Harris Campaign Says She’ll Start Doing More Media Interviews
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has so far given only a pre-recorded, 18-minute interview since becoming the effective Democratic presidential nominee in July, is planning to increase her media visibility with a series of both local and national interviews in the coming weeks, as per a campaign memo obtained by The New York Times.
Harris has mostly avoided extensive interviews and press conferences over the last 50 days, but her campaign appears to be adjusting its strategy after the presidential debate on Tuesday night. Although some media outlets declared Harris the winner, citing polls and focus groups, other sources, including Reuters and The Times, indicated results favoring Trump.
Moreover, numerous polls and focus groups consisting of undecided voters and independents showed positive responses for Trump, particularly on key topics such as the economy and illegal immigration.
According to the memo, Harris intends to engage in interviews with local news stations in important battleground states, along with national media outlets, as the campaign nears its final phase.
She is also slated to be interviewed by the National Association of Black Journalists in the coming week, though the memo highlighted that Trump was the only one to attend the group’s annual meeting earlier this summer.
“While Ms. Harris’s top aides are pleased with her debate performance and Trump’s failure to deliver consistent attacks, they are focusing on minor strategic adjustments,” The Times reported.
Her advisers see the next steps as increasing her presence on the campaign trail, engaging more directly with voters, making more media appearances, and visiting battleground states. They believe that despite everything, the fundamental dynamics of the race remain unchanged.
Harris’ team is also pushing for a second debate with Trump, although Trump has already dismissed that possibility. Initially undecided, Trump firmly rejected the idea by Thursday afternoon, as reported by Fox News.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first thing they say is, ‘I WANT A REMATCH,’” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform. “Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she quickly demanded a Second Debate.”
Trump further claimed that Harris and President Biden have “ruined our country, allowing millions of criminals and mentally unstable individuals into the U.S. without any oversight, while inflation devastates the Middle Class.”
He continued to criticize Harris and Biden, adding that these issues were thoroughly discussed during both the first debate with Biden and the second debate with Harris.
Trump participated in a Fox News town hall on September 4, which had invited both him and Harris to debate. “She skipped the Fox Debate and refused NBC & CBS invitations,” Trump added. “Kamala should focus on what she failed to accomplish over the last four years.” In all caps, he concluded: “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
In response, Harris said at a Charlotte, N.C. rally on Thursday afternoon that “we owe it to the voters to hold another debate.”
In their fiery debate on Tuesday night, Trump and Harris exchanged sharp criticisms on topics such as abortion, immigration, Israel, and the economy. Trump also found himself at odds with ABC News moderators, who frequently challenged his statements while letting Harris’s controversial remarks go largely unchecked.