More than a month after she became the de facto Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris has yet to sit for a one-on-one interview with a major news organization. On Tuesday, days after officially accepting her party’s nomination, the Harris campaign announced her first sit-down — though it will not be a solo endeavor.
On Tuesday evening, CNN said that anchor Dana Bash would speak with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, for an interview that will air Thursday at 9PM. The news meant that Harris had own deadline from earlier this month when she said her team was working to finalize an appearance before the end of August.
After President Joe Biden’s July 21 announcement that he was dropping his reelection bid, the vice-president had to operate on an extremely truncated timeline to mount her own campaign, vet a running mate, and work to overhaul the Democratic National Convention for a new candidate and messaging. The Harris campaign has embraced less traditional forms of media, from boosting its social-media presence through its popular @KamalaHQ account and inviting hundreds of content creators and influencers to the DNC alongside the 15,000 credentialed journalists and media members in attendance.
Harris did film with some of the internet creators including TikTok accounts @trackstarshow and @queencitytrends, talking about her love of music and her childhood. Walz made his own appearance on the popular series “Subway Takes” in a clip that was published Tuesday.
????@Tim_Walz did Subway Takes ????https://t.co/mr5vu0VOQB pic.twitter.com/JPl7GGDLFk
— Rob Flaherty (@Rob_Flaherty) August 27, 2024
Harris’s Republican rivals have spent weeks tweaking Harris for not granting interviews. Earlier this month, Trump’s running mate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, approached Harris’s press pool, which was assembled near Air Force Two, to knock her for not talking to the media. On Monday, Vance continued his push on social media.
Kamala Harris wants a promotion but refuses to interview for the job. https://t.co/Vv4Hr0ZoWT
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 26, 2024
Trump took a shot at Harris’s intelligence on TruthSocial Monday, suggesting that she had “NO CONFIDENCE” in her ability to do interviews. “When is Comrade Kamala Harris going to start answering questions?” he wrote.
In recent weeks, Trump and Vance have attempted to capitalize on Harris’s absence from the media by scheduling more of their own interviews and appearances. The tactic, however, has not always gone according to plan, with the former president making headlines for his rambling press conferences and the senator going viral for his awkward interactions with the public.
The move away from traditional media is not unique to Harris. As of July, Biden has logged far fewer interviews with the media than many of his predecessors on both sides of the aisle by that point of their tenure, including his running mate Barack Obama, Trump, and even George W. Bush, according to Axios.
