In a press conference on Thursday, former President Donald Trump unleashed a string of invective insults against VP Kamala Harris, hammering her over her avoidance of doing interviews and press briefings since she announced her presidential candidacy.
During his first solo news conference in over a year, Trump insulted Harris’ intelligence, called her “nasty,” and said that she was not smart enough to run the country.
Trump Presser
Donald Trump held a 65-minute press conference on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he was keen to attack his presumptive general election opponent this November.
“She’s not doing a news conference. You know why? She’s not doing it because she can’t do a news conference,” Trump said.
Worse Than Biden
Trump taunted Harris throughout the conference for her avoidance of interviews and Q&A events with the press, asserting that she would do even worse than Biden, someone he has criticized for having a mental decline.
“She won’t even do interviews with friendly people, because she can’t do better than Biden,” Trump said.
Not Smart Enough
The former president went further in his attacks, saying that Harris lacked sufficient intelligence to even do a news conference event.
“She’s not smart enough to do a news conference, and I’m sorry — we need smart people to lead this country because our country has never been in this danger before, both economically and from an outside perspective,” Trump said.
Looking Forward to Debates
Trump also commented that he was looking forward to facing her directly, affirming he would be willing to do three debates with Harris before the election.
“She hasn’t done an interview. She can’t do an interview,” Trump said. “But I look forward to the debates.”
Taunting Strategy
It appears that Trump is making these comments to try to taunt the Vice President and force her to prove him wrong, a move that he would see as beneficial to him. Trump himself has acknowledged that he has recently slipped in the polls, and is trying to regain control of the momentum.
The Harris campaign has been very restrained thus far in the weeks since the VP announced her candidacy, eschewing media interviews in favor of social media platforms like TikTok to get the campaign’s message out.
Promising an Interview
On Thursday, Kamala Harris gave a promise to reporters in a short 70-second impromptu Q&A session that she would sit down for an interview by the end of the month.
“I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” Harris said, as aides signaled to journalists that question time was over.
Avoiding Unscripted Interactions
Observers have noted that Harris is trying to avoid unscripted interactions when necessary since what she is already doing seems to be working.
“This has been a whirlwind few weeks, and right now, buoyant rally speeches are working really well, so she’s riding the wave,” former Obama campaign consultant David Axelrod told the New York Times. “But I’m sure they know that, in addition, presidential races impose a series of tests, including debates and unscripted interactions with voters and media, by which people come to know you. There is time, and I’m sure she’ll get there.”
Waffling Positions
One reason that Harris may be reluctant to give a press interview is that she may have to give answers to questions on her policy prescriptions that have so far been somewhat nebulous given her past views.
Recently, Harris did a 180 on her support for a fracking ban and has walked back a previous position that called for mandatory gun buybacks on assault weapons.
Lack of Policy Planning
Despite Harris being in the race for several weeks and her site having features like a merch store, the Kamala Harris campaign website does not have a detailed section on her policies or platform.
“Kamala Harris’s campaign website doesn’t have any policies on it. People don’t even know what [they] are supporting. It’s incredible how much the media can polish a turd,” said X user Philip Anderson.
Good Political Strategy
Although this political strategy has opened Harris up to criticism, some political analysts say she should stay the course.
“Where is it written that you have to sit down for a press interview?” said James Carville, former President Bill Clinton’s longtime messaging guru. “They’ve had to pick a vice president, plan a convention, move around, do this, do that, and she’s already agreed to a debate.”
Harris Campaign Statement
Kevin Munoz, a Harris campaign spokesman, has insisted that Harris remains focused on more important matters.
“The vice president’s top priority is earning the support of the voters who will decide this election,” Munoz said Thursday. Munoz emphasized Harris was being “strategetic, creative and expeditious” but did not commit to an interview date for the candidate.
