Vice President Kamala Harris has now gone 16 days without conducting a formal press conference since being recognized as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate on Tuesday.
Harris effectively became the de facto nominee after President Biden endorsed her on July 21 when he exited the race, culminating in her official nomination last week. Although she has been active on the campaign trail, making appearances at various events and delivering informal remarks to the media, she has not held a formal press conference or participated in a comprehensive interview in the past 16 days.
Additionally, she did not attend the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, where former President Trump captured attention with a vigorous Q&A session on Wednesday, although there remains a possibility for her to attend a future event with the group. On Thursday, she briefly spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews while she and Biden welcomed Americans freed from Russia during a significant prisoner exchange, which included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Harris is now approaching a decision on her running mate to contest against former President Trump in November, with plans to finalize her choice by Tuesday and join him at a rally in Philadelphia later this evening.
Her absence has sparked interest; The New York Times even released excerpts from an interview she conducted last year to see how her responses resonate today. Some critics have drawn parallels between her current strategy and the criticized “basement” approach attributed to Biden in 2020.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has surpassed two weeks without a press conference since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A significant portion of the Democratic Party — comprising governors, senators, House members, and party leaders — quickly unified in support of Harris after Biden’s surprising announcement. Nevertheless, critics have begun to highlight the lack of challenging questions she has faced since then.
National Review’s senior writer Noah Rothman queried his social media followers on Wednesday, “When will Kamala Harris hold a press conference?”
“The most insightful exposure a candidate can endure is a comprehensive press conference — and that’s precisely what Harris requires. Indeed, we know that’s what she needs because it was only a few weeks ago that Democratic political insiders asserted the same necessity for Biden,” he articulated for National Review.
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NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham anticipates that she will mimick President Biden’s 2020 strategy, during which he was often accused of retreating to his basement amid the COVID pandemic.
“Kamala Harris should definitely hold a press conference. It would be expected when she announces her vice-presidential pick. However, I doubt she will deviate from Biden’s continuous avoidance of media exposure,” Graham conveyed to Fox News Digital.
“Since the 2020 campaign, we have observed the peculiar scenario of Donald Trump granting extensive access to networks that criticize him as a fascist while Biden and Harris avoid interviews with media outlets that are generally sympathetic to them,” he continued. “Either they believe the press cannot be sufficiently compliant, or they are projecting a complete lack of confidence in their ability to articulate coherent responses.”
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Critics have observed that Vice President Kamala Harris has not conducted a formal press conference since President Biden suspended his re-election bid. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
According to DePauw University media studies professor Jeffrey McCall, the Harris team is “well aware that Biden evaded the media during his 2020 campaign and still secured election.”
“The Harris campaign is also cognizant that their candidate struggles in unstructured environments, and a press conference or a genuine interview would require her to defend her positions, past statements, and record. So, imitating the Biden basement strategy seems appealing, especially if a few rallies with Megan Thee Stallion are included,” McCall stated, referencing the rapper’s presence at Harris’ Atlanta rally on Tuesday.
He mentioned that Harris likely does not feel compelled “to hold a press conference simply because she has moved into the nomination,” as Democrats will back her regardless.
“Her supporters do not expect her to be accountable and show little interest in her policy views. Simply being different from Biden or Trump satisfies many of them,” McCall explained.
“Nonetheless, from a strategic communication perspective, it would enhance Harris’s position to conduct a press conference and engage in real journalistic interviews,” he added. “Eventually, she will need to appeal to moderates or undecided voters who are interested in seeing her address questions.”
The Harris campaign has not responded to inquiries for comment.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to commence on August 19 in Chicago.
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Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
