Vice President Kamala Harris’s media strategy has come under scrutiny as she failed to hold an unscripted press conference for straight 24 days since joining the presidential race. This lack of interviews contrasts sharply with the multitude of interviews typically conducted by the media when candidates enter presidential races. The last time the press reportedly questioned Harris at a solo news conference was eight months ago on December 2, 2023.
One reason for this approach could be to navigate policy debates within her own party. Anonymous campaign aides have reportedly flipped-flopped on five of Harris’s radical-left policies, such as socialized medicine and fracking. The Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, criticized this media strategy in a statement, calling for transparency and questioning why the mainstream media has not demanded answers from Harris.
Despite some criticism, Democrats seem to support Harris’s media strategy. One lawmaker told Politico Playbook that avoiding the spotlight might be advantageous when it comes to policy discussions. Last week, Harris pledged to schedule only one interview “before the end of the month,” although the timing and specific details remain unclear.
Kamala Harris, who is known for her word salads, has already committed two gaffes in August while speaking off-script. First, she accidentally called herself “president” during the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s eulogy, followed by delivering a word salad during an unscripted comment about a hostage deal with Russia.