The last time Kamala Harris gave anything approaching an extended sit-down interview with a major news outlet was on June 24, when the vice president spoke to MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss how the then-Biden campaign was preparing to attack Republicans on abortion rights.
What a difference five weeks makes.
Three days after that interview, which Harris conducted alongside an abortion-rights advocate, came the presidential debate that served as the beginning of the end of the Biden campaign. Donald Trump was then nearly killed in an assassination attempt, followed by the Republican National Convention, then Biden officially dropping off the ticket and Harris being immediately elevated to the party's standard-bearer for November.
In that historic, whirlwind few weeks, the Democratic candidate for president has spoken to the press a handful of times: briefly defending Biden's debate performance on CNN and CBS and, then late on Thursday, alongside Biden after they welcomed home the Americans freed in a sweeping prisoner swap with Russia.
She also appeared at an event hosted by Essence magazine in early July. But she is yet to gather the media for an official press conference either from the White House or the campaign trail.
Republicans have started to notice the lack of interviews or unscripted media appearances, accusing Harris of dodging or "hiding" from the press during what is widely seen as her honeymoon period.
"It's refreshing to see a presidential candidate who's willing to go in front of the media, something that Donald Trump knew would be a tough interview," Sen. Tom Cotton on CNN Wednesday, defending Trump's wildly controversial appearance in front of the National Association of Black Journalists.
"It turned out to be a hostile, adversarial interview, but he's been doing that for nine years," Cotton said. "Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has been hiding out for the 10 days that she's been a nominee."
Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign for a response.
To some Democratic analysts and talking heads, Harris' lack of interviews or press conferences suggests an astute media strategy in which she doesn't want to do anything to take attention away from Trump. The former president and his running mate, JD Vance, have been stumbling on the trail since Biden's withdrawal from the race, after Trump was credited for running a relatively disciplined campaign focused relentlessly on the president's mental acuity before he dropped out and scrambled the GOP strategy.
"The vice president is showing all of us that you don't need to do high-profile interviews or press conferences in order to get attention from the media or from voters," Democratic strategist Christy Setzer told The Hill.
Indeed, Harris has not exactly been keeping a low profile. She has hosted more than a dozen political events since becoming the candidate, from fundraisers to speeches. And she has sat for in-depth interviews with the press at various points during her time as vice president, including a news-making interview with CBS' 60 Minutes last October.
Shortly thereafter, People magazine published an interview and photo shoot with Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Harris discussed their family life, immigration and how she manages her time in the White House, among other issues.
"I usually wake up in the middle of the night with some thought of what's going on," she said. "Then I fall back asleep, and the next day starts."
More recently, Harris had an unscripted moment from the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews Thursday, after she and President Biden greeted the newly-freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich. Harris spoke briefly to the gathered reporters, mostly deferring to President Biden but adding of the prisoner swap:
"This is just extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy."
Online, Republicans immediately pounced, calling it a "word salad" and predicting that Harris would have a difficult time in a longer, unscripted and adversarial interview setting.
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Monica is a Newsweek reporter based in Boston. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. ... Read more