Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a formal press conference in 47 days since she was named the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and then formally nominated.
Pressurized to do a substantive interview after weeks of stonewalling, Harris finally ended her interview drought last Thursday in Georgia when she appeared alongside running mate Tim Walz for a pre-taped interview with CNN's Dana Bash. It was hardly a traditional press conference.
“She should absolutely hold regular press conferences. The American people have a right to know, and need to know, her policy stances,” conservative influencer Tim Young told Fox News Digital.
“Anyone who wants to lead the free world has to be able to handle questions from the press,” Young continued. “If Kamala can't handle real questions from the press, there's no way she'll be able to handle negotiating with foreign leaders.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first media interview since emerging as the front-runner in the Democratic field. (CNN)
During an interview with CNN, Harris defended She noted policy shifts on issues like fracking and immigration, and said her “values” have not changed. She was also asked if she regretted defending Biden's intellectual acuity after the debate, after he dropped out of the race less than a month after the debate. She added that she wants to turn the page, saying, “I believe the last decade has been antithetical to the very soul of our country.”
Bash pointed out that Harris served as vice president for three and a half years of those years, but Harris countered that he was talking about ending an “era” and moving on, seemingly referring to the political rise of Donald Trump, which began in 2015.
After Harris' first sit-down interview, NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, known for his glowing coverage of Biden and Harris, seemed unimpressed.
“Harris continues to say, 'my values haven't changed,' but doesn't explain why her position has changed,” Alcindor wrote.
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As for when she will actually hold a formal press conference, that day may never come, at least not while she is still a candidate.
“She won't hold a single press conference in the 75 days leading up to Election Day,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha predicted earlier this month.
Curtis Hack, editor-in-chief of NewsBusters, said the vice president “clearly has an obligation to the American people to allow journalists to freely conduct press conferences.” [Thursday] Join CNN's Dana Bash for more questions.”
“You would expect liberal journalists to be courageous and do the right thing when it comes to softball from, say, ABC or NPR,” Haq told Fox News Digital.
“The interview itself had a positive tone. From the Bash promotional video opening, CNN created the impression that this was an event, not a laborious fact-finding mission,” Haq continued. “She missed out on so many topics with Harris: allowing death row inmates to vote, closing down Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defunding the police, abolishing private insurance, women's sports, the filibuster, Jussie Smollett, Minneapolis bail funds, systemic racism… these are just a few of the topics she could have touched on.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz speak to CNN.
Former President Trump has sought to highlight the differences between the two presidents' media presence, giving several lengthy interviews and holding two news conferences in recent weeks.
Harris received mixed reviews for her appearance at the bash, where she answered most of the questions but still had Waltz's support.
In one move that earned her praise from liberals, she flatly rejected a question about Trump suggesting she didn't accept she was black until she was an adult. She called Trump's racial attacks a well-worn “tactic” and told Bash to move on to the next question.
But conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings said the Trump campaign should “salivate” at the interview's revelations that she appears to support so-called “Bidenomics.”
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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a visit to Sandfly BBQ in Savannah, Georgia, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin) (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
The interview brought Harris past a goal she set three weeks ago of scheduling one by the end of the month, and it remains to be seen whether pressure will mount for her to do more, and perhaps her first solo interview as a candidate.
“My concern is that because Bash is not the type of person who drools over Barack Obama the way, say, CBS' Steve Kroft or NPR's Steve Inskeep are, the liberal media will argue that this debate and the upcoming ABC debate are enough interview time for the campaign,” Haq said.
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Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
