New York Times says Kamala has 'avoided' press, demands answers on policy issues

As Vice President Kamala Harris has largely avoided the press for over a month now since becoming the Democratic nominee, the New York Times has called out her lack of policy prescriptions as well as her refusal to the media in a long-form interview or press conference.

In an article released on Tuesday, the Times states, "Kamala Harris has largely avoided answering questions since her campaign began: She hasn’t participated in a town hall or given an extended media interview." The "21 Questions for Harris" piece begins with the criticism of the nominee, who has provided few and far between answers about policy positions as well as what she exactly plans to do when she gets into office.

The Times goes on to ask nearly two dozen questions to Harris, proposing them as ideas for an interview that the Harris campaign says will happen soon. The outlet split the questions up into four categories, the economy, social issues, foreign policy, as well as "politics and more."

One economic question asked by the outlet had to do with Harris' proposed price control policies that brought swift backlash from media on the right and on the left, with one CNN contributor calling the proposal similar to policies in "Venezuela, Argentina, [and] the Soviet Union.”

Another asked her about why she has flipped on immigration policy, previously saying that she called for decriminalizing crossing the border illegally. The question proposed by the outlet states, "You once called for decriminalizing illegal border crossings. Now you are an immigration hawk who promises to secure the border better than Donald Trump would. Can you explain your evolution?"



Despite some of Harris' claims on getting tough on the border, her campaign and current administration has already backed legislative action that allows for nearly any illegal immigrant to come into the country and claim asylum, even if the person in question has no valid asylum claim. This same proposal from the Biden-Harris administration reportedly would still allow about 1.5 illegal immigrants into the country each year. She has also called the border wall a "vanity project" for Trump and is now claiming that she is for building up the border wall.

The outlet also asked about her previous claims, saying that more police do not make neighborhoods and communities safer, a point connected to the Defund the Police Movement. Harris has previously praised the activist movement as well as claimed that in the US, we can "get to a point where communities, frankly, don't need a law enforcement response to what's happening in their communities because they are safe communities."