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Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is offering her traveling press off-the-record comments as she faces mounting pressure to answer questions from the media.
Wednesday’s “West Wing Playbook” from Politico noted that the vice president has routinely interacted with reporters that travel with her, but “on her terms.”
“She often visits with the press pool seated at the back of her plane (something Biden did just twice in more than three years), but speaking only off the record,” Politico’s Eli Stokols, Lauren Egan and Ben Johansen wrote.
“And when she has chosen to comment on the record on something in the news, Harris has spoken to the pool on the tarmac, making statements but not taking questions,” they added.
One person close to the Harris campaign, who spoke to Politico under the condition of anonymity, questioned what the “incentive” was for Harris to take more questions.
“She’s getting out exactly the message she wants to get out,” the source said.
David Weigel, who covers politics for Semafor, suggested that her remarks to the traveling press could explain why the media has avoided complaining about access.
“Harris has been talking with her traveling press off the record (which Biden rarely did). One reason that you haven’t seen as much media grumbling about access – the outlets paying for the plane are getting facetime,” he wrote on X.
Harris’ new strategy did not sit well with Daily Caller Deputy Managing Editor Dylan Housman, who suggested the vice president was “buying off” the press with “useless” off-the-record facetime so “she doesn’t have to actually do anything the public could scrutinize.”
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National Review Senior Writer Dan McLaughlin offered a similar perspective.
“Too perfect: the press gets to hear her talk but won’t share what she says with the voters. The polar opposite of what a press corps in a democracy is for,” he tweeted.
Harris has gone 18 days without holding a formal press conference since emerging as the presumptive nominee last month. President Biden endorsed her on July 21 when he suspended his re-election campaign and Democrats rapidly coalesced around her.
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Since then, Harris has been on the campaign trail, spoken at various events, and given informal remarks to reporters at various points, but has not done a formal press conference or a wide-ranging interview.
The Harris campaign did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
