Why hasn’t Kamala Harris held a press conference yet? The answer isn’t what many in conservative media believe.
Yes, they’re repeating a variation of the Basement Biden playbook in 2020, but this isn’t because she’s just so horrible at answering questions. She IS horrible at taking questions, but that’s not the primary reason for avoiding the press. In fact, it’s only the third most important reason Democrats are playing Hide-the-Harris.
The second most important reason is that they want a starved media to focus on Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. With one side of the ballot mostly unavailable, corporate media is forced to look at Trump and Vance. And when corporate media looks at Trump, Vance, or any non-RINO Republicans, they instinctively paint them in a bad light.
The most important reason they want Harris and VP candidate Tim Walz away from media scrutiny is because they are leaning on unaccountable proxies. This is why they have Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress embarrassing themselves on talk shows. It’s why they’re offering as much as $10,000 to social media influencers for a single video. It’s why they’re quick to drop nuggets on social media or through mini-press releases to let their corporate media puppets extrapolate the campaign message.
This is a campaign-by-surrogate. If Harris or Walz say something, they have to be held to account for it. If a surrogate says something, it wouldn’t matter how false it is. That’s THEIR opinion, not the official opinion of the campaign or the candidates.
In other words, staying away from reporters and letting proxies do all the work allows them to lie as much as they want about themselves, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and the state of the nation.
I discussed it during my Thursday show:
Here’s the news itself generated from corporate media reports…
Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a formal press conference since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on July 21, when President Biden endorsed her and subsequently dropped out of the race. Despite her active campaigning and informal interactions with reporters, Harris has not engaged in a wide-ranging interview or press conference for 18 days.
Harris’s absence from the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, where former President Trump made headlines with his participation, has also been noted. Although she may attend the event in the future, her absence has drawn attention.
Recently, Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, but neither has faced formal questioning in interviews or press conferences. This has prompted criticism from Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, who has urged the media to press Harris for answers.
During a press conference in Detroit, Vance called on reporters to hold Harris accountable and to stop giving her a “honeymoon” period. He emphasized the importance of Harris fulfilling her role as a presidential candidate by engaging with the press.
Critics have drawn comparisons to the “Biden basement” approach of 2020, where the president was accused of avoiding press conferences and public appearances. National Review senior writer Noah Rothman and NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham have both called for Harris to hold a press conference, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in a presidential campaign.
DePauw University media studies professor Jeffrey McCall suggests that the Harris campaign may be following the Biden strategy of avoiding press conferences, given her perceived lack of confidence in unscripted settings and the support she enjoys from her base. McCall argues that while her supporters may not demand accountability, engaging with the press could help attract undecided voters and moderates.
As Harris continues her campaign, the pressure to hold a press conference and address questions from the media may intensify, especially as the election approaches.
