CNN’s Jim Acosta surprised Vice President Kamala Harris’ communications director Michael Tyler on Wednesday by asking, “Would you mind having a press conference?”
Harris was endorsed by President Joe Biden on July 21, the day the president dropped out of the race, but has yet to hold a news conference or give a televised interview.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has made a lot of noise about this fact, with the account @TrumpWarRoom X highlighting Acosta’s conversation with Tyler suggesting that Harris ‘holds rallies so she can read from her teleprompter.’
Throughout his time on air, Tyler remained noncommittal about Harris holding a full-scale press conference.
“Listen, the Vice President and Governor Walz have been busy crisscrossing this country since the launch of this campaign,” Tyler said.
CNN’s Jim Acosta (left) surprised Vice President Kamala Harris’ communications director Michael Tyler (right) on Wednesday by asking, “Would you mind having a press conference?”
Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has not given an interview or held a news conference since receiving her endorsement from President Joe Biden on July 21, when she withdrew from the 2024 race.
He noted that thousands of supporters have been flocking to Harris-Walz campaign events.
Acosta intervened and pointed out: “A campaign rally is not a press conference.”
“She’s the vice president, she can answer the questions, so why not?” the CNN anchor added.
Tyler said, “We absolutely will,” but then pointed to how Harris answered questions from her group of traveling reporters during recent campaign trips.
He also said Harris would sit down for an interview later this month.
“Can you commit to holding a press conference before the end of the month?” Acosta asked.
Tyler said Harris would “engage directly with the voters who are really going to decide this election.”
Former President Donald Trump held a news conference last week at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. He will host reporters at his Bedminster, New Jersey, home on Thursday for another news conference.
“And that will be complemented by demonstrations, personal interviews, press conferences, and all the digital resources we have at our disposal.”
“We’re running a campaign designed to reach the voters who are actually going to decide the path to 270 electoral votes,” Tyler added.
Harris’s rival, former President Donald Trump, held a news conference last week at Mar-a-Lago.
He announced Wednesday that he will hold another news conference on Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Trump also spent just over two hours Monday night speaking with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X, which Musk bought and repurposed from its original incarnation as Twitter.