Despite the silence since the end of President Biden’s re-election campaign a month ago, Vice President Kamala Harris has finally decided to break her conspicuous silence. Her unusual reticence has raised eyebrows and cast doubt on her ability to take on the thrust of the media’s scrutiny. Harris has now chosen to make her first significant media appearance as the Democratic presidential nominee via CNN this coming Thursday.
Republicans have continually challenged Harris’s competence and readiness for office, pointing specifically to her evasion of extended interviews with reporters. Critics suggest that this points to her inability to effectively engage with in-depth questioning or to face potential criticism. Her upcoming interview on CNN is thus seen as a test and challenge she must overcome to display her ability to handle robust media interaction.
Her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, has been vocal in his underlining of Harris’s lack of media engagement relative to Biden. Critics have echoed his sentiments, suggesting that Harris cannot match up to Biden’s performance when dealing with the media. This observation is not without merit as Biden himself had maintained a significantly light press schedule for a sitting president.
Supporters of Harris have attempted to downplay her limited interaction with the press. They allocate the blame for this to the rigorous demands of setting up a new electoral campaign. Despite these excuses, many are left wondering when she will break the silence and face the media in more extended interviews.
In a rare interaction with the press, Harris stated her intent to conduct an interview before the end of August. However, this promise was trapped within a fleeting huddle with reporters, leaving many dubious. The announced interview with CNN, it would seem, is intended to make good on that promise.
Harris will be accompanied by her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota during the CNN interview. The interview is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Eastern time, while the actual taping will occur earlier in the day.
CNN, the host of the interview, will provide streaming access to it online via their website and mobile applications. Despite this availability, critics have argued that the likely audience would only be a small fraction of the population that subscribes to left-leaning narratives.
The interview venue in Savannah, Georgia, serves as a weak reminder of Biden’s barely-there victory in Georgia during the 2020 elections. Georgia continues to remain a fiercely contested election battleground, inviting continued political scrutiny and tension.
Dana Bash, a veteran news anchor known for her tough questioning of presidential candidates, has been tasked with conducting the interview. Her past performance in handling such high-stakes interviews leaves no doubt that she will not let Harris off the hook easily.
Bash has been a visible figure in the current electoral proceedings, having co-hosted the June 27th debate between Biden and Trump. Her interaction with Biden during this debate unearthed visible inconsistencies in his performance, alarming Democrats and leading to his abrupt withdrawal less than a month later.
It should not be forgotten that Harris, in a rather comical turn of events, only managed to squeeze in her last televised interview, with Anderson Cooper of CNN, immediately after this debacle. The interview seemed to be more of an attempt at damage control, rather than a genuine attempt at engaging with the press.
Bash anchors CNN’s ‘Inside Politics’ program and has considerable experience in hosting major political debates. Notably she had hosted six presidential primary debates in 2016 and two in 2020. It remains to be seen whether Harris will manage to navigate Bash’s probing questions successfully.
Earlier this month, Bash held an interview with Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate. By comparison, Harris’ sparse media engagements point to an evident divergence in the communication strategies of the two camps. The result of this interview could either lay these doubts to rest or further exacerbate them.