Establishment media members are expressing discontent with Vice President Kamala Harris’s lack of policy specifics in her interviews since joining the presidential race. Several outlets criticized Harris in September for providing vague solutions to problems exacerbated by the Biden-Harris administration. Caught between undermining the administration’s policies and validating her record, Harris resorts to scripted lines and slogans that seem evasive.
A recent Economist/YouGov poll revealed that 48% of Americans believe that Harris simply says what people want to hear, while only 36% think she says what she believes. The media has taken notice of her evasiveness. CNN’s Stephen Collinson wrote an article titled “Harris isn’t giving the specifics some undecided voters say they want,” pointing out that Harris mostly stuck to broad themes and headlines during a gathering with the National Association of Black Journalists.
Politico’s Holly Otterbein, Lauren Egan, and Brittany Gibson mocked Harris for staying on script during the event, stating that she did not stray far from her talking points. The Hill’s Alex Gangitano criticized Harris for failing to delve into details about plans to fix various issues such as immigration, climate change, gun violence, and healthcare access. Politico Playbook’s Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade, and Ryan Lizza described how Harris resisted attempts to pin her down on key subjects, even growing testy when interrupted with questions that deviated from stump speech talking points.
Axios reported that the “Harris-Walz ticket” is on track to do fewer interviews and press conferences than any major party’s presidential pairing in modern U.S. history. The Harris campaign has only completed three television interviews since joining the race, with no interest in engaging with hosts who might ask tough questions about her record.