(NewsNation) — After seeing a clip of Kamala Harris’ CNN interview, Stephen A. Smith said Thursday that the vice president needs to “fight back” against former President Donald Trump.

Harris’ opponent “is going to try to depict her as somebody who’s inconsistent,” Smith said on “CUOMO.” “Who is ultimately weak compared to him. … And she has to go after him.”

Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sat down with CNN for their first joint interview Thursday.

The appearance gives Harris a chance to eliminate one of her Republican opponents’ main criticisms of her: That she has yet to take part in a formal interview with a credible news organization since becoming the Democratic nominee.

It also gave her a chance to talk about how she plans to tackle some of America’s most difficult issues, like the economy, which Georgia residents told NewsNation is among their top concerns.

Smith said Trump is a “stationary target” for Harris and questioned if she has what it takes to “fight back.”

“No matter what he says about your character, it’s nothing compared to what you can say about his. And it won’t influence his base, but it could potentially remind independents of the chaos in his final year in office,” Smith said. “And how we might not want a repeat of that. She can feed off of that and pounce on him. Can you fight back?”