CNN host presses Harris campaign spox on VP's schedule as she avoids press: 'She has time' for an interview
Harris has not done any formal press conferences since emerging as Democratic nominee
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN's John Berman pressed Kamala Harris campaign spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod about dodging the media on Tuesday as the candidate continues to avoid the press after clinching the Democratic nomination.
Berman asked Elrod multiple times about Harris' schedule on Tuesday, and Elrod touted their fundraising numbers and noted that Harris and running mate Tim Walz had made several stops in key swing states over the last week. Harris has gone 23 days without giving a formal press interview or press conference since she effectively took President Biden's spot at the top of the ticket.
"The reason I was asking you 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," Berman said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elrod said Harris had said she would get an interview scheduled before again noting that Harris was taking her message "to the American people" through rallies and appearances across the country.
CNN's John Berman pressed Harris Spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod on VP Harris' schedule. (Screenshot/CNN)
KAMALA HARRIS DECLINES TIME MAGAZINE INTERVIEW AS SHE CONTINUES TO AVOID THE PRESS
"She hit a number of battleground states. I think we had 15,000 people in Detroit last week, 12 to 13,000 in Nevada. She’s been taking her message to the voters and drawing large crowds. So she’s actually having those direct conversations," Elrod said, before Berman jumped in again.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But not today — all I’m saying is not today. She could do an interview today, I would think, you know, because she’s not out there today," the CNN host said.
Harris' spokeswoman again argued that the vice president was taking her message directly to voters.
"Well, look, she’s taking her message directly to voters. And, just because she doesn’t have anything, an interview schedule on her public schedule, doesn’t mean that she’s not taking her message directly to voters about how she’s going to improve their lives, how she’s going to protect their economic freedoms, how she’s going to expand their rights as Americans," Elrod said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the conclusion of the Investing in America tour at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 14, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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Harris briefly spoke to reporters on the tarmac at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport after a campaign event in Michigan and responded to criticism over her lack of media appearances.
"I've talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month," Harris said. Harris continues to face calls from pundits and members of the media to engage with the press amid her quick rise to the top of the Democratic ticket. Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on July 21, and the party rapidly consolidated around her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post editorial board called on Harris to engage with reporters on Sunday, saying she should account for her policy flip-flops on a number of issues, including fracking, health care and immigration.
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"The media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them. 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," the editors at the Post wrote in an editorial.