Kamala Harris is doing more press interviews, if you look closely

Analysis by Brian Stelter, CNN

New York (CNN) — For several weeks after Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, media observers and critics questioned her decision to remain inaccessible to the press. Some Donald Trump allies assailed the vice president as incapable of getting through an interview.

Half a dozen interviews later, her media strategy is taking shape, even if viewers in New York and Washington might not be seeing it. In recent days, Harris has granted sit-downs to local media outlets and fielded questions in unconventional forums to target crucial swing state and minority voters. Her running mate Tim Walz is doing the same.

Earlier this week, Harris parried tough questions from the National Association of Black Journalists and taped an appearance with Stephanie “Chiquibaby” Himonidis, a popular Spanish-language radio host and podcaster. On Thursday, she will participate in a live-streamed event with supporters hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Harris is doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that – emphasis on “little.” The media’s access to Harris is still limited, and journalists always want more. Harris’ aides say they’re implementing a strategy that reflects how the media world works in 2024.

Ian Sams, a spokesman for Harris, said “she does a steady dose of media engagements because she believes speaking to a broad array of voters where they consume their news and information is important. It’s how you reach people where they are.”

To that end, the campaign also regularly creates original content for social media platforms as well.

But “we know she is under pressure to be unscripted,” a staffer on the Harris campaign told CNN on condition of anonymity. The presidential debate hosted last week by ABC News was a big moment for voters across the country to witness Harris in an unscripted setting, and was a successful one, with multiple post-debate polls indicating that she came out ahead.

Harris is angling for another debate against Donald Trump, though the Republican has publicly stated he won’t participate. When the Harris campaign is booking interviews, it is also trying to advance this debate goal. If Trump doesn’t change his mind, then Harris may agree to town hall-style events with TV networks, the source said.

Trump’s media strategy is looser – he appears on his favorite Fox shows, gives statements and brief interviews to beat reporters, and holds occasional press conferences. His public comments are often full of false claims and unverifiable assertions. Sometimes his appearances backfire, as when he held an audio chat with X owner Elon Musk that was plagued by technical difficulties.

Sams criticized Trump’s approach while telling CNN that Harris is “going where people get their news, and in every setting she’s taking questions — often tough ones — about her plans and agenda. Maybe we’re completely wrong and a two hour live space with Elon Musk or hawking some sketchy crypto venture is the best way to reach battleground swing voters, but I doubt it.”

Harris and Walz’s first sit-down interview as their party’s nominees was with CNN anchor Dana Bash at the end of August. The interview garnered more than 6 million viewers and ranked as CNN’s best 9 p.m. hour performance (excluding the June debate) since the day President Biden was inaugurated.

One week later, Harris called into “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” and “Afternoon Vibes with Ms. Jessica,” two radio shows helmed by Black broadcasters, and a Spanish-language radio station in Phoenix. While those chats were rebroadcast in markets across the country, the campaign was clearly concentrating on swing states like Arizona and North Carolina.

That strategy – prioritizing local media – was also evident after the debate when Harris sat down with an anchor from WPVI, the dominant TV station in Philadelphia, better known locally as Action News.

Walz has been making the local TV rounds, as well. This week he has taped brief interviews with outlets in Georgia, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

As if to prebut criticism that Harris is seeking out softball formats and avoiding hardballs, Harris also sat down with a panel of three distinguished journalists at a National Association of Black Journalists forum in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The session was carried live by Fox News as well as CNN and MSNBC.

Thursday’s live stream with Winfrey is bound to be more relaxing. Titled “Unite for America,” it is a virtual fundraiser that will pull together dozens of grassroots groups that have held pro-Harris Zoom meetings recently. Winfrey, who endorsed Harris with a prime time speech at the Democratic National Convention, will host the live stream across multiple social media venues, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch. In addition to viewers watching online, Winfrey will invite 400 local voters to join her for the conversation in-person, focusing particularly on voters in battleground states as the election approaches.

Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed reporting.

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