With just weeks before the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are adjusting their campaign strategies. Harris has faced criticism for not doing enough unscripted media interviews and announced that she would be appearing on shows like The View, The Howard Stern Show, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She will also address a town hall hosted by Univision later in the week. This marks a departure from her previous strategy of giving scripted speeches at large rallies while avoiding unscripted interviews. On the other hand, Trump has been ramping up his campaign with frequent swing state rallies and has continued to refuse another televised debate against Harris after their first one in September.
Harris recently appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast, a show popular with younger listeners, where she discussed issues like reproductive rights and student loan forgiveness. The upcoming interviews, which include appearances on The Howard Stern Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, are expected to be largely friendly, with hosts who have endorsed Biden in the past. This change in tactics for Harris comes after weeks of Republican attacks claiming that she was dodging scrutiny. Trump, on the other hand, has been holding a significant number of rallies in swing states, including a rally in Pennsylvania at the site where he was almost assassinated in July. This marks a shift back to his core campaign strategy of holding frequent rallies.
In terms of media appearances, Harris has mainly stuck to scripted speeches and has faced criticism for avoiding unscripted interviews until recently. She and her running mate Tim Walz were interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash in August, the first interview she gave after becoming the Democrats’ White House candidate. Trump, on the other hand, has done several unscripted talks with sympathetic interviewers in recent months, including Elon Musk, “Dr. Phil” McGraw, and Fox News hosts. He has also held a significant number of rallies in swing states, with two more scheduled in Pennsylvania. Trump has declined to appear on 60 Minutes and has refused another televised debate against Harris following their first one in September.
During the debate between Trump and Harris in September, Harris was widely declared as the winner, with many media outlets and polls confirming her victory. She put Trump on the defensive and baited him with taunts about his crowd sizes and his record as president. Despite producing some viral moments, including making a false claim about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating people’s pets, Trump has not agreed to another televised debate against Harris. This, along with his increased number of rallies in swing states, marks a shift in his campaign strategy as the election draws near. Harris, on the other hand, is increasing her media presence by appearing on shows like The Howard Stern Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
