, such as Gaza and now Lebanon.
Now it is time for Kamala Harris to shine and show her role of demonstrating her leadership beyond Joe Biden. Her first important decision – choosing Tom Walz as her number two – seemed quite correct. He is a white man from rural America, a teacher, football coach, veteran, and former National Guard. He can help her by garnering votes that would fit a profile closer to her opponent.
The Harris-Walz ticket has succeeded in a few weeks in rescuing the enthusiasm that the party had not seen for decades — and even a record collection of donations.
What do you think will be the outcome of the election?
As I say every time I am asked the same question: everything is possible, anything can happen. We can not predict at all what is going to happen, even if we have some reliable polls. Both presidential candidates, Harris and Trump, are really close in the race, as most of those show. The final result of the November 5 election will depend on only a few thousand Americans from swing states, who will have the power to choose which president will move to the White House on January 20th, 2025. We will need to pay close attention to Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada, and more recently North Carolina too.
What were your experiences reporting on the White House?
As I mentioned before, reporting on the White House for over a decade has been the most wonderful and unforgettable experience of my life. There was no single day I didn´t feel the privilege and the great honor that represents to be able to cover the daily life of America from its political heart, having the huge responsibility to inform millions around the world of such historic times, showing them the facts from a neutral perspective and accurate rigor, and inviting them to build their own opinion.
From a school shooting to a hurricane emergency situation, the Coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Capitol assault, mass racial protests, violence, political scandals, space launches, gastronomy, culture, science, and awards. You can never get bored if you cover the United States. And even less so if you often spend time in the White House. Reality, in the end, always ends up surpassing fiction.
Vanessa Jaklitsch asks Trump a question
How did Trump’s administration compare to Biden’s?
From my personal perspective, all administrations have been a fount of learning and growth in every single way. It is true that, under Trump’s administration, foreign correspondents were not allowed to get a new credential, the White House Hard Pass. They were not accepting new foreign members during his presidency. But I still had the chance to register on short notice, attend press conferences frequently, and even ask President Trump questions. I have never been more busy in my life than during 2020 when there was the pandemic and election. As a journalist, I was an “essential worker.” That meant I was on the streets during the extended curfews in Washington DC when racial protests spread across the country.
I could finally get my Hard Pass for the first time under Biden’s administration. They were apparently more open with the press, but unfortunately after almost four years I haven’t had the chance to ask him any questions directly beyond shouting out upon the arrival or departure of Marine One.
I have interviewed his staff plenty of times. John Kirby, for example, his National Security advisor, has attended my requests for interviews a few times in essential moments. He was on the front page of my newspaper highlighting the great relationship between the U.S. and Spain as “a NATO ally, a friend and a key partner.” He told me, as a White House spokesman, that “President Biden is very grateful for the support that Spain has given to Ukraine.”
Answering your question from a more personal side, I have met President Biden and talked briefly with him and First Lady Jill Biden during the White House Christmas parties, something that apparently his predecessor never did for journalists.
Vanessa Jaklitsch at the White House last year with her Mom
How did you work to counter misinformation?
I always go to the official sources. And I use my common sense too, of course! After a while living and working in the U.S., you get to understand very well how things work, and where to find the information and the official reactions. You can also get your own credential everywhere you need to, usually the White House, U.S. Congress, and the State Department – the three of them at the same time if you are a foreign correspondent. We really need to be everywhere all the time, if we want to get the information right and then share it with our audiences.
How does Spain view the race to the White House?
With a lot of interest and curiosity. People ask me all the time what I think, what the result will be. They know Trump still has options but, after all that happened since 2020, they really think Harris can win. Not only in Spain but in Europe in general, people have a strong sense of hope for democracy, and they feel it’s been too much with the Capitol assault and all the pending legal proceedings and criminal charges (91 in total) against the former President.
On the other hand, I always try to explain properly that there are two very different Americas. The one we see in the big cities, which is totally different from the one that exists in the rural areas. American society is polarized – probably more than ever – and the final decision on the election night will reflect that division with just a few thousand votes difference in some key states of the country.
Will Trump concede defeat if he loses?
The risk in that hypothetical situation will be probably the same as what happened in November 2020. We can imagine what the scenario would be if we just remember what happened then. His electoral base now, four years later, remains intact and some of them, convinced that the last election was stolen, are already threatening to do whatever is necessary to have him in power. Trump can also get the votes of those who are dissatisfied with the current policies and how the government decisions affect their own lives.
How did Spain react to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump?
I think like everybody else, it was something shocking, and unexpected and that got everybody´s attention. Maybe because of that reason, some people thought it was planned. The truth is that his popularity grew again, and his image as a fighter was shared around the world. I would like to do a quick stop here to highlight my colleague Evan Vucci’s amazing work of making that wonderful picture. That was not luck at all, but a well-extended career full of sacrifice, hard work, and experience of following Presidents everywhere under all kinds of circumstances.
