Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris was caught on camera seemingly avoiding the media by plugging in her headphones to ignore questions from reporters.
Video shows Vice President Harris dodging the media while boarding her plane at Joint Base Andrews.
In a move that has drawn considerable attention, Harris appeared to ignore press inquiries by using headphones as she prepared to depart for a campaign rally in Detroit, the Daily Caller reported.
As Harris ascended the stairs to her aircraft, she was seen adjusting her wired headphones, which were connected to her cellphone, seemingly in response to the shouts of reporters seeking her attention.
WATCH:
As many pointed out on social media, Harris was seen holding her phone up to her ear, despite it being connected to the headphones she was wearing.
This incident occurred during a tense period in Harris’s presidential campaign.
Harris’s campaign has been marked by her limited interactions with the media.
Conservative commentators quickly took to the social media platform X to express their disapproval.
Jillian Anderson, a conservative commentator, noted on X:
“Kamala Harris is now avoiding the press by wearing headphones, that’s the first original move I’ve seen from her campaign.”
Kamala Harris is now avoiding the press by wearing headphones, that’s the first original move I've seen from her campaign.
— Jillian Anderson (@Jillie_Alexis) September 2, 2024
Adding to the criticism, Mike Crispi, a Trump delegate, commented:
“You’d think a woman running for the highest public service job in the country would see value in…I don’t know…talking to the public.”
Kamala Harris “on her headphones” to avoid talking to the press. You’d think a woman running for the highest public service job in the country would see value in…I don’t know….talking to the public. pic.twitter.com/JwS8H1MW3Q
— Mike Crispi (@MikeCrispi) September 2, 2024
Harris was en route to Detroit, Michigan, where she was scheduled to hold a campaign rally.
The rally forms part of her broader campaign strategy, which has been characterized by few direct engagements with the media.
Her strategy, as observed by political analysts, focuses on controlled media appearances, like her recent joint interview on CNN with Minnesota’s radical Democrat Governor Tim Walz, her running mate.
This interview was Harris’s first media appearance since receiving the endorsement from President Joe Biden.
It highlights a strategic choice to limit spontaneous media interactions.
The strategy is reminiscent of Biden’s “hiding in the basement” tactics for his 2020 campaign.
The vice president’s approach to handling media interactions has become a point of contention, especially among her critics.
They argue that her reluctance to engage freely with reporters could impact the public’s perception of her transparency and openness.
By avoiding impromptu interactions with the press, Harris appears to prefer structured and planned media events, which may not satisfy all constituents’ demands for openness.
This tactic, while reducing potential gaffes, is often seen as a barrier to understanding her unscripted views and policies.
The video of Harris using headphones to avoid reporter questions has circulated widely, sparking a range of reactions from the public and political figures alike.
Supporters of Harris argue that the scrutiny over such a moment is overblown and that her focus should be on substantive policy discussions rather than responding to what they see as trivial media confrontations.
However, the reality is that those media interactions, however trivial they may appear, will expose Harris’s weaknesses.
Of course, the Democrats don’t want the American people to see the real Kamala Harris.
