CNN senior political commentator and co-host of "The View" Ana Navarro told CNN why she accepted the hosting gig for night two of the Democratic National Convention and why she no longer supports the Republican Party, despite being a "registered Republican."
"You were for a long time, a Republican. I met you when you were working for Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney and John McCain," CNN co-host John Berman told Navarro on Tuesday's edition of "CNN News Central." "You‘re running the show here tonight at the convention. What does that say?"
Navarro said that she stopped supporting Republicans in 2016 after former President Trump became the GOP nominee, in part because of the infamous Access Hollywood tape.
"I broke with Donald Trump, with the Republican Party, the Trump party, way back then, and I haven't looked back," she said. "Frankly, I did all I could to get Joe Biden elected…and I'm incredibly excited, elated to help my girl Kamala accept the nomination here today."
"I'm loving seeing this optimism, this hope, this joy, laughter. Things you don't see in a Republican convention," Navarro continued. "I‘m struck by the contrast, right? You go to the Republican convention and it‘s gloom and doom and fear and distress and division. This is a party, this is a celebration of democracy. This is channeling optimism. I am beyond myself to have this role today because I'm a little refugee girl who fled communism in Nicaragua."
Despite regularly espousing liberal viewpoints on CNN and on "The View," Navarro said she is still a "registered Republican." She said she was offered the hosting gig on a phone call when President Biden was still the nominee, and she didn't hesitate to take it.
"I've had this clear from the get-go. I've had this clear from 2016. My purpose is to make sure that Donald Trump does not get anywhere near the White House. We failed in 2016, we‘re not going to fail in 2024," she declared.
Navarro suggested enthusiasm over Harris as the nominee among Democrats would spill over and attract independents and other voters.
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"I think the reason that this campaign has captured lightning in a bottle, and the last four weeks, it’s because it’s been organic, because it‘s been authentic, because it‘s been joyful," she said. "People want to join because you want to be part of the excitement you want to be part of the party, you want to be part of the happiness, right? And enthusiasm is contagious."
"So forget the focus groups, forget overthinking it. Just be real talk from the heart. There’s enough to say and have fun doing it. What this campaign has shown in the last four weeks is that you can win. You can make progress, and you can do it while still having fun and being authentic," she continued.
The political commentator also weighed in on how Harris should address the scrutiny she faces from voters over her handling of the border crisis.
"Kamala Harris, first of all, was not the border czar. That's a misnomer that Republicans have tried to put on her," Navarro claimed.
"I think she needs to turn it around and put a lot of blame on Donald Trump. We had an immigration deal… and it was Donald Trump picking up the phone and calling senators and telling them not to vote for that deal because it would help Joe Biden, who was the nominee at the time and hurt him, is what put the kibosh on that deal. So hold them accountable for what they‘ve done, which is continue using the immigration issue for political fodder," Navarro continued.
Immigration is still a top issue for voters this November. A Fox News poll conducted this month found nine out of ten voters consider the U.S. southern border situation an emergency (44%) or a major problem (43%).
The Biden-Harris administration has been plagued with a historically high number of border crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from June also revealed over 13,000 "criminal noncitizens" have attempted to enter the U.S. and been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Fiscal Year 2024, a rise from 4,269 in FY 2019.
More blame the Biden administration’s lack of enforcement at the border (71% a great deal or some) than former President Trump and the Senate GOP for failed immigration legislation (57%), according to the Fox poll.
Former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama are also expected to speak at the convention on Tuesday night. Vice President Harris is slated to formally accept the presidential nomination on the final night of the convention on Thursday.
Fox News' Michael Lee contributed to this report.
