Kamala Harris’ Campaign Makes Lame Excuses For Why She Won’t Do Interviews

Daily Report September 21,2024

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms addressed Vice President Kamala Harris’ limited media appearances on Friday, attributing it to Harris being “very busy.”

At 59, Harris is on track to grant the fewest interviews of any major party presidential nominee in history, with critics and allies alike raising concerns. Since President Biden announced his decision not to seek re-election on July 21, Harris has participated in just six sit-down interviews.

During an appearance on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Bottoms, a senior adviser for the Harris-Walz campaign, explained Harris’ reluctance to engage with the media, saying, “She’s a very busy person. She’s the vice president as well as a candidate.”

Bottoms emphasized that Harris’ campaign events and the few interviews she has given are sufficient for voters to understand her policy positions.

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“The rallies and interviews she’s doing allow her to communicate effectively,” Bottoms said.

Despite the limited number of interviews, Bottoms pointed to Harris’ recent public appearances as examples of the vice president sharing her views with voters.

“We heard her today talk about her views on these policies,” Bottoms noted. “It may not be in the format that the media would like. It may not be that she’s sitting down doing a one-on-one interview, but we heard her today in Georgia talk about her stance on reproductive freedom.”

Harris’ first formal interview since replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee took place nearly a month after his endorsement. In her August 29 appearance with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris was joined by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 60.

She has also given interviews to local outlets, including Philadelphia’s ABC station and Spanish-language radio host Chiquibaby, and participated in a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference.

While Harris remains selective in her media engagements, her Republican counterpart, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, 40, has been a frequent guest on Sunday morning public affairs shows. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, 78, has completed at least three times as many interviews as Harris, including a lengthy one-on-one with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X Spaces.