“The Bulwark” managing editor Sam Stein said on Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris is obligated to sit down for an interview with the press ahead of the 2024 election.
Harris is set to participate in her first interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday night since the launch of her presidential candidacy on July 21. Stein said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Harris is obligated to take tough questioning from journalists and will perform better in her Sept. 10 debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump by participating in interviews.
“I think there’s some real benefits to sitting with the press, I think there’s some real requirements that if you want to seek higher office, you should sit with the press,” Stein said. “There’s an obligation to subject yourself to that type of inquiry and questioning, it’s fundamental for the job. It also frankly would prepare her better for the debate. I think one of the things that you want to have going into the debate is some experience with adversarial questioning. I’m not saying this is why Joe Biden stumbled during his debate, but it is notable that Joe Biden did very few interviews with the Press Corps. and he really suffered in that debate.”
“Morning Joe” guest says Kamala Harris “has an obligation” to do interviews pic.twitter.com/Q1VnCzA27b
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 29, 2024
MSNBC political analyst Elise Jordan said it is a bad look for Harris to have not done any interviews since the start of her campaign over a month beforehand. (RELATED: ‘Reinforces This Negative Stereotype’: Chuck Todd Says Harris Made ‘Mistake’ By Delaying First Interview)
“[A]s a citizen, as someone who loves journalism and believes in transparency, it really is not the best look that she hasn’t done any interviews, and now that she’s going on the road, why not do interviews with local journalists in Georgia? Why not have her sit down with journalists there? I’m not saying necessarily sit down and do a primetime interview with a huge anchor, but do local. Show in those places that you are willing and accessible and you can talk and think on your feet,” Jordan said.
“And I think it is just an unforced error and it makes her look like she is being too protected and is being too hesitant when certainly she can give an interview. She’s the Vice President of the United States,” Jordan continued.
The CNN interview with Harris is pre-taped and will air on the network at 9 p.m. on Thursday, according to CNN. Harris will be accompanied by her running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, during the primetime special.
Harris-Walz campaign communications director Michael Tyler promised that Harris would participate in an interview by the end of August during an Aug. 14 interview with CNN. He did not specify whether Harris also plans to hold a press conference before the Nov. 5 election.
Trump held two press conferences in August, one on Aug. 8 and the other on Aug. 15, where he took questions from a variety of outlets. He also attended a hostile interview at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention held in Chicago, Illinois, in July.
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