The Harris-Walz Campaign tends to avoid questions from mainstream media. This can be either random questions shouted in desperation or formal sit-down interviews.
Even though Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris finally interviewed on Thursday, after a month-and-a-half of campaigning there were several problems with it. It was with CNN’s apologists for Democrats, so calling it an interview is generous. The interview was short, pre-taped, and featured the vice presidential candidate, the Minnesota Governor. Tim Walz can be a sort of security blanket.
The campaign’s media-avoidance strategy is made even more alarming by the fact that local staffers have been instructed to either trail reporters or cut them off when they are trying to speak to rally attendees.
This was evident at a Biden and Harris rally in Nevada in July (when Biden still had the nomination) and again in Pennsylvania during the Kamala for president rally late in July when staffers attempted to prevent reporters from interviewing rallygoers outside the “press pen.”
Alyssa Kratz of Fox43 relayed the latest incident in PA, on Wednesday. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was shielded against press scrutiny. The media was shut down and instructed “not to disturb the program”, as reported by Fox43.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks to people who call into the Lancaster County Democratic Committee’s field office. Hope, his daughter, is also with him.
I spoke to supporters for approximately 6 or 7 minutes. Walz will not take questions from the press while he is here. The governor also prohibited us from putting microphones on the wall. Walz was talking when we were not allowed to put microphones up.
We were instructed to “not disturb the program” when a reporter shouted a question.
In this clip, he walks away when a reporter asks if he would be taking questions about policy.
REPORTER: “Governor, are you going to take ANY policy questions?”
WALZ: *ignores* pic.twitter.com/gkN1qhpMHf
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 4, 2024
This… just isn’t cool. It is also undemocratic. The press seems to be compliant with this.
The press will shut up and do as it’s told. Perhaps they should stop covering the campaign if they aren’t granted access. Being a mouthpiece for the campaign is a bad look for the media. https://t.co/7B5KsQMit5
— DankeGlock (@DankeGlock) September 4, 2024
The media also looks bad when they focus on the food preferences and eating habits of candidates for higher offices, such as Walz’s visit to North Carolina last Thursday, which we covered here.
As long as the media is compliant with this strategy, the more likely the campaign is to keep it up. That is why both the GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump (R-OH) and his running mate Sen. JDVance (ROH) need to continue hammering each other on their lack of policy detail and their studious avoidance of the press.
People deserve to know where the candidates stand and what they plan to do. Harris-Walz’s sustained strategy of dodging, evading, and weaving says a lot about the campaign at this point in the game. None of it is good.
