After Republicans tried to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris for agreeing to a joint interview with Tim Walz, they received instant reminders of past GOP tickets that did similar joint interviews.
These criticisms emerged after Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, agreed to sit down with CNN for their first joint interview on Thursday as Democrats aim to build on the momentum generated by last week’s Democratic National Convention.
The interview, hosted by CNN’s chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash, is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. It takes place as the candidates begin a bus tour through the battleground state of Georgia and represents Harris's first in-depth, on-the-record conversation with a journalist since President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid and endorsed her on July 21.
Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer was among a chorus of Republicans who criticized Harris, suggesting that Harris is "afraid" to sit for an interview without Walz present:
"Why is Walz there? Is Harris afraid to stand on her own two feet? Does she need Walz to take half the questions so she talks less? After refusing to do any interviews and hiding for a month, Harris still won’t sit for a 1:1 interview.'
'She is weak and not ready for the job."
You can see his post below.
Soon after, Columbia University professor and consultant Tom Watson pointed out that former President Donald Trump and Mike Pence, then his running mate, were previously interviewed together on CBS.
Republican strategist Scott Jennings also accused Harris of using Walz as an "emotional support animal":
"Weak sauce for Kamala Harris to demand an emotional support animal for her first interview. Shows an extreme lack of confidence for Thursday night event on [CNN]."
You can see his post below.
It didn't take long before political consultant Stuart Stevens noted that in 2012, then-GOP nominee Mitt Romney appeared with former House Speaker Paul Ryan for a joint interview:
"[Jennings], when Romney and Ryan gave first interview together, was Ryan the support animal for Romney? Or is that @KamalaHarris is a woman & that makes it different?"
He also pointed out that Jennings had a part in arranging an interview Romney and Ryan did in Powell, Utah, saying that at the time he thought "it was a good interview."
You can see his posts below.
And Mark Knoller, a former correspondent with CBS, also questioned why Harris hadn't chosen to do the interview alone:
"Should CNN have insisted on a one-on-one interview with Harris and turned down a joint interview with Harris and Walz? Too tough to walk away from. But first question to Harris ought to be why should couldn’t appear solo."
You can see his post below.
But media and culture writer Parker Molloy pointed out that Barack Obama and John McCain also sat down for an interview back in the day, to say nothing of Biden and Harris, who did an interview together while campaigning in 2020.
The mockery was swift.
In recent weeks, contrary to complaints that she has not responded to media inquiries, Harris has addressed questions from reporters during her campaign stops in key battleground states and participated in three interviews with content creators and influencers during the Democratic National Convention.
The upcoming interview will give Kamala Harris the opportunity to re-introduce herself and Governor Walz to voters around the country as well as address any questions about her positions on various domestic and international issues.
