Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has taken quite a beating for her apparent refusal to formally engage with the media. She ended her spree of silence last week with a long overdue interview—43 days, to be exact, after she accepted the presidential nomination.
On August 28, the vice president and her running mate, Tim Walz, spoke to CNN anchor Dana Bash in Georgia. Notably, Harris assured the country that her “values” had not changed in her silence—which some may consider a reason not to vote for her. The comment was made in reference to shifting policy on high-priority issues such as immigration and fracking.
She was also questioned as to her potential regret about defending President Joe Biden as a solid candidate, even after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump. The new nominee said, in true Harris fashion, that she would rather “turn the page” on the past 10 years, which she described as being “contrary” to the “spirit of our country.” Harris implied that this “era” included Trump’s uprising in 2015 and not just the Biden administration.
The interview comes after Harris’ team promised to schedule one amid intense backlash from Trump and his supporters that she was hiding from the media and was incapable of communicating with them. And yet, even with the interview completed, Harris is not free from criticism.
Generally pro-Harris and Biden reporter Yamiche Alcindor pointed out that the nominee failed to explain “why her positions have changed” by instead repeating that her “values” remain the same. Alcindor also said the “day may never come” when she conducts a formal press conference. Joe Concha, who contributes to Fox News, previously declared that Harris will not participate in a press conference “until Election Day.”
But one thing the Democrat has agreed to is a debate with her GOP opponent. On September 10, Harris and Trump will participate in a debate hosted by ABC News. According to recently unsealed rules for the event, there will be no audience, written notes, or unmuted microphones when they are not speaking.
The same rules were applied to the June debate between Trump and Biden, which was a complete disaster for Democrats, who fumbled their way into a new nominee. Whether Harris performs better than her predecessor remains to be seen.
