Vice President Kamala Harris has avoided sitting down for a formal interview or holding a press conference since taking over the top spot on the Democratic Party ticket—and the frustration among the media is growing.
On Tuesday, CNN’s John Berman cornered Harris campaign spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod about the VP’s schedule.
“What’s on the vice president’s schedule today?” Berman wondered.
“Well, she’s traveling and talking to voters and getting her message out there to the American people, something she’s been doing from the very start of this campaign,” Elrod replied.
“But I was asking about today,” Berman pointed out. “And I don’t think she’s got any campaign events on the schedule today, does she?”
“Well, she and Governor [Tim] Walz have been traveling across the country. They hit nearly every battleground state last week,” Elrod replied.
“The reason I was asking about today is because it seems like she has time if she wanted to do an interview with a member of the media or do a news conference, correct? There does appear to be that time if she wanted.”
“What is important here, John, is that she is taking her message directly to the American people," Elrod said. “So she’s actually having those direct conversations.”
“But not today. All I'm saying is not today. She could do an interview today, I would think, because she's not out there today,” Berman noted.
CNN: "What's on the vice president's schedule today?"
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 13, 2024
Kamala Spox: She's giving a speech on Friday.
CNN: "It seems like she has time if she wanted to do an interview with a member of the media or do a press conference."
Kamala Spox: She will at some point! pic.twitter.com/p9OE0hTAob
The exchange came after The Washington Post editorial board called on Harris to take questions so she can explain to the American people why she’s changed her positions on a number of key issues.
“The media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them," the editorial board wrote. "This is a political necessity — Mr. Trump is already turning her avoidance of the media into an attack line. And elections aren’t just about winning. They’re about accumulating political capital for a particular agenda, which Ms. Harris can’t do unless she articulates one.”
Harris, who took questions from reporters for under two minutes as she left Detroit last week, promised she’d do an interview “before the end of the month.”