Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are set to participate in their first joint interview on Thursday, as the Democratic Party seeks to build on the momentum generated from last week’s Democratic National Convention. The interview, conducted by Sinbadnews' chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash, will air at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. This event coincides with the candidates' bus tour through the crucial battleground state of Georgia and marks Harris' first in-depth, on-the-record conversation with a journalist since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed her on July 21.
In the 37 days since launching her candidacy, Harris has seen a surge of enthusiasm and support, which was particularly evident during last week’s convention in Chicago. However, her decision to delay holding a formal news conference or interview has drawn criticism from her Republican opponents. Thursday’s interview fulfills a promise she made earlier in August to participate in a sit-down before the end of the month.
This interview signals the beginning of a new phase in Harris' campaign as she and Walz prepare for the final stretch before early voting begins. Harris’ team expects increased scrutiny during this period, especially as she prepares for a September 10 debate with her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump.
Over the past few weeks, Harris has briefly addressed questions from reporters while campaigning in battleground states. She also participated in three interviews with content creators and influencers during the DNC, reflecting her campaign’s strategy of reaching voters, particularly younger ones, through non-traditional media channels.
Despite these efforts, Harris has faced sharp criticism, particularly from the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance. He has condemned her for going more than a month without undergoing the scrutiny that comes with a formal interview with a journalist. Vance and Trump have both engaged in numerous media appearances during the same period.
“I think it’s really disgraceful, both for Kamala Harris but also for a lot of the American media that participates in this stuff, to have a person who has been the presumptive nominee of the Democrat Party for 17 days and refuses to take a single question from the American media,” Vance stated in Wisconsin earlier this month.
However, some of Vance’s and Trump’s media interactions have led to controversy. Vance faced backlash for past comments he made about childless women, while Trump stirred criticism by questioning Harris’ racial identity and falsely claiming she only recently identified as Black. These are the types of media missteps that Harris’ campaign may have been keen to avoid.
The upcoming interview will offer Harris her first opportunity to clarify her stance on various domestic and international issues during a campaign that has, until now, focused more on messaging than specific policy proposals. She will also have the chance to differentiate her positions from those of Biden, if she chooses.
Harris has faced challenges in previous high-profile interviews. For instance, during a 2021 interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, she expressed frustration when questioned about her failure to visit the US-Mexico border as part of her role in addressing the root causes of migration from Central and South America.
“At some point, you know, we are going to the border,” Harris said during the interview. “We’ve been to the border. So, this whole, this whole, this whole thing about the border. We’ve been to the border. We’ve been to the border.”
Holt pointed out, “You haven’t been to the border.”
Harris responded, “I, and I haven’t been to Europe. And I mean, I don’t – I don’t understand the point that you’re making,” she said with a laugh, before adding, “I’m not discounting the importance of the border.”
Recent interviews have shown Harris on firmer footing. After the June 27 debate that dashed Biden’s hopes for a second term, Harris defended the president’s performance in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, standing as one of the few Biden allies who remained publicly supportive.
