(Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP) Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force Two for New York, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Monday, October 7, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)
NEW YORK, NY (AP) – When Vice President Kamalah Harris sat for an interview with podcaster Alex Cooper the conversation did not begin by analyzing policy positions. Cooper told the Democratic candidate that he wanted to “get to know you as an individual.”
Harris said that she was fine with being on the popular podcast “Call Her Daddy”, because “one way to communicate with people effectively is to be honest.”
Harris, despite the fact that her unexpected presidential bid is well past its midway point and voting has already begun, is still introducing her to Americans who will decide her fate in this year’s presidential election.
Her media blitz on Tuesday will take her to studios in Manhattan as she tries to reach the most people possible in the shortest amount of time. This is a dramatic shift for a candidate who has avoided interviews since replacing Joe Biden as the front-runner. It’s also an acknowledgement that she must do more to beat Republican Donald Trump.
Harris will have a conversation about her life with the women on ABC’s “The View,” talk to radio host Howard Stern, and record a late-night show with comedian Stephen Colbert. The three appearances come after Harris gave interviews to CBS’s “60 Minutes,” aired on Monday night, as well as Cooper’s podcast released Sunday.
“Call Her Daddy”, a raunchy show with frank discussions about sex and sexual content, began with Harris and Cooper talking about their mothers.
Harris said that her mother’s instinct was to never comfort her oldest daughter when she encountered problems. She asked instead, “What did I do?”
The vice president’s words may sound cold but she was actually teaching her. “Think about the moment you had agency and what you could do or not do.” Don’t just let things happen to you.
In the final four weeks leading up to Election Day, Harris’ team will prioritize interactions such as these. Harris has not yet given an interview to a magazine or newspaper, but her team is considering additional podcasts to reach voters who don’t follow traditional news sources.
Anna Greenberg, Democratic pollster said Harris must energize people who are tired of politics because they think “all politicians are the same; they all say the exact same thing, and they don’t understand my life. I can’t even relate to them.”
She said, “They want you to be liked and trusted.”
Jennifer Harris, former White House Senior Director of International Economics, said Harris had a steeper mountain to climb due to the way she became a Democratic nominee.
“We didn’t have a long primary to meet Kamala in the way most people are used to,” she said. Harris must find a way of demonstrating the instincts and values that “will guide any number of hundred specific policy questions” that will be asked during the course of her presidency.
Harris has made some policy announcements during her two-and-a half months as the candidate, such as increasing child income tax credits and taking a variety of actions to lower the cost housing. But she has given priority to speeches about “economic philosophy”, like the one she gave in Pittsburgh two week ago.
Harris, who reacted to Trump’s claim that she was advancing “communist ideas,” embraced capitalism, and positioned herself a pragmatist, “who would take good ideas wherever they came.”
The AP provides live updates on the campaign trail.
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