Harris primed for first campaign interview as critics rail against alleged lack of substance, sit-downs

Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are scheduled to sit for their first campaign interview on Thursday night with CNN anchor Dana Bash in Atlanta.

For the prior 38 days, Harris has been lambasted for failing to take substantive questions from the press or take part in such an event.

By contrast, former President Trump has held at least two press conferences and participated in interviews across the spectrum, including with Fox News Channel.

Trump and Harris are scheduled to meet for a Sept. 10 televised debate.

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As the interview approaches, viewers have been reminded of prior 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 I haven’t been to Europe, I don’t understand the point that you’re making. I’m not discounting the importance of the border,” Harris told Holt in a moment that went viral on the Republican side of the aisle.

After Harris’ speech at the convention, the Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote that the presentation was “confident, optimistic, [but] mostly devoid of policy substance.”

“Whether she can keep this up, unexplained and unexposed, for the next 12 weeks will determine whether she becomes America’s 47th President,” the editorial board wrote. 

In recent days, however, Harris has garnered some high-profile surrogates on the campaign trail.

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After former independent candidate and Democrat scion Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped his bid for president and endorsed Trump, the Harris campaign announced a spate 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 Aug. 7, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, told reporters he was having a “bit of fun” when he found himself on the same tarmac as Air Force Two in Eau Claire, Wis.

Vance approached Harris’ ride and told reporters, “I just wanted to check out my future plane,” adding that he wanted to see about greeting Harris and asking her why she “refuse[s] to answer questions from the media.”

“I at least have enough respect for you all and for the American people to come and talk to you and answer questions.”

While Thursday will mark her first interview, the inclusion of Walz led to the announcement being critiqued on X.

“Kamala Harris is doing a joint interview with Tim Walz on Thursday. She legit can’t do an interview by herself,” said OutKick founder Clay Travis.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Republican strategist Dustin Grage surmised that Walz is a “better communicator than Kamala Harris” and posted a clip of Walz sitting for an interview with a CBS affiliate.

“This is why he will be her support animal in Thursday’s interview with CNN. But there is also a reason it will be pre-recorded, because even in softball interviews, it’s hard to remember all of those lies on the spot.”

Ahead of her interview, Harris and Walz embarked on a South Georgia bus tour that begins and ends in Savannah. While Chatham County – where the city is located – is safely in Democrat hands, the campaign hopes the stops on the stump will bring more voters into the Harris-Walz fold.

South Georgia writ large leans Republican. In southwest Georgia, longtime Democrat Rep. Sanford Bishop’s Warner Robins-Albany seat is seen as a potential but borderline pickup for Republicans if they have a good year at the polls.

Reps. Buddy Carter and Austin Scott’s GOP seats in the region remain safely Republican, according to Cook PVI ratings.

“[The bus tour offers the] opportunity to get to places we don’t usually go [and] make sure we’re competing in all communities,” 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 retained President Biden’s custom of taking part in informal get-togethers but that the venues have changed, pointing to a recent pit stop in Aliquippa, Pa., where they visited a high school football practice.

Walz is a former teacher and football coach.

Georgia has also been a contentious state for both parties. Democrats flipped both U.S. Senate seats in recent years, while Trump has warred with otherwise popular GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

The Republican nominee’s tone reportedly changed in recent times, as the governor was lauded by his longtime critic for his “help and support” in the Peach State.

“A win [here] is so important to the success of our party and most importantly our country,” Trump said on X.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.