JD Vance knows why Kamala Harris is avoiding live sit-down interviews and whenever she decides to do one, it’ll be “too late, too little.” Donald Trump’s running mate told the Daily Mail that Vice President Harris-Walz’s campaign has been strategically keeping her away from answering media questions to keep her positive image alive in the public arena.
“I think it’s always too little, too late because the campaign is each day, right, you can’t get back. We have what, now 82 days or so until the election,” Vance said. “If I was her I would take it as an opportunity to actually persuade the American people and talk to them. And I think it’s interesting that she sort of sees basically this as an opportunity to run out the clock and avoid the American people for as long as possible.”
On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Harris has been too cautious with the press ever since she was endorsed by POTUS Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. She has neither held a press conference nor an interview in nearly three weeks of Biden’s withdrawal. Instead, she’s relying on televised rallies, Zoom calls, and well-scripted statements amid her growing popularity.
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So, will Harris ever do a proper sit-down before the November elections? The VP answered on Thursday, August 8, 2024, saying she would like to get through the convention first. “I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” before her aides signaled to the journalists that the question and answer session was over for the day, per The New York Times.
Harris’ critics have been rallying against her because of her lack of media interaction , particularly Republicans and Fox News staff accusing the United States VP of “ducking scrutiny.” But David Axelrod, the architect of former President Barack Obama’s winning campaigns, believes the former prosecutor is trying to strike a balance before November.
Kamala Harris will not do an interview or a press conference until after she releases her economic policy tomorrow and accepts the Democratic nomination next week in Chicago. Anything else would have been political suicide. You do not sit for an interview when you’ve been the… pic.twitter.com/Ubt7phMMwq
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) August 16, 2024
Axelrod wrote in an e-mail, “This has been a whirlwind few weeks, and right now, buoyant rally speeches are working really well, so she’s riding the wave. But I’m sure they know that, in addition, presidential races impose a series of tests, including debates and unscripted interactions with voters and media, by which people come to know you. There is time, and I’m sure she’ll get there.”
However, Trump’s response to her avoiding formal sit-downs smelled of a grudge. During a news conference on August 8 in Florida, Trump attacked Harris’ capabilities, “She doesn’t know how to do a news conference; she’s not smart enough to do a news conference. She won’t do interviews with friendly people because she can’t do better than Biden. She should be doing interviews. She doesn’t want to do interviews.”
President Trump answers tough questions all the time. I regularly do interviews with mainstream media (I did four this morning). Why is the media OK with Kamala Harris avoiding tough questions? Aren’t Americans entitled to learn about the people who want to lead them?
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 1, 2024
In contrast, Trump and Vance have done multiple sit-downs and press conferences. The Ohio senator said, “If you want to be the American people’s vice president you ought to answer their questions. And it is scandalous that Kamala Harris is running from the media – but, more importantly, she’s running from the American people. That’s a disgrace.”