Onlookers were dismayed Sunday after Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) gave one of the most bizarre interviews to Anderson Cooper of CNN.
Stevens was interviewed Sunday on CNN's "Midterms 2026: Countdown to Election Night," where Cooper asked her why she abruptly changed her mind from supporting Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed to endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers, who is a close ally of President Donald Trump's. Stevens claimed earlier in the day that El-Sayed had effectively banished her from his campaign after she endorsed him, and that was at least part of the reason why she decided to support Rogers.
Things got even stranger during her appearance on CNN. At one point, Stevens told Cooper that El-Sayed had gotten "angrier" throughout his campaign, a claim that Cooper didn't buy.
"He didn't get angrier between midnight last night and this morning," Cooper said. "So, was there something specific that changed your mind?"
"Anderson, you certainly weren't on the phone with me at midnight," Stevens stammered. "And I don't think I was on the phone either."
Cooper also challenged Stevens on a claim she made at a press conference with Rogers earlier in the day.
"You said you can't stand with hate. Do you think El-Sayed is hateful or an antisemite?" Cooper asked.
Stevens took a swig from a water bottle that was sitting just off camera before she answered.
"I think some of the actions have certainly been antisemitic... and I'm just sick of who he stands with," Stevens said.
Stevens' wild interview sparked a firestorm of reactions on social media.
Journalist Aaron Rupar expressed concern for Stevens in multiple posts on X.
"My god, Haley Stevens is an absolute train wreck. What is this?" Rupar wrote in one post, adding in another that it was "One of the most bizarre and incoherent political interviews" he had ever seen.
Political commentator Keith Olbermann was left with just one question after the interview concluded.
"How many times can someone end their career in one 24-hour stretch?" he posted on X.
Tahra Hoops, senior director of economic analysis at the Chamber of Progress, noted that the interview didn't help Stevens in the least.
"Holy heck, this is bad. Painfully obvious that her entire team left her as she was NOT prepared for this," she posted on X.
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