Highly anticipated Harris-Walz interview with CNN was ‘exceedingly normal’

CNN’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz was “exceedingly normal” with a mild tone and temperament, said Dave Karpf, a George Washington University public affairs professor .

The Democratic presidential nominee and her vice presidential pick sat down Thursday with CNN’s Dana Bash after weeks of reporters asking why Harris has been “dodging” news outlets. At the outset, Harris was adamant her priorities sit with building up the middle class and investing in small businesses, families and medical care. She spoke frequently about her past four years with President Joe Biden and mentioned the two spent a long time undoing what the Trump administration had left for them during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A main message she touted was moving forward, not backward – a decade ago, the meaning of strength became who “you beat down,” Harris said, but “true measure is who you lift up.”

The interview appeared to be just that – a regular interview, said Karpf who studies internet politics and political campaigning. When there are two experienced politicians and an experienced reporter speaking, it’s likely there won’t be any drama. Even when Harris was asked about false comments Trump made regarding her race, she called it the “same old tired playbook,” and asked Bash for another question – which seemed “disciplined” and gave a sense of wanting to stay on her main message, Karpf said.

“She could’ve engaged in drama, but she didn’t,” he added. “If she had taken the bait and challenged Trump, it would’ve made for better TV, but it was entirely normal.”

The same held true for Christine Varela, a partner of DH public relations and a Spokane resident who has spent more than 20 years in communications work.

She believed there was an intentional strategy to take the focus off Trump. Because Harris has repeatedly talked about moving forward, she had to show that in her message delivery. To make the interview basic and without drama is an alternative to how Trump is acting, she said.

“The tone and temperament was a contrast to what we’re seeing on the other side,” Varela said.

Some questions gave the appearance that the two candidates couldn’t answer in a straightforward way, Karpf said. Harris was asked about the Israel-Gaza conflict during the interview but has previously called for a cease-fire. It’s also known that the presidential administration is working on some type of negotiations in the matter, but because she is still part of the current presidential administration, she isn’t able to give all the details, Karpf said.

“When you have negotiations over there, the vice president can’t say, ‘Here’s the change in policy,’ because that would mess up their own negotiations.”

Walz, a veteran of the U.S Army National Guard, was also questioned about the far-right accusing him of lying about his service. In his terms in local government, Walz previously said during a town hall that he carried weapons of war, but misspoke and said he carried weapons “in war.” Bash pushed Walz on the matter, who stated his “grammar wasn’t always correct” while talking passionately to a crowd about gun violence. He also interchangeably used the terms “IVF” and “IUI” to describe his family’s fertility troubles.

“People know who I am,” Walz said. He added he would not apologize for speaking passionately on a subject.

Karpf still thinks both performed well given the differences in their public speaking and media skills. Both are “still relatable” to the public and both of them spoke highly of their families, an opportunity for them to continue doing what they usually do while campaigning, he said.

Varela added that it’s clear Harris is more polished because she’s had years of experience to be more comfortable in front of a camera and deliver her speech more eloquently. Walz seemed a bit more out of the element, she said, but that could be attributed to how quickly he was thrown into the presidential spotlight. Varela said communications experts train people to get out their message no matter what, so Harris and Walz staying on track with what they wanted to tell the American people was “a good job” from a communications standpoint.

“Your job is to get your messages out. Sometimes you’re asked questions that aren’t the ones you want to answer,” she said. “So how do you bridge to what you want to talk about?”

Harris was passionate and strong in her conviction but also balanced being a little bit personal, Varela said, a fine line that female leaders have to walk for being more scrutinized about their behavior.

“She stayed very high-leveled, though,” Varela said. “For some, that might not be enough. For some, that might check the box.”