Is Kamala Harris Dodging Interviews and Questions?
We're inching closer to the election finish line, and after two high-stakes debates, multiple assassination attempts and controversies surrounding donuts and Doritos, Vice President Kamala Harris recently sat down with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for a long-overdue conversation.
The Tuesday (Sept. 17) discussion marked the Democratic nominee's second official interview since announcing her presidential bid. Harris nor her running mate has even held a press conference since their campaign began. Tuesday's interview serves as a reminder that up until now Harris has been strangely... selective... about her interviews and which talking points to convey whenever she does sit down for them.
Her opponents have publicly criticized these "rare" appearances. Former President Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, once asked, "Why does she refuse to answer questions from the media?" And Trump called Harris out for not showing up to the July 31 NABJ Conference for a sit-down interview alongside him.
These concerns aren't just coming from her opponents, however. T he New York Post and Politico say Harris has been allegedly "dodging" interviews, and we all know Black media has often felt left out of Harris' media touring schedule. But perhaps she heard all the noise, which would explain recent stops at the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and with Oprah . But still, there's something about each of these appearances that's giving people déjà vu.
At her live interview at NABJ in Philadelphia, the audience hosted NABJ members and students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCUs ). The NABJ stage set the perfect backdrop for the vice president's well-prepared and poised responses on the economy, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the GOP candidate's racist claim that Haitian immigrants are eating people's pets. Though the interview went as expected, many are wondering if Harris stuck too closely to her usual script.
In fact, the only time we saw Harris talk passionately on a topic was to condemn Trump for spreading rumors about Haitian migrants . She called his claims "a crying shame," adding, "I mean, my heart breaks for this community" before speaking about how students heading to school for picture day had to evacuate due to violent threats stemming from those baseless claims.
"Children, children. A whole community put in fear," she continued.
But when asked about the state of the economy, Harris referenced her typical playbook about "opportunity economy" plans and her accomplishments as vice president. After she was probed about her planned response to the Israel-Hamas War, Harris said "we need to get this deal done and we need to get it done immediately." She continued, "and that is my position and that is my policy." Sounds familiar, huh?
Her Tuesday words were almost verbatim to her responses on the ABC debate stage . Did she answer each question tossed her way? Yes. Was it largely the same responses we've heard her repeat before? Oh, yeah. But what's so wrong with that, anyway?
As a politician, Harris must reach as many Americans as she possibly can and convince them she's the best candidate. The NABJ audience — consisting of mostly Black Americans — looks different than that of the ABC debate, which looks completely different than any of her rallies filled with supporters . With each public appearance, Harris connects with potential voters who might've not witnessed her previous remarks.
But it's also important to remember political campaigns thrive on catchy slogans, memorable moments and repetition. Although Trump represents a giant step away from typical campaign structure, that doesn't mean spewing lies whenever you want and dodging questions on your future policies will always prove effective.
Harris' campaign only started less than two months ago. Americans still need to get to know her if she has any plans to win come November. So for now, the Democratic nominee should continue doing interviews and emphasizing her policies while also drawing clear contrasts from her opponent, Trump, and her predecessor, Biden.
But for the love of everything, it might help to switch up the script sometimes!
