Harris takes questions, says she’ll do full interview by end of August

Vice President Harris fielded questions from reporters traveling with her in Michigan on Thursday and said she hoped to sit down for an extended interview before the end of the month.

Harris has come under criticism from the Trump campaign for declining to take questions from reporters in the nearly three weeks since she launched her White House bid after President Biden announced he would not seek reelection.

“I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” Harris said before boarding Air Force Two to head to Arizona.

The vice president also took questions about her plans to debate former President Trump on Sept. 10, and about attacks from some Republicans on her running mate’s military record.

The former president earlier in the day said he would debate Harris on Sept. 10 on ABC News. He also said he’d agreed to a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News and a Sept. 25 debate on NBC News. But Harris indicated she would not agree to a debate before Sept. 10.

“I am happy to have that conversation about an additional debate, or after September 10, for sure,” she said.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) of “stolen valor,” pointing to his retirement from the National Guard shortly before his unit was ordered to deploy overseas.

“Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should,” Harris said.

Vance has made Harris’s lack of media engagement a particular point of focus as he’s followed her around battleground states this week. 

Vance has posted daily updates on social media about how long Harris has gone without taking questions, and on Wednesday he seized on the issue when their planes were on a tarmac in Wisconsin at the same time.

“Hopefully, it’s going to be my plane in a few months,” he told reporters, referring to Air Force Two. “I also thought you guys may get lonely, because the VP doesn’t answer questions from reporters.”

Updated at 6:45 p.m.