Republicans are cranking up the heat on Vice President Kamala Harris, pushing her to step into more unscripted scenarios. It’s about time someone popped the political honeymoon bubble she’s been floating in since she stepped up to lead the Democratic ticket.
Harris has been making more public appearances in the two weeks since she announced her presidential run, attending rallies, fundraisers, and campaign events. The White House even handed her a more prominent role at official functions, including a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But when it comes to facing the press, her campaign is tiptoeing. So far, Harris has engaged in only a handful of on-the-record interactions with reporters, prompting Republicans to accuse her of dodging public scrutiny.
Her campaign’s cautious rollout has given Democrats a jolt, especially after a three-week drama over President Joe Biden’s ability to challenge Donald Trump. Ultimately, Biden stepped aside, endorsing Harris to take on Trump. Republicans aim to end what some Democrats describe as a “sugar high” in polls and fundraising, banking on Harris fumbling when she speaks off the cuff.
The Harris team seems to be keeping her under wraps, fearing her tendency for “word salads and California-lefty buzz words,” according to Republican strategist Brad Todd. “They know she’s at her best when voters can project whatever they want on her candidacy without confronting what it actually is,” Todd said.
Republicans are already mocking her early press interactions. Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, quipped that Harris “sounds like a third grader giving a book report on a book she didn’t read” after she and Biden welcomed home U.S. citizens wrongfully detained in Russia. Harris’s comments during the event were criticized for being overly verbose and lacking substance.
Harris has leaned on her prosecutorial background as a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general for viral moments, like her grilling of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and her clash with Biden on busing during their first Democratic primary debate in 2019. However, her weakness shows in interviews and town halls. Who can forget her 2021 NBC interview, in which she floundered when asked about not visiting the southern border? “And I haven’t been to Europe,” she told Lester Holt, sounding clueless.
Interviews will be even more crucial this election cycle in the absence of a traditional primary process. The Harris campaign has relied on statements to outline her policy positions, which won’t cut it forever. According to David Greenberg, a professor of history, media studies, and journalism at Rutgers University, Harris will eventually need to do live interviews and debate Trump, requiring her to have clear stances on controversial issues that matter to swing voters.
Despite their cautious strategy since Biden announced his departure on July 21, the Harris campaign emphasizes that she has done 80 interviews this year. A Harris campaign spokesperson claimed, “Since becoming the candidate, Vice President Harris has been blitzing the country, talking directly to voters, and mobilizing a historic coalition ready to win in November. Trump is doing none of that.”
Yet Trump hasn’t been shy about media appearances. He recently attended the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago. However, he, too, stumbled, accusing Harris of “becoming a black person.” His remarks sparked days of backlash and discomfort among Republicans. But, true to form, Trump doubled down on his comments publicly and on social media.
Sandy Maisel, professor emeritus of government at Colby College, suggested that Trump’s behavior plays well with his base, regardless of the broader electorate’s reaction. “His ego does not allow him to admit mistakes, so he doubles down, and his base loves it,” Maisel said.
Greenberg agreed that Trump has a knack for reclaiming the spotlight, even with absurd and offensive comments. In response, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt criticized Harris for using Biden’s 2020 basement strategy to hide her weaknesses. “Kamala will keep hiding while the fake news media rewrites history and lets her staffers walk back her radical policies,” Leavitt said. “Voters didn’t like dangerously liberal Kamala when she ran in 2020, and after four years of destroying America, they certainly won’t like her this time around.”
So, as Harris navigates her cautious campaign rollout, Republicans are ready to pounce on any misstep, eager to end her political honeymoon and expose her weaknesses to the American public.
