Vice president Kamala Harris has been particularly hesitant to engage with the media, drawing criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Some say that her strategy makes her look afraid, and others argue that voters still have many unanswered questions about what she stands for and what her plans are, and her unwillingness to do directly and explicitly to explain her policies, she’s helping her opponent. She’s decided to ramp up her interviews, but some have complained that none of them will be substantive, combative or ask hard-hitting questions.
The Daily Caller reports:
Since launching her campaign, the vice president has continuously avoided national press and hard-hitting interviews as she takes a tour through non-traditional media this week. Democrats, including some of the vice president’s own staffers, expressed concern to Politico that Harris’ avoidant media strategy and light campaign schedule could backfire in the final weeks of the campaign. Since that panic, Harris appeared on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” and is also expected this week to appear on “60 Minutes,” “The View,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “The Howard Stern Show.”
Cooper confirmed what critics suspected about the quality of interviews Harris would agree to, saying that after debating interviews on the economy and fracking — two issues that many Americans don’t trust Harris on — she instead decided to focus on the one subject that Kamala Harris has an advantage: abortion.
The Daily Caller continues:
Cooper told her listeners that she had prepared several different interviews for her sit-down with Harris and debated whether she should talk about issues such as the economy, or fracking — a policy position the vice president has continuously flip-flopped on. The “Call Her Daddy” host said she eventually landed on “women’s bodies” and the issues surrounding the topic such as abortion. Cooper added that former President Donald Trump was welcome to come on her podcast to talk about the same topic.
Viewers are anticipating similar treatment from Stephen Colbert, who has become renowned for interjecting his left wing political opinions into his show.
Colbert, who Harris is also filming with, hosted fundraisers on behalf of Biden in 2020 and 2024, according to The New York Times. Harris will also join Stern who endorsed Biden for president in 2020 and conducted what the NYT described as a “warm” interview with the 81-year-old in April before he exited the race for the White House.
While some Democratic strategists have excused her minimal engagement with the media, others have been vocal in their disapproval, insisting it will only hurt her in the long run, and that she won’t be able to make up for the time lost.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod criticized her media strategy, saying, “These races are decathlons, and there are a lot of events, and you have to do all of them because people want to test you. It’s the most difficult oral exam on the planet for the most difficult job, and part of that is just that spontaneous — town halls, all kinds of interviews, and not just friendly interviews. OTRs where you interact in a substantive way with people, all of those things are valuable. And I would be doing them if I were her.”
Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
