On Friday, Kamala Harris will finally hold her first “interview” since becoming the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee. I use the term “interview” loosely because I don’t think any of us really believe it will be an interview worthy of someone seeking the highest office in the country.
For one thing, unlike Donald Trump, who isn’t afraid to be interviewed in unfriendly territory, Kamala Harris chose to do her first “interview” with CNN, a network that is actively helping her get elected. The interviewer will be CNN’s chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, who is known for her biased news coverage.
You can’t get more friendly territory than that. Of course, you’d expect Kamala Harris to go to CNN for her first “interview.” Trump, while he is more than willing to go to any network, certainly does plenty of interviews with Fox News as well.
But this interview is also pre-recorded. One can only wonder how many takes will be required for Kamala Harris to say something that doesn’t embarrass her. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that part of the deal of CNN scoring this interview was to know what questions would be asked in advance as well.
Yet, this is hardly the worst part of the planned “interview.”
The worst part is that after weeks of dodging the press, Kamala’s first interview isn’t even a solo one. She has to bring Gov. Tim Walz with her.
Imagine running to be the first woman president. For your first interview as the official nominee, you need to bring a man to help you.
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It’s a stark contrast to the image of strength and independence that her campaign is trying to project. Instead, it portrays her as someone who needs constant guidance and support—like when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre needed White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby to babysit her during press briefings—reinforcing the exact stereotypes that Democrats claim to be fighting against.
Harris’s inability to stand alone in these situations is a glaring weakness that even her own party can’t ignore. It’s not just a bad look; it’s a potential disaster for her candidacy. While her campaign will certainly point to this interview as the nail in the coffin of the “Kamala won’t do interviews” narrative, the truth is this “interview,” despite all the ways it has been designed to be smooth sailing for Kamala, could, in fact, backfire.
Kamala's supporters will note that joint interviews with the presidential and vice-presidential nominees aren't uncommon. What they fail to mention is that in all of the past instances of joint interviews, the presidential nominee didn't previously avoid interviews and run away from the media.
Make no mistake about it, the optics of needing a man beside her at her first "interview" as the nominee play right into the hands of critics who argue that she’s simply not ready for the top job. It raises serious questions about her competence and confidence, both of which are essential qualities in a president.
"I don’t know if democrats [sic] fully realize how damaging the image of the possible first woman president being incapable of giving an interview alone without the presence of a man to help her is," Meghan McCain noted in a post on X/Twitter.
Do Democrats realize how damaging this is? They might, but they're kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. Kamala Harris can't run from the media forever, but her campaign clearly understands that their candidate is a terrible communicator when she lacks a script. They don’t have full confidence in her abilities, and understandably so. They clearly must be willing to take the risk.
But if Harris can’t handle an interview alone, how can she handle the immense pressures of the presidency?
Voters will be asking the same question.
