Can Kamala come out and play?
That’s the question the press, pundits and many members of the voting public are asking after VP Kamala Harris has barely taken questions from the press or public since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee nearly three weeks ago.
Trump spent a seemingly endless amount of time taking unvetted questions from the press and days doing radio interviews and phone calls with reporters…and this is the best Kamala could do? Will the media accept these crumbs? https://t.co/hHbAeZSByj
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) August 8, 2024
Fox News captures the frustration in its story:
Vice President Kamala Harris was blasted for spending less than two minutes taking questions from reporters Thursday after being criticized for going 18 days without speaking to the media.
The vice president answered a handful of questions on the airport tarmac while campaigning in Michigan, after former President Trump had held a lengthy news conference earlier in the afternoon.
One reporter asked Harris to respond to criticism regarding how she has not given an interview or a formal press conference since she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” Harris answered.
Conservative X users were bemused by what they considered “crumbs” and “softballs” from the media, as well as Harris’ vague commitment to schedule an interview by “the end of the month.”
Radio host Ari Hoffman said, “Trump spent a seemingly endless amount of time taking unvetted questions from the press and days doing radio interviews and phone calls with reporters…and this is the best Kamala could do? Will the media accept these crumbs?”
“When Biden’s political career was on the line, his team scheduled two sit-down interviews and a press conference in the span of a few weeks. He’s now sitting for another interview before Harris has even done one,” Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese wrote.
“Kamala Harris finally takes a few questions in passing, speaking for less than a minute, and you’ll be shocked to learn they were all softballs, with two of them being ‘tell me how bad Trump is.’ The press isn’t coming back from this. There’s no credibility left,” RedState writer Bonchie commented.
National Review senior political correspondent Jim Geraghty remarked, “Ah, so the Democratic nominee, who has not done an on-camera sit-down interview since Biden withdrew July 21, says she will try to do one in the next 23 days.”
Though Harris hasn’t yet set up an interview, she and Trump have agreed to a presidential debate on ABC Sept. 10.