Kamala Harris has noticeably shifted her media approach as the U.S. presidential election draws near. After spending much of the campaign steering clear of interviews, she has recently begun to actively engage with the media.
The Democratic nominee showcased her leadership abilities during her appearance on 60 Minutes with Bill Whitaker, where she shared humorous stories and enjoyed a beer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She also provided quick-witted responses on The Howard Stern Show and spent a full 40 minutes discussing women’s rights, domestic violence, and reproductive health on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast.
As the presidential election approaches, Harris is making a concerted effort to connect with a diverse range of voters through her media presence. She appeared particularly relaxed and genuine on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper, discussing life lessons from her mother and how a friend’s experience with abuse inspired her commitment to advocating for those in need.
This podcast, which addresses women’s concerns, boasts an audience of 5 million listeners. A recent Marist Poll conducted in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, reveals that Harris currently leads women voters with 55% support compared to former President Donald Trump’s 43%.
The CBS 60 Minutes interview was particularly significant. This show, which averages around 8.4 million viewers, has been a staple for presidential candidates for over 50 years.
A controversy arose just a week before the airing when Trump decided to withdraw, claiming it was due to concerns over the show’s fact-checking process. He had also demanded an apology from CBS regarding disputed claims from a past interview about Hunter Biden’s laptop, although CBS did not issue any remarks.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, contended that the former president had never formally confirmed the interview, labeling it as “fake news.” CBS reporter Scott Pelley, who was set to interview Trump, criticized the shifting justifications for his absence.
Before Harris’s 60 Minutes segment aired, I spoke with Nick Bryant, author of The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself, who suggested that Trump’s withdrawal was strategic. “Scott Pelley is a seasoned professional,” Bryant explained, highlighting that the topics of abortion, January 6th, and the legitimacy of the 2020 election could lead to pointed questions that Trump would find risky to tackle.
In contrast, Harris had much to gain from her interview as she has struggled with visibility despite performing well in debates against Trump. During what was a challenging interview, she faced inquiries regarding America’s stance on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the funding of her economic policies, her administration’s approach to Ukraine, and her perceived inconsistencies on fracking, immigration, and Medicare.
iliya Mitskovets / Alamy
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When questioned about her evolving policies, Harris did not deny the changes, as she had done previously. Instead, she explained that during her four years as vice president, she had traveled extensively to “listen to people and find common ground.” She emphasized her belief in the importance of building consensus, a statement that effectively set her apart from her opponent’s more polarizing tactics.
Bryant expressed concern over Harris’s limited media interactions prior to this recent round of appearances, noting that she might have been “out of practice” and her earlier comments on the economy had been confusing and unclear.
This time, it wasn’t economic questions that led her to falter, but her responses concerning Israel and Netanyahu. Following the interview, Fox News and the Trump campaign quickly alleged that her answer about Israel presented in the 60 Minutes preview differed substantially from her response during the main segment.
They claimed that Harris had provided a chaotic answer in the trailer, while her actual response during the show was much more polished and well-structured. Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, questioned: “Why did 60 Minutes choose not to air Kamala’s full word salad, and what other edits might they have made?” So far, there has been no response from the 60 Minutes team.
Last-ditch maneuvers
Another issue that has troubled the Harris-Walz ticket involves claims that Governor Tim Walz falsely suggested he was in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
He initially addressed this during the vice-presidential debate, admitting he had misspoken and calling himself a “knucklehead.” When pressed further during his segment of the recent 60 Minutes interview, Walz asserted that voters could differentiate between a simple mistake and the lies of someone like Donald Trump.
After Trump’s disastrous showing in the September debate with Harris, he opted out of a second debate. This decision came in the wake of his answers generating widespread ridicule online, spurring countless memes regarding his bizarre claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, supposedly eating pets. Social media erupted in response similar to Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s earlier controversial remarks about the country being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
Then Melania Trump added a surprising twist. In her newly published autobiography, she discusses her views on abortion, which stand in direct conflict with those of evangelical Republicans, a key Trump supporter group. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is akin to taking away her autonomy over her own body,” she asserts. “I have held this belief throughout my adult life.”
With the election rapidly approaching and both candidates so closely matched in polling, the intensity of the campaign is escalating. Expect more confrontations in the media as misinformation and disinformation continue to play a role in stirring division on social platforms, especially with Elon Musk, the owner of X, actively campaigning for a Trump victory.
