CNN host suggests Harris sitting for 'softball interview' won't curb pressure to speak to media

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CNN panel clashes over Harris avoiding the press, host says 'softball interview' won't solve the issue

A CNN panel clashed on Tuesday over Vice President Harris' continued press avoidance as host Kasie Hunt said a "softball interview" wouldn't help the vice president.

CNN host Kasie Hunt said Tuesday that the pressure on Vice President Harris to face tough questions from the press won't end if she sits for a "softball interview" this week, after she said she intends to schedule an interview before the end of August. 

"I don‘t think that doing softball interviews is going to put this to rest," Hunt said. "But I think the decision that I‘m looking for from the Harris team is who are they choosing to sit down with? And is that going to be something where you come away feeling like she took the hard questions or if this snowball continues."

Harris has gone 37 days without giving a press conference or formal interview with the media since emerging as the Democratic nominee for president.

Democratic strategist Ameisha Cross and Republican strategist Brad Todd clashed over Harris' press avoidance during the discussion, as Cross claimed Harris had only just accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

CNN host Kasie Hunt suggested on Tuesday that VP Harris sitting for a "softball interview" won't help curb the pressure on her to face tough questions.  (Screenshot/CNN)

37 DAYS: VP HARRIS REFUSES TO REVEAL POLICY POSITIONS, GIVE NEWS CONFERENCES OR INTERVIEWS

Harris officially clinched the Democratic nomination for president on August 5 via a virtual roll call. Hunt asked Cross if the Harris campaign has let discussions about Harris sitting down with the press go on for too long. 

"This is a very historic campaign, a very truncated campaign, but the pressure for her was to actually get out and talk to the voters. She’s been doing that. She had to build that capacity. She also just chose her vice president as a running mate, the press was not her top priority," Cross said. 

Todd argued that Harris had been preparing to be president throughout her time as vice president and said she should have been able to do an interview "on the first day."

"She doesn't want to answer for the fact that she was against fracking, against private insurance, against gasoline cars, she doesn't want to talk about it," Todd said. 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Cross insisted it was "not a question of ability" but rather campaign strategy. CNN political analyst Alex Thompson said Monday that Harris' "worst moments" in the Biden administration came during live interviews. 

CNN's Mark Preston agreed with both Cross and Todd, and said Harris is probably able to avoid the media a little longer, but that eventually she will have to face tough questions. 

Cross insisted Harris "will do" an interview, as Todd argued, "she'll show up at NPR, somewhere like that, but she's not going to take tough questions."

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"She's going to show up on a network, and she’s going to have a sit-down conversation. She has already said, her campaign has already said that's going to happen," Cross said. 

Todd shot back and said it's been a "month."

Harris' campaign did not return a request for comment.