Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to give any interviews or press conferences since joining the presidential race 18 days ago, raising questions about her avoidance of media engagements. One reason for this could be a fear of being questioned on her radical-left policies. It appears that Harris is already backpedaling on some previously championed policies, causing concerns among voters about whether they can trust her as the Democratic nominee. Neither Harris nor her campaign aides have publicly embraced these policy changes.
Among the changed positions, an anonymous Harris campaign spokesperson informed the Washington Examiner that she no longer supports “a federal job guarantee.” The New York Times also reported, citing anonymous campaign officials, that Harris has shifted her stance on various issues: (1) she now supports fracking; (2) wants to increase funding for the border; (3) does not want to require people to sell their assault weapons back to the government; and (4) no longer supports “a single-payer health insurance program.
As the press begins to express its frustration with the lack of media access, Politico Playbook reported on Thursday that the Harris campaign is considering setting up a joint interview with her and Walz. However, West Wing Playbook colleagues are skeptical about the electoral value of such moments. Both Harris and Governor Tim Walz have avoided answering questions from reporters recently.
Democrats admitted on Friday that avoiding media engagement seems to be Harris’s current strategy. Christy Setzer, a Democrat strategist, told The Hill, “The vice president is showing all of us that you don’t need to do high-profile interviews or press conferences in order to get attention from the media or from voters.” She added, “I’d say she has a robust communications strategy.
When Harris does speak to her supporters, she delivers the same campaign speech, according to the Republican National Committee’s research team. The Vice President, known for her word salads, committed two gaffes last week during off-script speaking engagements. She accidentally referred to herself as “president” during the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s eulogy and delivered a word salad during an unscripted comment about a hostage deal with Russia.