Will things get 'tough' for Kamala Harris once her political honeymoon is over?

By Jacob Paul (with Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall)

Kamala Harris has been riding on a high ever since replacing Joe Biden in the presidential race. But why hasn’t she done a single interview or answered questions from the media?

In brief…

• Vice President Kamala Harris has edged ahead in the polls and breathed new life into the Democrat campaign after replacing Joe Biden.
• But she has yet to face any major challenges, has not been interviewed or even taken questions from the press.
• This won’t last forever and the closer we get to the election in November, the more difficult it will get for Harris, say The News Agents.

What’s the story? 

It seems like an age ago that the Democratic Party looked in tatters, with an aging president whose disastrous TV debate against Donald Trump sparked a wave of panic for the party.

But that was less than a month ago.

In that short space of time, Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden, reinvigorating the Democrat campaign and tilting the balance away from Trump. She has been riding on a high ever since.

Part of the reason she has been able to keep momentum going, it could be argued, is because she refuses to take questions from the media. In fact, she hasn’t done a single interview since launching her presidential campaign.

But how long can the honeymoon period last before she comes up against real political challenges?

And how will she define her campaign as she begins to be pressed on key policy issues?

Harris’ campaign so far

She hasn’t taken press questions or had an interview, but Harris has certainly made her voice heard.

Harris has spoken at various campaign events alongside her running mate Tim Walz, with the pair targeting various battleground states across the country.

So far, her speeches have featured plenty of Donald Trump attack lines, a common insult being to call the former president “weird” .

This could change soon, as she is set to debate Trump head to head on ABC News on September 10. An estimated 51 million people watched the Biden / Trump debate in July.

And while she is yet to unveil any specific new policies, she will reportedly centre an upcoming speech in North Carolina on high food prices and housing as the beginnings of her economic policy start to emerge.

She will also reportedly endorse protections for renters and pledge to end tax breaks for Wall Street investors.

The News Agents take

“It's not even a month ago when we were having those endless discussions about Biden and internal dissent within the Democrat Democratic Party”, Lewis Goodall reminds listeners in a Q&A special of The News Agents.

“They've now had three weeks of the best news cycle they have had for years. So they want to just elongate that for as long as possible.”

But that won’t last forever, according to Jon Sopel.

He says: “I don't think she can take it for granted. I think American politics can swing”.

“It's not like she's enjoying a 20 point lead in the way that Labour were in the run up to the election.”

But he admits that with the way things are going currently, it is easier for Harris to keep avoiding scrutiny by ducking journalist’s questions until she can’t any longer.

“At the moment when everything is going so well, why attach a little trip wire to yourself, which could cause you to stumble and to change the narrative, I think they are like a surfer trying to ride the wave as long as possible.”

Lewis says that the closer we come to the election in November, the greater the challenges will become for Harris.

He says: “There will be the debates and Harris will have to say something about how she intends to be president rather than just enjoying the good vibes that she has been having up to now.”

For instance, at the convention, there is a party platform agreed on, which Lewis says is almost the equivalent of a party manifesto in the UK.

These are not necessarily as detailed as UK political party manifestos can be, but it gives a “very strong and clear indication of the direction of travel for that administration”, Lewis says.

“She will have to have more clarity, and it will get tough. She will start to have a bad week at some point that is inevitable”, he says.

Listen in full on The News Agents.

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