By
This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 30 episode of “José Díaz-Balart Reports.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s first joint interview aired on CNN on Thursday night, and, based on what I saw, the Harris campaign should be quite proud.
The candidate at the top of the ticket, Harris, went out and did what she needed to do. As for Walz, the governor was able to speak directly to the American people about the Republican attacks on his military service and set the record straight. For voters outside of Minnesota who are less familiar with Walz, I’m sure they got some of the answers they may have been looking for.
Harris went out and did what she needed to do.
The discourse over the last few weeks would have you believe that Harris hadn’t sat down for an interview since she became the vice president. But the way she handled herself Thursday, it was clear she was comfortable answering questions. CNN’s Dana Bash did a good job at pulling the layers back and digging into what the American people really wanted to hear.
People will always want more, but Thursday’s interview was a great start. Going forward, voters need more opportunities to hear from the Democratic ticket — in various ways — whether that be more sit-down TV interviews, print interviews or gaggles with the media between campaign stops.
Overall, there was no harm done to the Harris-Walz campaign during the interview and a little news was broken. As a communications veteran, that’s a win from my perspective.
Join Symone Sanders-Townsend, Rachel Maddow and many others on Saturday, Sept. 7, in Brooklyn, New York, for “MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024,” a first-of-its-kind live event. You’ll get to see your favorite hosts in person and hear thought-provoking conversations about what matters most in the final weeks of an unprecedented election cycle. Buy tickets here.
Allison Detzel contributed.