Former President Trump will hold a public news conference in front of reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday afternoon, a move his campaign said marks a “stark contrast” with Vice President Kamala Harris, who has shunned the media since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
“Public Press Conference will be held at 2pm from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Thank you!” Trump posted to his Truth Social account on Thursday morning.
A Trump campaign source told Fox News Digital that the former president and Republican presidential nominee is meeting privately with key media members on Thursday.
Former President Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas on June 9, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
18 days: Kamala Harris hasn’t held a press conference since emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee
“President Trump wanted to speak while they were already in Palm Beach because he is the most transparent candidate in history,” a Trump campaign source told Fox News Digital.
“Meanwhile, it’s been 18 days since Kamala Harris was sworn in as the Democratic nominee and she has yet to answer a single question from the media,” the source continued. “What a stark contrast!”
Harris has not held a formal press conference in 18 days.
When President Biden called off his reelection campaign on July 21, he endorsed the vice president, making him the de facto candidate.
The Democratic National Committee conducted a virtual roll call vote and officially nominated her as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Since then, Harris has continued to campaign, speaking at various events and making informal comments to reporters at various times, but has not held a formal press conference or extensive interviews.
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Georgia State University in Atlanta on Saturday, August 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
She also did not attend the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago last week, where Trump was the subject of a heated question-and-answer session, but she could attend future events with the group.
Harris made headlines this week when she chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, though the pair have yet to be formally questioned in interviews or at press conferences. The matter has attracted the attention of Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who has called on the media to do more reporting on the issue and to allow Harris to answer questions.
JD Vance slams Harris for avoiding press on Wisconsin runway, calls Air Force Two ‘plane of the future’
At a news conference in Detroit on Wednesday, Vance urged reporters to “show some self-awareness” and urged Harris to “do her part as a presidential candidate” by speaking to reporters.
“Until she is, you guys need to stop giving her honeymoons and acting like she’s something she’s not,” he said.
Vance also tried to grill Harris about her failure to answer reporters’ questions on Wednesday while the two planes were parked on the tarmac at a Wisconsin airport.
Vance told reporters: Chippewa Valley Regional Airport He said he wanted to get a closer look at Air Force Two because “in a few months it’s going to be my plane.”
The Republican senator told reporters he was concerned Harris’ press corps “might get a little lonely” because she isn’t answering reporters’ questions.
J.D. Vance said he tried to approach Vice President Kamala Harris at an airport in Wisconsin on Wednesday. (AP | Getty Images)
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“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Vance asked as he walked toward the group. “I just wanted to check in on my flight and say hello to the vice president and ask him why Kamala Harris is refusing, why she’s refusing to answer questions from the media.”
“And I also thought that maybe her reporters might get a little lonely,” he added. “At least I have enough respect for you guys and the American people that you report to that I’m going to be there to talk to you guys and answer your questions. So I thought her reporters might actually benefit from that.”
Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.
