Vice President Kamala Harris finally spoke to reporters on Thursday for the first time since almost three weeks ago, when she became the presumed Democratic presidential candidate.
When Harris got off the plane at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Thursday afternoon, she talked to the press after a campaign event in Michigan and before former President Donald Trump held a long news conference at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.
Harris answered complaints that she hadn’t held a formal press conference or an in-depth interview since she was declared the presumptive candidate,
“I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” Harris said.
In addition, the vice president talked about the deal she made with Trump to hold at least one presidential debate before November 5.
“Well, I’m glad that he’s finally agreed to a debate on Sept. 10,” she said, adding she would be willing to schedule additional debates with the former president.
Trump said on Thursday that he would be in three debates next month on Fox News Channel, NBC, and ABC.
Trump had already said he might not agree to the ABC debate, which was supposed to happen with Vice President Biden before Harris took over as the Democratic presidential candidate almost three weeks ago.
“I am beyond trying to speculate about how he thinks,” Harris said when asked about Trump backing out of the debate.
Harris also talked to Republicans who were skeptical about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military service after she chose him as her running mate on Tuesday.
“Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country,” she said. “And I think that we all should.”
Republicans said Walz was using “stolen valor garbage” to hide his service credentials, which caused the controversy.
Trump had just criticized the vice president for not answering questions from reporters on the campaign trail since he became the likely Democratic choice. This is when Harris stopped by the tarmac.
“Kamala refuses to do interviews because her team realizes she is unable to answer questions, much like Biden was not able to answer questions, but for different reasons,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
There was also no sign of Harris at the National Association of Black Journalists gathering in Chicago, where Trump was the talk of the town last week for a question-and-answer session.
Since becoming the likely nominee last month, Harris has not held an official press conference in 18 days. When President Biden stopped running for re-election on July 21, he gave her his support.
Since then, Harris has been campaigning and making brief speeches all over the United States.
Republicans are giddy after Harris announced her pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former U.S. congressman and moderate-turned-far-left “progressive” who has a record they believe they can expose to their advantage in November.
Following her announcement on Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., threw a reference to self-described democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on X, “Harris Feels the Bern and picks Walz. Thank you, Kamala! Governor Tim Walz is a dream for the radical Left.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the highest-ranking House lawmaker from Walz’s home state, has accused him of enacting policies that would transform Minnesota into a blue stronghold akin to California.
“It’s not surprising [Harris] picked Tim Walz to be her running mate – he embodies the same disastrous economic, open-borders, and soft-on-crime policies Harris has inflicted on our country the last four years,” Emmer wrote on X. “Walz is an empty suit who has worked to turn Minnesota into Harris’ home state of California, and solidifies this ticket’s full embrace of a radical, America-last agenda.”
“They’ve taken a knee to these radical extremists that are antisemites and anti-Israel,” Emmer added, calling Walz a “grab bag of nothing.”
In a preview of the GOP’s anticipated strategy for the coming months, several Republicans have highlighted Walz’s handling of the Black Lives Matter riots in Minnesota during the summer of 2020. They also pointed out that Harris supported the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a bail fund for rioters, during her 2020 presidential campaign, Fox News noted.
“The Democrat Party makes history as they anoint Harris-Walz to the ballot this November representing the most radical Far Left wing ticket in history,” said House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. “Walz was a failed Member of Congress, is a failed Governor who supported Defund the Police BLM that torched cities to the ground. All while Kamala fundraised to bail out violent criminals from prison.”
Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., of the neighboring state of Wisconsin wrote in a statement, “While Minnesota burned, Tim Walz did nothing and watched. While Minnesota burned, Kamala Harris helped violent rioters get out of jail. This is the SOCIALIST dream.”
Walz was roundly criticized for refusing to activate his state’s National Guard sooner to deal with the rioting and looting, which included torching a Minneapolis police precinct.
“Tim Walz is a perfect choice for Kamala Harris. He let BLM rioters, arsonists, and looters rampage through his state and she encouraged donations to the bail fund for the few who were arrested,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said.
“Weak choice. Really surprising,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is running for Senate, told Axios. “Lot there for Republicans to seize on to show the radical differences.”
“Harris’ ideological comfort zone remains at the very far left fringes of her party; by snubbing Pro-Israel [Pa. Gov. Josh] Shapiro [D] it’s the clearest sign yet that 2024 Kamala is the same as the 2019 primary Kamala,” NRCC spokesperson Will Reinert told the outlet.
“It was Harris’ first major decision as the nominee and she caved to the pro-Hamas contingency within the Democratic Party,” NRSC spokesperson Mike Berg said. “Tim Walz reinforces Kamala Harris’ biggest weaknesses: crime and immigration.”
