Vice President Kamala Harris is taking blowback for opting to bring her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to her first formal interview since President Biden dropped his re-election bid last month — with one critic on the very network that will show the coveted sit-down calling it a “weak sauce” move that shows a “lack of confidence.”
Harris, 59, is slated to appear alongside her No. 2 for the “joint interview” that will air on CNN at 9 p.m. Thursday.
Republican and conservative commentators said the Californian was using Walz as a crutch in the face of expected questions scrutinizing her record while sitting a heartbeat from the presidency.
“I think it’s incredibly weak, weak sauce, to show up with your running mate,” CNN contributor Scott Jennings, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, said on the air late Tuesday, adding that Harris had a “troubling lack of confidence in her political ability.”
“It makes you wonder as a voter, ‘What kind of president would you be?’” Jennings continued. “I think Republicans are going to think it’s pretty weak to show up, effectively, with someone who’ll take up half the time.”
Others pointed to Harris’ history of gaffes and word salads as a reason her allies may not trust her to go solo.
“LOL, a joint interview. She simply cannot be left unattended,” National Review writer Jeff Blehar posted on X, later adding: “At this point I expect Harris to demand the ‘phone a friend’ option at the September 10th debate.
Another wrote: “Democrats are so terrified to let Harris out of the basement without adult supervision that they are sending Walz with her to the first interview she’s giving as the nominee, to keep an eye on things. Amazing.”
“Kamala Harris bringing Walz to her first interview is like the young job candidates who bring their parents to their first interview,” chimed in author Carol Roth. “I wouldn’t hire either.”
Harris, who represented California in the US Senate before becoming vice president, has a long history of awkward at best moments in front of the camera.
In one particularly cringeworthy interview with Lester Holt of “NBC Nightly News” in June 2021, Harris defended her decision to not visit the US-Mexico border — despite illegal immigration surging to new highs — by saying: “And I haven’t been to Europe. And I mean, I don’t understand the point that you’re making.”
The Harris-Walz interview will mark the first time she has sat down since Biden dropped his re-election campaign back on July 21 and endorsed her as his successor.
The interview will be conducted in Savannah, Ga., by anchor Dana Bash.
