Three weeks ago, Kamala Harris had just secured her candidacy for the presidential election from the Democratic Party. Shortly after, there were calls for a face-to-face interview with the current Vice President of the United States.
When journalists at the Detroit airport asked Kamala about this, she responded, “I have spoken with my team. I will be able to schedule an interview before the end of this month.”
Tonight, Thursday, Kamala is set to make that promise a reality. She will be interviewed by CNN journalist Dana Bash, marking her most important interview since confirming her candidacy for the presidential election.
However, Kamala will not be appearing alone in this interview. She will be accompanied by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, her running mate for the vice-presidential position in this election. Their interview will be broadcast at 9 PM local time.
In the interview, Kamala Harris is expected to discuss in detail her agenda and priorities if elected as President. This is an ideal opportunity for a major party’s presidential candidate to present her views to the public.
However, appearing with Walz could reignite old criticisms. Throughout the extended primary process, there was criticism that Kamala was avoiding facing the media alone.
Scott Jennings, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, told CNN, “Appearing with her running mate shows an incredible level of weakness. It indicates a lack of confidence in her political abilities.”
However, this is not the first time a presidential and vice-presidential candidate have appeared together before the media.
In the 2008 election, Barack Obama ran for President from the Democratic Party with Joe Biden as his running mate. Both later became Presidents of the United States. Before the 2008 election, Obama and Biden gave a joint interview.
Eight years later, the same was done by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine. Before the 2020 election, Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris also appeared together in a joint interview.
