Harris-Walz campaign senior spokesperson Ian Sams defended Vice President Kamala Harris' lack of media availability, insisting she will do more interviews as the election approaches.
In response to criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris' limited media availability, her campaign has gone on the offensive. Harris-Walz campaign senior spokesperson Ian Sams appeared on "America's Newsroom" to address concerns that Harris may be taking a risk by relying heavily on next week's debate against former President Donald Trump, given her minimal Q&A outside of debate preparation.
Sams rejected the notion that Harris is avoiding media scrutiny, stating that she has already conducted 90 interviews this year, many of which occurred before her selection as the Democratic presidential nominee. He argued that the media has only recently begun paying attention to Harris now that she is the presidential candidate.
Harris Campaign Defends Lack of Media Availability, Vows More Interviews
"She's taking questions from reporters on the campaign trail every single day," Sams said. "She's going to do more interviews, talk to the press more, and take more reporter questions."
However, co-anchor Dana Perino challenged Sams' assertion that Harris has been engaging with the media on the trail, claiming that simply providing updates on debate preparation does not equate to answering tough questions from reporters.
Harris Campaign Defends Lack of Media Availability, Vows More Interviews
"Do the American voters not need to hear from her directly? She wants to be the commander-in-chief," Perino stated.
Sams defended Harris' public appearances, arguing that she has been drawing large crowds at campaign rallies in battleground states. He also pointed out that Harris has two new taped interviews scheduled to air on Friday.
Harris Campaign Defends Lack of Media Availability, Vows More Interviews
Perino noted the significant disparity in interviews between the Harris-Walz ticket and the Trump-Vance ticket, with Trump and Vance having conducted at least 39 interviews since the Harris-Walz ticket was formed.
Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, ended their extended interview drought last week when they spoke with CNN's Dana Bash in Georgia. This marked the first time Harris had sat down with a journalist since before selecting Walz in August, while Trump and Vance have given numerous interviews to various news organizations during that time period.
Harris and Trump will meet on Tuesday for a debate hosted by ABC News.
In a related development, Harris also faced criticism for her handling of an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, with some commentators arguing that she should have been pressed harder on President Joe Biden's mental fitness.
Despite the criticism, the Harris-Walz campaign remains confident heading into the debate, believing that Harris' strong debate performances in the past will serve her well.
