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In her first interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris was joined by her running mate Tim Walz as she sat down opposite CNN’s Dana Bash. If we had to grade the exchange, we would give Harris a proud B+. A good job, but not the A+ of her uplifting delivery at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The New York Times captured our sentiments when it declared: “Kamala Harris parried questions from CNN’s Dana Bash without causing herself political harm or providing herself a significant boost.”
While watching Harris’ tentative and winding delivery of her solid, thoughtful answers, it was hard to avoid the feeling that she could have better seized the moment with the nation watching. Future interviews could electrify viewers instead of resembling cautious legal depositions. While she avoided the prickly defensiveness of her exchange with NBC’s Lester Holt in 2021, there is still room for improvement.
Harris needs to draw upon her confidence, wisdom, and vision to define each exchange on her own terms as if she is enjoying this near-dizzying popular ride—because she should be.
Here is how Harris can improve her performance in future interviews and convey her points with the same uplifting energy that she transmitted at the DNC.
Play offense, not defense
Harris came off wary in her sit down with Bash, meandering around in circles over her previous policy stances, insisting that her “values had not changed,” and more generally offering answers with tentativeness reflecting the fact she was playing defense, not offense. There was a jarring disconnect between Harris’ rambling interview and her rousing DNC speech, in which she declared: “America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities.” The joy she brought to that speech, which offered compelling reasons for why she is running, shows how her…
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