At last, after going 44 days without speaking to the press, Vice President Kamala Harris yielded to the mounting pressure and sat down for an interview. Significantly, even though she has been the presumed and now confirmed Democratic nominee for president, she has yet to hold an authentic press conference. The interview, which took place in Georgia, was conducted by CNN’s Dana Bash, with Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, present by her side.
In sharp contrast to her previous stances on policy issues, such as fracking and immigration, Harris seemed somewhat defensive yet assertive about her changes in position. She declared that her ‘values’ remained untouched, despite significant policy flip-flops. Bash brought to question Harris’ defense of President Biden’s cognitive abilities during a previous debate – a defense that now appears questionable as Biden retired from the race within a month thereafter.
Oddly, Harris made a point of expressing her desire to ‘turn the page on the last decade,’ which she claims is at odds with America’s spirit. A startling statement considering she has been Vice President for three and a half of those years. Upon being questioned on this point by Bash, Harris swiftly diverted, alienly attributing her comment to the Trump era that began in 2015.
NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, recognized for her complimentary coverage of Biden-Harris situations, was noticeably underwhelmed by Harris’ recent interview. ‘Harris keeps saying ‘my values haven’t changed’ while not explaining why her positions have changed,’ was Alcindor’s observation post-interview.
Although Harris finally succumbed to the pressure of an interview, it remains an open question whether she will ever conduct a conventional press conference. It has been six full weeks since Biden retired from the race, endorsing Harris. The perhaps, uncontested, Harris completed her presidential nomination soon thereafter.
Ex-President Donald Trump made the disparity in media presence between him and Harris prominent, participating in substantial interviews and a couple of press briefings recently.
Harris’ performance during her rare interview has received a mixed reception. Although she responded to most of the questions, it was notable that Walz was there, seemingly ready to provide backup.
An instance that garnered limited applause from left-wing supporters was her dispatching of a query about her racial identity. She solicited the next question from Bash, categorizing President Trump’s insinuations that she hadn’t accepted her Black identity until her adult years, as an exhausted ‘playbook.’
Commenting on Harris’ interview, conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings stated that the Trump campaign ought to be ‘salivating.’ The reason being her apparent embrace of ‘Bidenomics.’ According to Jennings, ‘She is making it clear that she will embrace and be a continuation of Biden’s economic policy — his record — what they’ve done.’ In his observation, there was a striking absence of any remorse for their past policies.
In scheduling this interview, Harris lived up to her promise made three weeks ago. However, it remains seen whether the pressure will mount for media engagements furthermore, or her to do her first exclusive interview as a nominee. The high impact politics of the past few weeks does suggest this won’t be the last we hear of Harris.