Ahead of the historic 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris has recently started taking several long-form interviews, which has helped voters better understand her true character and policy opinions. Harris was criticized early in her campaign for her lack of participation in interviews, waiting over a month after President Joe Biden dropped out before having her first full interview with CNN. One of the main concerns during earlier stages of Harris’ campaign was that voters were not fully sure who she is or what issues she stands for. However, her recent interviews and podcast appearances have successfully helped to fight that narrative and provide voters with all the information they need.
Since September, Harris has appeared in interviews with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia; the National Association of Black Journalists; Oprah Winfrey; Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast; “60 Minutes;” “The Shade Room” podcast; “The Breakfast Club” radio station; Fox News and, on Oct. 22, NBC News.
On Oct. 6, Harris appeared on Alex Cooper’s popular podcast “Call Her Daddy,” where she talked extensively about her family, her motivation for becoming a prosecutor and her personal values and beliefs. During the interview, Harris talked about her late mother’s influence on her life. She said her mother always told her to take control of her actions, which she applies to her career by pushing the limits and influencing policy as much as possible, especially regarding reproductive rights.
Later in the podcast, Cooper brought up a quote from the governor of Arkansas that stated Harris doesn’t have anyone keeping her humble because she has no children of her own. In response, Harris argued that many women are “not aspiring to be humble.” This statement helps build her image as a tough adversary, so she doesn’t become a doormat to Trump’s polarizing, domineering personality.
With fewer than two weeks until Nov. 5th, Harris has been on a media blitz, while Trump has backed out of interviews with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” NBC, CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” and a Savannah, Georgia appearance with the NRA. Despite labeling Harris as lazy and incompetent, he has canceled appearances and stuck to familiar interviews with conservative news sources, while Harris agreed to an interview with conservative outlet Fox News and successfully responded to several questions that fiercely challenged her policies and record as vice president.
Harris’ multiple interview appearances have helped clarify her views on key policy issues. In her Fox News interview, Harris defended her economic plan of supporting small businesses, new homeowners and young parents. According to a recent poll, the economy is the most important issue for voters in 2024, and although the Trump economic plan is expected to greatly increase inflation, voters are more confident that he can make good decisions about economic policy. This makes it vital for Harris to talk about her economic plan, especially in front of Fox’s 93% conservative audience.
She also talked about inflation and cost of living in her “60 Minutes” interview. Although the GDP is high and the American economy is currently one of the best in the world, the cost of living is concerning for many voters. Harris said she will combat this by banning price gouging for food and groceries.
In her “60 Minutes” interview, Harris explained her tough stance on the border crisis, another major issue for this year’s voters. When asked about the increase in border crossings under the Biden administration, she explained a Biden-backed bipartisan border bill that Trump blocked in May 2024. The bill, described by Republican House Representative James Lankford as the “most conservative border bill in four decades,” would have made it more difficult for people to qualify for asylum, made it easier for officials to send away people who don’t meet the standard, quickened the process for those who do qualify and given the president the autonomy to shut down the border. However, Trump convinced his allies in Congress to vote against the bill, so it was never passed. Even Lankford, who helped craft the original proposal, voted against it. Harris slammed Trump for this, claiming he would “rather run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Explaining policy in an interview setting is very effective because Harris doesn’t get to choose the topics. She is confronted with tough questions, often about policies or records that have been unsuccessful or unpopular, and gets an opportunity to defend herself. This can help her win over doubtful voters because she addresses their concerns head-on instead of avoiding harder topics and focusing on popular policies. Interviews also allow Harris to show who she really is without script writers and campaign managers influencing her words.
If Trump wants to stand a chance with moderate voters, he should stop canceling interviews and start talking about real policy. Harris knows this is the best way to increase voter confidence, and her strategic media appearances just might win her the election.
