Kamala Harris will give her first interview as a presidential candidate on Thursday – but it will be a “joint” appearance

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris will give her first interview as the Democratic presidential candidate to CNN on Thursday – a crucial test of her ability to defend her record and policies after avoiding such an interview for weeks.

But 59-year-old Harris will not be alone: ​​CNN advertised the interview as a “joint interview” with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

News anchor Dana Bash will conduct the interview – scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET – in Georgia, where Harris and Walz will take a bus tour of the swing state.

Harris has not given an interview since President Biden dropped out of his second-term bid on July 21 and endorsed her as his successor – leading to growing pressure from both the media and Republicans to do so.

The vice president’s evasion allowed for a nearly six-week “honeymoon” period of low-key reporting during which Harris rose in the polls over Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Bash co-moderator of the June 27 CNN debate in Atlanta, where Biden’s stunned performance sparked a Democratic rebellion that forced him to step aside in favor of Harris.

Trump, 78, repeatedly praised Bash and co-moderator Jake Tapper for their “fair” behavior in the debate – while sharply criticizing Harris for not being “smart enough” to deal with the press.

Harris said on August 8 that she would give an interview in the next 24 days – and with the CNN interview, she will fulfill her promise within 22 days.

The first – and possibly only – debate between the two candidates from the major parties is scheduled to take place on September 10. ABC News will moderate the debate.

The vice president tries to ingratiate herself with the press with frequent, private question-and-answer sessions in the back of Air Force Two. However, her staff has not allowed her answers to be released to the public by reporters. This means that no embarrassing moments, obvious deceptions or poorly prepared lines will be known beyond a very small circle.

Harris has long been in the public spotlight, but has also struggled in the past to effectively refute criticism – including in connection with her role as a so-called “border czar” under Biden.

In an interview with NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt in June 2021, she defended her decision not to visit the U.S.-Mexico border – even as illegal immigration reached new highs – by saying, “And I haven’t been to Europe. And I mean, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

Illegal immigration, which reached a record high in the first three years of the Harris-Biden administration, is one of the top campaign issues, according to polls – but Harris has already outlined some possible defenses, including her role as a prosecutor in California in cracking down on criminal groups and her support for a failed border deal in the Senate.

Harris will likely face questions on other policies as well, including her reportedly evolving positions on a range of issues, such as her now-retracted support for a national health care system, the decriminalization of illegal border crossings and the ban on fracking for oil and natural gas.

Trump allies call the Democrat a political “chameleon,” meaning voters may not know what policies they are actually getting.

Harris may also need to reconsider her current position on economic issues. Last month, she announced plans to combat inflation through price controls on grocery stores, but she has since backtracked on that position after drawing widespread criticism, including from the editorial board of the liberal Washington Post.

Trump recently branded his Democratic rival “Comrade Kamala” and called her economic vision the “Maduro Plan” – a reference to Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who is responsible for the South American country’s economic collapse.