It has been almost three weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. She still has not held a press conference.
Of course, this isn’t to say Harris’ presence has not been felt on the political stage. She has been traveling to swing states and holding rallies to gin up support for her campaign.
The vice president recently made waves on Tuesday by announcing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Yet, Harris appears to be avoiding interactions with the press at all costs.
By July 22, Harris’ campaign announced that the she had received support from enough delegates to clinch the nomination. The Democratic National Committee on Friday opened up the virtual roll call process for delegates to formally nominate Harris. She has already secured the nomination prior to the start of the party’s convention.
Prior to her vice presidential pick announcement, she held an off-the-record gaggle with journalists aboard Air Force Two, according to a pool report.
On Tuesday, Harris announced her running mate as Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn. She still hasn’t held a news conference.
Even when confronted by reporters, Harris avoids engaging with members of the press, such as this brief interaction.
Kamala ignores questions after reading a very brief statement directly from her binder.
She hasn’t taken a single question — no interviews nor press conferences — since she forced Biden off the ballot. pic.twitter.com/y3EdAXlVEA
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 1, 2024
What is even more interesting about this is that members of the press don’t seem too concerned that a newly minted Democratic presidential nominee isn’t interested in speaking with them. After all, it is pretty big news that Harris is the Democratic Party’s new standard bearer now that her boss decided to bow out of the race, is it not?
There is no mystery here.
It has become apparent that Harris is running a scripted campaign that plays to her strengths while avoiding one of her biggest weaknesses: unscripted media hits. The vice president has shown herself to be woefully inept when it comes to conversations that don’t involve a teleprompter or binder.
Harris is almost as much of a gaffe machine as her boss, a fact that became evident when the Biden administration first took office. She has become known for her meandering, rambling responses to simple questions.
Her campaign appears to be a modified version of Biden’s 2020 basement strategy, with her team trying to shield her from appearances that could result in awkward moments that could go viral on social media. The difference is that Harris will still be visible on the campaign trail. Every communication with the public will be tightly scripted without forcing her to wing it.
The reality is that avoiding the press as much as possible is the best move for Harris. Sure, she will likely do some interviews. She may eventually hold a press conference or two. But, overall, the press should not expect to interact much with the Democratic nominee.
Of course, it is not as if members of the media will be too depressed about this – they want Harris to win in November as much as her campaign does. The last thing they need is for the vice president to flub even the most softball of questions that a media activist would put to her.
The “Avoid the Press” strategy is a viable one for Harris because it depends on a corrupt media establishment that will not take her to task for her. Fortunately for her, the establishment media is more than corrupt enough to help her along in this endeavor.
