Since taking office, Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t held a formal press briefing, even after Biden tapped her to lead major issues that the country is currently facing. However, the mainstream media has oddly been silent about it and doesn’t appear eager to push the Vice President to talk about it.
As Biden faced criticism after waiting until his 64th day in the office before holding a formal press briefing, Harris has received a pass for staying quiet on the border crisis. This is the case even after Biden tapped the VP to lead efforts to solve the border crisis. Yet, the media doesn’t appear eager to hear what she thinks about the issue.
A media critic commented on this, stating that the media is unwilling to challenge the Vice President even after assuming the key role in addressing the situation.
“The traditional media thus far has not shown an interest in demanding transparency about the border crisis in general, and is apparently unwilling to challenge Harris even though she has assumed the key role in addressing the situation,” Jeffrey McCall, DePauw University professor and media critic said.
The moment Biden REALIZED the press briefing was a mistake, it was already too late.
💡 Here's the LATEST Facts of the Matter: https://t.co/CpV8XymWH6 pic.twitter.com/leAkEWQCAj
— Huckabee (@HuckabeeOnTBN) March 29, 2021
The White House also did not respond when they were asked if Biden expects Harris to be holding a formal press briefing about the situation at the border.
It can also be noted that Harris laughed awkwardly last week when a reporter asked her if she has plans to visit the border. This drew criticism given the seriousness of the situation.
The public is also quick to compare Harris to the former Vice President, Mike Pence, who held regular press briefings when he was put in charge of the COVID-19 task force, to the point where liberal outlets such as CNN complained if former President Trump went too long without talking to the press.
Meanwhile, CNN found time to report that Harris is frustrated about the renovations to her residence and how it is taking too long. Yet, the liberal news outlet hasn’t published anything asking Harris to speak up.
After laughing when asked if she planned to visit the border, Vice President Harris is now in charge of handling their #BorderCrisis.
America needs to take our border security seriously, not continue the disastrous policies of the Biden Administration.
— Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) March 25, 2021
However, CNN reported that Harris “will not be in attendance” when the White House briefs House of Representatives members on the border crisis on Wednesday.
Another media critic and Cornell Law School professor, William a. Jacobson, commented that it’s time for Harris to answer questions from reporters about her plans about the ongoing crisis at the border.
Jacobson told Fox News, “As the person put in charge of the border crisis, Harris should be answering questions about how the Biden/Harris administration has young migrant children packed into ‘cages’ and enclosures, creating not only humanitarian relief problems but also COVID superspreader locations.”
“But as during the campaign, the mainstream liberal media allows Biden and Harris to get away with hiding,” Jacobson continued. “The contrast with the media attack mentality during the Trump years is dramatic.”
Conceivably, the Vice President doesn’t want to face tough questions about the challenging situation. Politico reported earlier in the week that some people close to Harris think the responsibility of overseeing the border crisis could “complicate her political future.”
Eugene Daniels from Politico also wrote, “For allies, the enormity of the task did not go unnoticed, nor were they pollyannaish about the risks and how it might play out.”
Meanwhile, conservative strategist Chris Barron feels that the media is too soft on Harris now that she is in office after treating her “more like a pop culture icon than a political candidate” during the 2020 campaign.
Barron told Fox News, “Since assuming the office, Harris has posed for plenty of photos, but outside of that, it’s entirely unclear what her role in the administration actually is, and it would appear no one in the media is even remotely interested in figuring it out.”
