Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a formal press conference or interview in 33 days since being confirmed as the Democratic presidential nominee.
She has been busy campaigning since effectively replacing President Biden in the presidential race last month, speaking at various events and making private comments to reporters, but has not held a formal press conference or given a wide-ranging interview in the past month.
She formally accepted the Democratic nomination on Thursday, and now that the party’s national convention is over, speculation is likely to intensify about when she will end her media control.
Left-wing The Washington Post editorial board files complaint Harris dodged media coverage last week, saying she had “at least answered the questions” about her rival, former President Trump. The Washington Post said Harris should explain her multiple policy shifts, including on fracking, border security and private health insurance. Liberal columnist Perry Bacon Harris also I’ll be taking questions on Sunday.
Trump gave a lengthy interview to comedian Theo Fung this week, held two press conferences this month and appeared on The X Show with supporter Elon Musk for a two-hour talk show. He appeared on Fox News Channel by phone on Thursday night to react to Harris’ acceptance speech and answer questions from hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Kamala Harris supporters unsure about VP’s policy accomplishments
Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a press conference in more than four weeks since she was confirmed as the Democratic presidential nominee. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Liberal CNN anchor Jim Acosta chided the Harris campaign on the issue earlier this month, asking communications director Michael Tyler, “Would you die if you did the interview?” Tyler laughed and repeated the campaign’s vague promise that the interview would be done by the end of the month.
CNN host slams VP’s schedule for avoiding press: ‘She has time for interviews’
“We are committed to having a direct dialogue with the voters who will actually decide this election,” Tyler said. “We intend to complete that dialogue through rallies, in-person interviews, press conferences and all the digital assets available to us.”
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance also urged reporters to “show some self-awareness” and urged Harris to “do her job as a presidential candidate” by speaking to reporters.
Vance appeared on three Sunday shows on Aug. 11 to answer pointed questions from CNN, CBS and ABC, but Harris and Waltz sent surrogates.
Trump also criticized her limited media access during a lengthy press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.
“She doesn’t know how to do a press conference. She’s not smart enough to do a press conference,” he said.
How long will Kamala Harris’ polling honeymoon against Donald Trump last?
Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance (Getty Images)
There’s much discussion among progressives about the importance of the media in the Trump era, but some in Harris’ circle have objected to her not speaking to reporters.
“Who cares?” CNN commentator and former Bill Clinton aide Paul Begala said of the issue on Wednesday.
Former Clinton aide Paul Begala defends Harris’ media shunning: ‘Who cares?’
Michael McFaul, a former ambassador to Russia in the Obama administration, wrote in X magazine that Harris’ “number one objective” is to win.
“If a press conference will help her win, she should do it. If not, she shouldn’t. That’s it. She has no ‘moral obligation’ to talk to the press. Keep it down, guys,” he wrote.
But five years ago he wrote that “people who believe in truth and transparency should not fear the press.”
Current state of the election campaign with 100 days left until the November election
Critics have noted that Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a formal press conference since President Biden ended his reelection campaign. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
The Harris campaign told Fox News Digital earlier this month that it was implementing a strategy to most effectively reach out to voters.
“With less than 90 days left, the VP’s top priority is winning the support of voters who will decide the outcome of this election,” the spokesperson said. “With limited time and a fragmented media environment, we need to be strategic, creative and agile to reach voters in the most effective ways possible – through paid media, on-the-ground organizing, an aggressive campaign schedule and, of course, interviews that reach our target voters. This is a far cry from Trump’s ineffective strategy of fighting a losing battle – angry posts, attacks on reporters and insulting voters as necessary to win.”
“If Donald Trump is so concerned about VP Harris’s campaign success, he should be out there campaigning. We’re thrilled that he’s focusing on the policies that are likely to lose him the election: repealing the ACA, killing bipartisan border legislation, and supporting a nationwide abortion ban.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
