President Joe Biden is sitting down for a major interview with CBS News before Vice President Kamala Harris, who has not done any media appearances since launching her presidential campaign.
The White House announced Wednesday that the president filmed an interview with Bob Costa for CBS Sunday Morning and it is set to air on Aug. 11. It will be Biden’s first sitdown interview since dropping out of the presidential race. Harris, who the president endorsed upon exiting the race, has held rallies and fundraisers across the country but yet has not done a press conference or interview since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. (RELATED: Trump Campaign’s Simple Plan To Destroy Kamala Harris: Get Her Off-Script)
Per pooler @stevennelson10: VP Harris had “a roughly 4-minute off-the-record conversation with reporters” on Air Force Two. There have been a few of these over the last 2 weeks.
Yet, Harris still has not done an on-the-record sit-down interview since launching her campaign.
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) August 6, 2024
After notifying the nation he was exiting the race through a letter posted to social media, the president gave an Oval Office address in an attempt to explain his decision. The 81-year-old made no mention of his health but instead spoke about how he stepped down for the sake of “unity,” including that it was time to “pass the torch.”
Previously, in an attempt to save his campaign, the president rushed to do media interviews to prove his fitness for office. Biden, who has traditionally ducked out traditional media appearances, sat down for two TV interviews, the first with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and then NBC News’ Lester Holt. The president also did a solo press conference, his first of the year.
US President Joe Biden (L) and US Vice President Kamala Harris wave after watching the Independence Day fireworks display from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Harris has historically been more available for media than Biden, though a shift in her media strategy began after a sit down interview with Holt in 2021 where she admitted she still hadn’t visited the southern border, according to Semafor. Harris’ retreat from media appearances in the aftermath of the Holt clip has allowed the clip to continue to circulate and make headlines for years, the outlet reported.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Biden abandoned his campaign for a second term after weeks of pressure from fellow Democrats to withdraw and just months ahead of the November election, throwing his support behind Harris. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
More than two weeks into her campaign, the Harris campaign has not put forth a platform on its website. Instead, the website introduces Harris and her running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 02: U.S. President Joe Biden briefly speaks to journalists as he departs the White House on August 02, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden is headed to his home in Delaware one day after greeting three Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who were freed from Russian prison as part of a multinational prisoner swap. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Now she is running for President of the United States to continue protecting our freedoms, delivering justice, and expanding opportunity so that every American can not just get by, but get ahead,” the website reads.
