Although she can speak fluently in debates and meetings with voters, Ms. Harris is famous for her inherent weakness of being afraid to talk to the press.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump - Photo: HILL
According to the New York Times , US Vice President Kamala Harris revealed her inherent weaknesses in a private interview broadcast by MSNBC on September 25.
Poor press response skills
This is Ms. Harris's first solo interview with a major television network since she took over as the Democratic presidential nominee.
The US Vice President was judged to have not done well in the interview. She was often slow to give answers, often used time-wasting phrases, prepared sentences, or had confusing and difficult-to-understand speech.
Asked what she would say to "Americans who don't think her economic policies are good for them," the Democratic candidate responded evasively: "If you work hard, have dreams and ambitions, you benefit from my plan.
I want to say that I really love the spirit and character of the American people that I know. And I feel encouraged by that."
Ms Harris is also known for using certain talking points over and over again, most famously the line "I was born and raised in a middle-class family".
Despite being a presidential candidate, Ms. Harris often avoids interviews with the press.
Dan Morain, a journalist who has covered Harris since 2010, said: "She knows a lot. She understands the issues. She's very good at answering questions, and she's also very good at avoiding questions."
According to Mr. Morain, the US vice president rarely puts effort into talking to the press because she understands that she does not necessarily have to risk doing so.
Back in 2021, Ms. Harris had a "pretty disastrous" interview on NBC . That interview took a huge toll on her confidence and she avoided the press for a year.
Reporters who cover the vice president say Ms. Harris is afraid of "slipping up her tongue" and influencing the White House.
Past is different from professional politician
Being sparing with the press has helped reduce the frequency of such "slips of the tongue" cases.
But her opponents and detractors have taken it as an excuse to mock her, arguing that Harris's refusal to give interviews suggests she has something to hide.
The American press also "sniffed" this weakness. They believed that if someone wanted to run for president, they had to be willing and able to answer questions from objective journalists.
The New York Times said that this weakness partly comes from her background as a prosecutor. In this role, Ms. Harris is used to interrogating and asking difficult questions, not being the one being questioned.
This also explains why she has very good debating skills, skillfully using both spoken language and body language to "fight" with any opponent.
Unlike seasoned politicians, Ms. Harris has not had to answer the press often, and has little experience dealing with journalists. On the rare occasions when she has to appear, she has a framework of what she can and cannot say according to the law.
Therefore, the diversity and variety of political interviews do not often give the US vice president an advantage.
Tuoitre.vn
Comment (0)