Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and now the official candidate, has gone 49 days without holding a formal press conference.
After weeks of stonewalling, and under pressure to do a substantive interview, Harris finally ended her interview drought last month, sitting down with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for a pre-taped interview with CNN's Dana Bash in Georgia last Thursday that was far from 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.
Harris gave two recorded radio interviews last week, one of which has yet to air.
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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.
“There won't be a single press conference from her in the 75 days leading up to Election Day,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha predicted early last month.
Jorge Bonilla, a host on the conservative Radio Libre, said he believes Harris should hold a press conference but that it is largely “irrelevant” because Harris continues to have immunity.
“It is highly unlikely that she will ever hold a press conference because the media has tolerated and encouraged her 'plexiglass basement' strategy, where she maintains the illusion of being present at a press conference while being totally inaccessible to reporters and therefore unaccountable,” Bonilla told Fox News Digital.
Curtis Hack, editor-in-chief of NewsBusters, said the vice president “clearly has an obligation to the American people to allow journalists to hold press conferences freely.” [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.
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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)
“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.
