Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be tag-teaming their first major interview, spurring criticism from conservatives as well as some members of the so-called liberal media. The primetime sit-down set to air on CNN Thursday will be the first for Harris since the vice president secured the delegate votes to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.
“Should CNN have insisted on a one-on-one interview with Harris and turned down a joint interview with Harris and Walz?” former CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted. “Too tough to walk away from. But first question to Harris ought to be why should [sic] couldn’t appear solo.”
Knoller is reinforcing the conservative talking point that Harris is unqualified and unprepared to be president. That talking point is loaded with racism and sexism, but it’s also free of historical context or the clear track record of political candidates doing dual interviews with their running mates—and journalists like Knoller should know better.
Who could forget when Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, sat down to talk with Fox News dirtbag Jesse Watters in July? That’s when Trump revealed his sorry reason for choosing the political kryptonite that is Vance. Spoiler alert: Vance was chosen because he liked Trump, “maybe more than anybody liked me.”
Then there was the profoundly awkward interview Trump did with his previous running mate, Mike Pence, in 2016. This was less than four years before Trump-inspired MAGA insurgents set about trying to hang the evangelical politician at the Capitol for refusing to stop the certification of electoral votes.
Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton did an interview alongside her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, in 2016.
Remember when Sen. Mitt Romney and his rising star Republican running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, sat down with “60 Minutes” in 2012?
And in 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama sat down with “60 Minutes” alongside his running mate, then-Sen. Joe Biden.
Keep in mind that Harris is in a unique situation because incumbent Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race a mere 38 days ago, setting the stage for her historic run. Unlike Trump, who literally never stopped campaigning (even when he became president) or any previous presidential candidate, Harris hasn’t had a year or more to campaign and grant numerous interviews. Instead, she has had little more than one month to vet and choose a running mate, build a coalition of supporters in record time, hold rallies across the country, and pull off a wildly successful Democratic National Convention.
Considering Harris and Walz’s excellent chemistry, Thursday night’s interview should be a fun watch. Tune in to watch the joyful duo continue to trigger the hell out of right-wingers everywhere.
Republished with permission from Daily Kos.
