Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday that she agreed to her first sit-down media interview as the Democratic Party’s nominee, but the interview will be conducted with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
CNN’s Dana Bash will interview Harris and Walz in Georgia on Thursday afternoon. It will air later that night. This will mark Harris’ first interview since she was crowned as the Democratic Party’s nominee after President Joe Biden ended his campaign last month.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), have criticized Harris in recent weeks for her lack of media accessibility. The Trump campaign dismissed Harris’ interview announcement Wednesday.
“BREAKING: On Thursday — 39 days since being installed as the Democrat nominee — Kamala will sit for her first formal interview.* ** * Joint, since she’s not competent enough to do it on her own. ** Taped, so her handlers have time to play damage control,” the campaign tweeted.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller shared similar concerns about the interview.
“39 days in hiding for this? Complete 🐔💩 for Kamala Harris to hide behind Tim Walz knowing he’ll get the tough questions on his doctored bio. Harris can’t even do 1-on-1 interview! & not even live, it’s taped, so they can edit Harris. Unbelievable.🤦🏻♂️,” he tweeted.
Bash moderated the June presidential debate between Trump and Biden, an event that sparked calls within the Democratic Party for the president to terminate his reelection campaign. She is now tasked with Harris’ first interview as the Democratic Party’s nominee amid several controversies.
The Harris campaign has not published a policy platform on its website.
Walz faces criticism of stolen valor over his military record, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Harris accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in a speech that focused on Trump and dodged her record as vice president.
“Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives, it is one of the most important in the life of our nation,” she said. “In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences — but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”
Harris holds a slight lead over Trump in polling data and betting markets for the presidential campaign. Trump previously led Biden before he dropped out.
Raghavan Mayur, head of the TIPP presidential poll, which accurately predicted several elections, previously told DX to expect a tight race.
“Kamala Harris is night and day compared to Biden,” Mayur previously told DX. “Some of the people on the fringes who departed with Biden may be coming back to the fold with Kamala. But it will be a tight race no matter what.”