Vice President Kamala Harris has gone 12 days without conducting a formal press conference since being declared the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Harris proclaimed her nomination secured late on July 22, stating she had garnered support from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates heading to next month’s Democratic National Convention. Since then, she has campaigned actively, attended numerous events, and occasionally interacted with reporters, yet she has not engaged in a formal press conference or comprehensive interview during the past 12 days.
She missed the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, where former President Trump made headlines with a fiery Q&A session. On Thursday, she briefly spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews while greeting the Americans released from Russia in a significant prisoner exchange, which included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
“This is an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who comprehends the power of diplomacy and recognizes the strength that comes from understanding and enhancing alliances,” Harris remarked. “Today is remarkable.”
Harris, who emerged as the likely nominee without securing any primary votes after President Biden announced he would not seek re-election last month, has been so hard to reach that The New York Times published snippets from an interview she gave last year, examining how her responses resonate today.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has gone 10 days without holding 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 officials — quickly rallied behind Harris after Biden’s surprising announcement. However, critics have noted that Harris has not faced challenging questions during this time.
National Review senior writer Noah Rothman inquired on social media Wednesday, “When will Kamala Harris hold a press conference?”
The RNC Research account on X pointed out Wednesday that she has only engaged in “teleprompter speeches,” while conservative commentator Ben Shapiro claimed Harris “has not answered a SINGLE tough question in the past week and a half.”
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Tim Graham, executive editor at NewsBusters, speculates that Harris will follow President Biden’s 2020 campaign strategy, during which he faced accusations of hiding during the COVID pandemic.
“Kamala Harris should certainly hold a press conference. It would be expected when she announces her choice for vice president. However, we cannot anticipate her breaking away from Biden’s consistent avoidance of press conferences,” Graham conveyed to Fox News Digital.
“Since the 2020 campaign, we have witnessed the bizarre phenomenon of Donald Trump granting extensive access to networks that label him a fascist, all while being relentlessly criticized, while Biden and Harris refuse interviews with outlets that praise them and their ‘historic accomplishments,'” he stated. “Either they believe the press can never be too subservient or they are exhibiting a complete lack of confidence in their ability to articulate coherent sentences.”
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Critics have noticed that Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t held a formal press conference since President Biden ended his re-election campaign. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
DePauw University media studies professor Jeffrey McCall believes the Harris campaign recognizes that Biden successfully sidestepped the media during his 2020 campaign and still managed to win.
“The Harris team is also acutely aware that their candidate struggles in unscripted situations, and hosting a press conference or an actual sit-down interview would inevitably compel her to defend her positions, past statements, and record. Consequently, the strategy of running a campaign similar to Biden’s basement strategy sounds appealing, especially if it includes a few rallies featuring Megan Thee Stallion,” McCall noted, referencing the rapper who joined Harris at her Atlanta event on Tuesday.
He pointed out that Harris likely does not feel compelled “to hold a press conference simply because she has secured the nomination” because Democrats will rally around her regardless.
“The supporters backing her do not expect accountability and show minimal interest in her policy initiatives and other details. For them, merely not being Biden or Trump suffices,” McCall explained.
“From a rhetorical strategy standpoint, though, it would be beneficial for Harris to actually conduct a press conference and engage in real journalistic interviews,” he added. “At some point, she will need to appeal to moderates or undecided voters who want to witness her answering questions.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately provide a response to a request for comment.
The Democratic National Convention is slated to commence on August 19 in Chicago.
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Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
