It has been over two weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, and during this time, she has not conducted any interviews or press conferences, establishing a new norm for candidate interactions with the media in a highly unusual election cycle.
Harris appears to be enjoying a favorable phase. Mainstream media outlets have praised her candidacy, drawing comparisons to Barack Obama’s rise. Her media narrative has been reshaped, presenting her misstatements in a more favorable light. Polls indicate a tightening race against former President Trump, and this trend is expected to continue with the selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate and the rapidly approaching DNC convention, where candidates often see a surge in polling numbers.
Most notably, she has managed to evade critical examination.
In stark contrast, her former running mate, President Biden, faced intense scrutiny, especially as he withdrew from the race. After a poor debate performance, media outlets began questioning Biden’s health, resulting in a significant dip in his polling numbers, prompting Democrats to initiate an unprecedented campaign to push him out of the top position.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has refrained from granting any interviews since announcing her presidential candidacy over two weeks ago. (ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Remarkably, Biden was quicker to engage with the media during a challenging time than Harris, who has remained distant despite her current advantageous position. Biden spoke with George Stephanopoulos from ABC just eight days following his fraught debate performance that altered the course of the 2024 race. Despite subsequent interviews and events, he could not recover, ultimately exiting the race on July 21.
Even Harris was more approachable in the aftermath of Biden’s debate, appearing on MSNBC, CNN, and ABC to promote the narrative of his “bad night.”
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Both Harris and Trump have been actively campaigning since their matchup became clear, but Trump has participated in interviews, notably engaging with a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference in Chicago, while Harris was absent.
Instead, the media has primarily heard from numerous high-profile supporters of Harris. One of her main advocates, Transportation Secretary and former VP hopeful Pete Buttigieg, has conducted at least ten interviews promoting her candidacy and criticizing the Trump-Vance ticket since Harris became the likely nominee.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, who aspires to become vice president himself, specifically called out Harris on Tuesday for adopting a “basement strategy,” urging journalists to demand more accountability from her.
“This is a person who has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for 16 days, and she hasn’t answered a single genuine question from a reporter,” he stated. “The American people deserve to learn about those who seek to lead them, and it is shameful for Kamala Harris, and increasingly for the media, that she is using a basement strategy to avoid reporters instead of stepping up to them and addressing critical questions about her record and who she really is.”
President Biden participated in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos just eight days after his subpar debate performance that altered the political landscape, whereas Vice President Harris has avoided media interactions despite being in a more advantageous position. (Photo by ABC via Getty Images)
Why take the risk?
In the 17 days since launching her campaign, Harris has not responded to inquiries about Biden’s cognitive decline, her approach to the escalating situation in the Middle East, recession fears, her tenure as “border czar,” revelations regarding Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s past extramarital affair, or various far-left views she held during her 2020 presidential campaign, some of which her team has quietly attempted to retract.
“With so much favorable media coverage surrounding her, there’s little incentive for her to risk engaging in off-the-cuff press interactions,” noted DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Harris has consistently struggled during extemporaneous speaking opportunities, often characterized by her less than serious style and word-heavy responses.”
“Biden successfully ran an unaccountable basement campaign in 2020 with media support, resulting in his election,” he added.
Perhaps her team has determined that the risks of interviews are too high. Many point to her controversial 2021 exchange with NBC’s Lester Holt, in which she infamously stated, “And I haven’t been to Europe,” when pressed about not visiting the southern border after her appointment by Biden to address the underlying causes of the migrant crisis.
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Harris faced widespread criticism for her dismissive comments regarding calls for her to visit the southern border during a June 2021 interview with NBC’s Lester Holt. (Screenshot/NBC News)
Last week, she drew attention for her remarks on the tarmac after the emotional return of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva, three Americans released from Russia as part of a significant prisoner exchange.
“This is an extraordinary demonstration of the importance of having a president who recognizes the power of diplomacy and knows how to strengthen alliances,” Harris stated during the unscripted moment.
‘Do better’
Calls from media organizations for Harris to engage with journalists have been infrequent.
The New York Times editorial board has urged Harris to “do better” than Biden in interacting with the press, something Biden did rarely compared to his predecessors.
“President Biden has seldom allowed the news media to ask questions on behalf of the American public. On rare occasions when he did, his team often provided scripted questions, leaving him unprepared for the campaign trail and his opponent. Mr. Trump, too, rarely takes questions. Ms. Harris has the opportunity to do better,” the Times editorial board remarked last month.
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However, aside from the Times’ modest appeal, there has been minimal pressure from the media for Harris to hold a conference. Versus Media podcast host Stephen L. Miller speculated that media professionals might be hesitant to be the one who appears to help Trump by facilitating a moment where Harris falters under scrutiny.
“This reflects what they acknowledge as their mistakes in 2016 with Hillary Clinton and her emails,” Miller commented to Fox News Digital.
The New York Times editorial board urged Harris to “do better” than Biden in addressing inquiries from reporters. (Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer suggested other media outlets should address Harris’ hesitance to answer questions.
“We can’t be the only media company to discuss this,” Hemmer stated on “America’s Newsroom.”
“Sixteen days have passed without a substantial interview,” he continued. “Is it possible she’s waiting until Chicago? That would be remarkable. Then we would have to wonder, ‘What is she concealing? And what is her team trying to hide?’”
Nonetheless, not everyone believes Harris should engage in interviews, at least not at this moment.
“Voters are looking for a candidate who seems to be winning, and Kamala Harris appears more victorious when she attracts large crowds at rallies, not during interviews with reporters like Lester Holt,” commented Democratic strategist Christopher Hale.
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Hale, who is leading the “Catholics for Kamala” initiative, pointed out that she hasn’t faced any setbacks that would compel her to give interviews, observing her increasing favorability since the launch of her campaign.
“The only potential downside is if the press begins writing about her lack of interviews. Public awareness must grow that she is avoiding direct conversations,” Hale remarked. “What she’s doing now is working, and I would maintain this approach until it doesn’t.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
