Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are scheduled to attend their first campaign interview Thursday night with CNN anchor Dana Bash in Atlanta.
Over the past 38 days, Harris has been criticized for failing to answer substantive questions from the press or participate in such an event.
Former President Trump, by contrast, has held at least two press conferences and participated in interviews of all kinds, including with Fox News Channel.
Trump and Harris are scheduled to meet for a televised debate on September 10.
38 DAYS: VP REFUSES TO REVEAL POLITICAL POSITIONS
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/File)
As the interview approaches, viewers were reminded of previous appearances, including a 2021 discussion with NBC's Lester Holt in which Harris was criticized for her response to a question about not visiting the Mexican border.
“And since I haven't been to Europe, I don't understand what you're saying. I'm not downplaying the border,” Harris told Holt in a moment that went viral in the Republican camp.
After Harris's speech at the convention, the Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote that the presentation was “confident, optimistic, [but] “mostly devoid of political substance.”
“If he can continue like this, without explanation or revelation, for the next 12 weeks, it will determine whether he becomes the 47th president of the United States,” he said. The editorial board wrote.
In recent days, however, Harris has picked up some high-profile endorsements on the campaign trail.
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After former independent candidate and scion of Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, Harris’ campaign announced a series of joint appearances with Kerry Kennedy, who is Kennedy Jr.’s sister and a particularly vocal critic of her brother’s politicking.
In Arizona, Kennedy appeared with labor activist Dolores Huerta, who spoke onstage with Robert F. Kennedy Sr. the night he was assassinated on the campaign trail in Los Angeles in 1968.
On August 7, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) told reporters he was “having a little fun” when he found himself on the same runway as Air Force Two in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Vance approached Harris' vehicle and told reporters: “I just wanted to see my future plane,” adding that he wanted to see if he could say hello to Harris and ask her why she was “refusing.”[s] “to answer questions from the media.”
“At least I have enough respect for all of you and the American people to come and talk to you and answer questions.”
Although Thursday will be his first interview, Walz's inclusion prompted criticism of the ad on X.
“Kamala Harris is doing a joint interview with Tim Walz on Thursday. She can't do an interview alone,” OutKick founder Clay Travis said.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Republican strategist Dustin Grage surmised that Walz is a “better communicator than Kamala Harris” and posted a clip of Walz sitting down for an interview with a CBS affiliate.
“That's why he'll be her support animal in Thursday's CNN interview. But there's also a reason it's pre-recorded, because even in easy interviews, it's hard to remember all those lies in the moment.”
Before their interview, Harris and Walz embarked on a bus tour of southern Georgia that begins and ends in Savannah. While Chatham County, where the city is located, is safely in Democratic hands, the campaign hopes the stops on the campaign trail will draw more voters to Harris and Walz's side.
Southern Georgia generally leans Republican. In southwest Georgia, veteran Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop's Warner Robins-Albany seat is seen as a possible but tough win for Republicans if they have a good year at the polls.
The Republican seats of Reps. Buddy Carter and Austin Scott in the region remain safely Republican, according to Cook's PVI ratings.
“[The bus tour offers the] opportunity to reach places we don't usually go [and] “We're making sure we're competing in every community,” said Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler.
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Vice President Harris (AP Photo/John Bazemore/File)
Tyler told the Associated Press that Harris has continued President Biden's custom of taking part in informal meetings, but the locations have changed, noting a recent stop in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, where they visited a high school football practice.
Walz is a former teacher and football coach.
Georgia has also been a swing state for both parties. Democrats have won both U.S. Senate seats in recent years, while Trump has faced off against the generally popular Republican governor Brian Kemp.
The Republican candidate's tone has reportedly changed of late, as the governor was praised by his longtime critic for his “help and support” in the Peach State.
“A victory [here] “It's very important to the success of our party and, more importantly, our country,” Trump said in X.
Brian Flood of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
