By DAVID BAUDER Related Press

After avoiding a probing interview by a journalist for the primary month of her sudden presidential marketing campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris’ first one Thursday was notable principally in how routine it appeared.

CNN’s Dana Bash, sitting down with Harris and operating mate Tim Walz in a Georgia restaurant, requested her about some points the place she had modified positions, the historic nature of her candidacy, what she would do in her first day as president and whether or not she’d invite a Republican to be a Cupboard member (sure, she mentioned).

What Bash didn’t ask — and the Democratic nominee didn’t volunteer — is why it took so lengthy to undergo an interview and whether or not she is going to do extra once more as a candidate.

Harris drew criticism for not doing an interview till now

With no clips from interviews or prolonged information conferences as a candidate to choose aside, Republican Donald Trump and his marketing campaign had made Harris’ failure to tackle journalists a problem in itself. She had promised to rectify that by the top of August, and made it in just below the wire.

Within the interview, taped earlier Thursday at Kim’s Cafe in Savannah, Georgia, Bash often had pressed Harris when the vice chairman did not reply a query immediately. She requested 4 occasions, for instance, about what led Harris to alter her place on fracking — a controversial strategy to extract pure gasoline from the panorama — from her temporary presidential candidacy in 2020.

“How ought to voters be among the adjustments in coverage?” Bash requested, questioning whether or not expertise led Harris down one other path. “Ought to they be fully assured that what you’re saying now’s going to be the coverage transferring ahead?”

Bash requested Harris twice whether or not she would do one thing totally different, like withhold some army assist to Israel, to assist attain a peace deal within the Mideast. Harris harassed the significance of a deal, however provided no new specifics on reaching it.

When Bash sought a response to Trump suggesting that Harris had solely not too long ago been emphasizing her Black roots, the vice chairman swiftly brushed it apart. “Subsequent query,” she mentioned.

CNN political analyst David Axelrod urged that Harris, by not doing interviews beforehand, had raised the stakes on what’s normally a typical check that presidential candidates face. However after the Bash session aired, Axelrod mentioned that she “did what she wanted to do.”

“What she wanted to do was be the identical particular person she has been on stage the previous month,” mentioned Axelrod, onetime aide to Obama when he was within the White Home. He predicted the interview would in the end make little distinction within the marketing campaign.

Tim Walz was included within the interview, too

In searching for a private reference to viewers, Bash requested Walz for his emotions about his son’s emotional response to this Democratic conference speech, and a memorable photograph that depicted Harris’ niece from behind, watching her aunt ship her handle to Democrats.

By together with Walz within the interview, Harris joined a practice adopted by Donald Trump and Mike Pence, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and Biden and Harris themselves. However that call stood out due to her lack of solo interviews and the compressed nature of her marketing campaign.

Republicans complained she would use Walz as a crutch, somebody who may clean over his boss’ tough moments and easily take up time that would have been used for questions directed at Harris.

“That is another Harris marketing campaign insult to American voters,” the Wall Road Journal mentioned in an editorial Thursday.

Finally, Bash directed solely 4 inquiries to Walz — one a followup — and the vice presidential candidate didn’t interject or add to Harris’ responses.

This was the second excessive profile second for Bash already this marketing campaign. The “Inside Politics” anchor moderated June’s debate between Trump and President Biden, an occasion the place the journalists have been overshadowed by the poor efficiency by Biden that ultimately led to him abandoning his re-election bid.

Initially Revealed: August 30, 2024 at 9:36 a.m.