married to fellow television journalist Tony Berlin, with whom she shares two daughters. As a self-described woman of faith whose book “Faith Still Moves Mountains” was a #1 New York Times bestseller, she became an ascendant star on the Fox News network, even interviewing former ( and future) President Donald Trump during his first administration. As for her political views, she sums it up by telling you that her pronouns are “USA.”
But despite her strong personality, Faulkner faced plenty of breaking news in the form of personal and professional tragedies. Her profession brought her face to face with terrifying and heartbreaking moments in American history, where she found herself being the voice of reason in an otherwise tumultuous political landscape. As an African American woman, she was often put in a public position to speak out on issues of racial inequality. But in the face of hardship, it’s easy to see how Faulkner managed to not only survive, but thrive. As she told Forbes, her hard-nosed mentality shines through when she says, “If someone tells you not to be pushy, start push this person aside.
She processed the trauma of Sandy Hook in real time
On December 14, 2012, Harris Faulkner stood in the parking lot of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and witnessed hearses arriving in the area where she was about to move. In his interview with Forbes, Faulkner recounts the tragic morning of the mass shooting that killed 26 people, including 20 children. Knowing she was in a difficult situation, Faulkner gently opened her report with a moment of silence, saying of the hearses: “You know why they’re showing up, let’s enjoy this moment together… A moment of silence.” »
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Her ability to know what to say and what not to say in the face of tragedy helped her and her audience get through that difficult day. She remembers discussing with her colleagues whether they would report on the number of deaths and the mental toll it took on her. In an interview with The Washington Times, she said of that day: “I broke down (on air) and Sandy Hook was tough. I think because I’m used to that feeling that all eyes are on me when I tell a story, I’m OK with people seeing the truth about me. As long as they know, I’ll tell them the truth.
She defended George Floyd against Donald Trump
In 2020, when Donald Trump was interviewed by Harris Faulkner for Fox News, the conversation turned to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of former police officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin. In the interview, Faulkner told Trump that his response to the incident was different than that of a person of color, and when speaking about the moment to Forbes, Faulkner recalled herself saying, ” When George Floyd called out the last breaths of his life for his mother – his black mother – he called my name, Mr. President. He called my name. I am a mother first and foremost.
Correcting Trump in an interview is no simple task, but speaking to Forbes, Faulkner remembers it as less combative and more humane, saying it was like “two people sitting on a log, just talking.” But regarding her view of herself and her people in the tragedy of Floyd’s death, Faulkner said of her conversation with Trump: “Sometimes it takes that humanity and the humanity of moment manifest themselves. You don’t have to step up and be bold with your opinions or anything, but you have to let people see who you are. And at the end of the day, Faulkner looked back on that moment with pride, saying, “That’s why I said what I said.” We had a better interview because we both approached it from different angles.
She resisted tears from co-host Melissa Francis while discussing race
In what may be the oldest trick in the book when you find yourself on the losing side of an argument, Harris Faulkner fought back tears from “Outnumbered” co-host Melissa Francis when the group of five commentators apparently talked a little too much about race. However, as the only black woman, she was joined by Juan Williams as a person of color. Faulkner listened as his co-hosts debated whether or not Donald Trump said there were “very fine” people among a group of neo-Nazi protesters. . But when Francis continued to defend Trump’s claims, she started crying, creating a consistently awkward live TV moment (although Faulkner had his own share of awkward teleprompter incidents).
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In the Fox News segment, Francis first says, “I’m so uncomfortable having this conversation,” then begins crying and saying, “I know what’s in my heart, and I know I don’t think anyone is any different. , better or worse without being judged! Despite the dire and timely circumstances surrounding the need for a national news organization to talk about race-related issues in a substantive way, it didn’t take long for Faulkner’s co-hosting instincts to kick in before the entire studio melts into a tragic puddle of clumsy soup. Sliding in with the perfect segway, she said, “You know Melissa, there have been a lot of tears across our network and across the country and around the world,” only to expertly hold Francis to account by concluding with a sweet but obvious piece. of truth, declaring: “It’s not 1950, we can do this. We can have this conversation, oh yes we can, and it’s okay if we cry while having it.
She lost her father whom she called North Star
During the already difficult COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Harris Faulkner lost his father, Bobby Harris, on Christmas Day. He had become a widower after losing his wife, Faulkner’s mother, in 2016, which left Faulkner without parents for the remainder of the holiday season. Faulkner posted a message saying: “Always guiding me with his grace and strength, Dad will now do so from heaven, alongside my mother. I am theirs and they are mine, forever.
As proof of their close bond – and one of the many pieces of information most people don’t know about Faulkner – is that she actually chose to use her father’s last name (Harris) as her first name when she was young, later choosing the surname “Faulkner” from a distant family member. His father was a military veteran, fittingly born on Flag Day, with Faulkner sharing on Instagram that their family’s patriotic credo was: “Praise God; Let us love America and all Americans, especially when we disagree; Do whatever you can for those who can’t offer you anything more than their business. She also paid tribute on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “My dad is retired. Lt. Col. Bobby R. Harris has died. I’m going to stay silent for a while, while our family’s Christmas North Star takes its place in heaven.
His father’s death shook his faith
Harris Faulkner is a devout Christian and her faith is the basis of her best-selling book “Faith Still Moves Mountains,” but even her mountain-moving faith was tested after the death of her father. She told the Christian Post: “I struggled greatly with my own faith journey during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when my father died on Christmas morning 2020.” She blamed the related lockdowns to the pandemic as contributing factors to a shift away from her beliefs, saying she “started praying less and crying more over my loss.” This was a ridiculous recipe for someone who was raised by parents who taught the opposite.
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But when Faulkner found an annotated Bible belonging to her father while she was packing up her apartment after his death, her own words on the page reignited her faith. She said it “came with handwritten notes about scriptures he loved.” I began reading his interpretations and expressions of faith. The direct connection to her late father helped her heal, with Faulkner saying, “The more I prayed and read his Bible notes, I felt like pieces of my life, broken as they were, were being put back together.” » And just like the perfect transition of a news story, Faulkner found triumph in tragedy.