In an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta on Wednesday, Kamala Harris‘s communications director, Michael Tyler, faced tough questions about the vice president’s lack of press conferences and media engagements. Acosta pointedly asked, “The Trump campaign is going after the vice president for not doing enough interviews, for not holding a press conference. Would it kill you guys to have a press conference? Why hasn’t she had a press conference?”
Tyler, initially responding with a laugh—a familiar tactic in Harris’s communication style—tried to downplay the issue by emphasizing how “busy” Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have been with campaign rallies across the country.
However, Acosta pressed further, noting that campaign rallies aren’t substitutes for press conferences. He challenged Tyler, saying, “She’s the vice president, she can handle the questions, why not do it?” Tyler reassured that Harris does plan to hold a press conference and mentioned a scheduled sit-down interview at the end of the month, though he did not provide specifics.
When Acosta pushed for a commitment to a press conference by the end of the month, Tyler remained vague, stating, “We will commit to directly engage with the voters who are actually going to decide this election…complete with rallies, with sit-down interviews, with press conferences, with all the digital assets that we have at our disposal.”
This exchange comes as Harris has gone 24 days since President Biden exited the presidential race without holding a formal interview or press conference. Reports suggest that Harris’s campaign advisors have been cautious about extensive media engagements, concerned that they might disrupt her momentum in the ongoing election battle against former President Donald Trump.