Harris opens the door to more media access: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we report on how Kamala Harris' media strategy is (and isn't) changing following the debate. Plus, senior political reporter Jonathan Allen writes that Donald Trump's actions reveal how he felt the debate really went.

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Harris slowly opens the door to more media interviews

By Alex Seitz-Wald, Peter Nicholas and Natasha Korecki

Fresh off a debate they thought went well for her, Vice President Kamala Harris’ aides are slowly opening up more engagement for her with the media, amid growing concern among allies that she needs to be more accessible — but they have no plans to fundamentally alter their strategy.

The campaign said Harris plans to do more interviews with media in battleground states and speak more with her traveling press corps in the coming days. She will also take questions from members of the National Association of Black Journalists, with whom former President Donald Trump sat for a contentious interview this summer. 

So far, Harris has done only one national TV interview since taking President Joe Biden’s place at the top of the Democratic ticket — a joint appearance on CNN with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. She has also recently done two national radio interviews — with Univision and syndicated morning show host Rickey Smiley — and has done some gaggles with traveling reporters. 

Her campaign’s media strategy has largely been a continuation of Biden’s, which is to minimize interactions with the media. It’s a risk-averse approach that maximizes control but limits public access and opens her to criticism that she has something to hide or can’t handle unscripted questions.

Polls and focus groups show that while many voters believed Harris bested Trump in the debate Tuesday night in Philadelphia, undecided voters still need more information about her in order to support her. That lack of definition — and the possibility that the campaign may still keep her wrapped up a bit — has provided a silver lining for Trump allies who were frustrated that the former president missed a moment for a clear victory in the debate.

By the numbers: While Trump is hardly a journalism scholar’s ideal candidate, he does give frequent interviews to conservative media, takes questions from mainstream outlets and has a penchant for calling reporters directly and speaking on the record.

Trump has done at least 18 media appearances since Biden withdrew from the race in late July, most but not all of which were with conservative outlets, according to an NBC News tally, in addition to six press-conference-like events where he took questions from reporters.

JD Vance, meanwhile, has done at least 44 interviews with TV or print outlets, at least 12 formal question-and-answer sessions or press conferences, and at least 13 press gaggles (shorter, informal chances for reporters to ask questions), according to the NBC News tally. 

By contrast, in addition to the joint CNN interview with Harris, Walz has done only two nationally televised interviews, both after the debate (with ABC News and MSNBC), a handful of radio interviews, and largely avoided taking questions from reporters on the record. 

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Trump says he won the debate — but his actions suggest otherwise

By Jonathan Allen

Donald Trump sure has a funny way of showing he thinks he won Tuesday’s debate — so odd that he is implying the exact opposite.

Since he and Kamala Harris left Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center following their first-ever meeting, Trump and his allies have cast aspersions on ABC’s debate moderators, accused Harris of wearing a transmitter disguised as an earring and criticized the national media for its coverage of the event. 

Right after the debate, Trump held a sprawling, ad hoc press conference in the “spin” room, surrounded by hundreds of journalists who formed a ring around him.

The simple rules of postgame sports commentary often apply to politics: When you win, you don’t have to spin. When you win, you don’t blame the referees. And when you win, you need not accuse your opponent of trying to cheat.

“Trump’s post-debate behavior is a continuance of his baffling debate performance — unfocused, undisciplined and at times unhinged,” said Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett. “He is not going after Kamala Harris or focusing on a pressing political issue. It seems he is laser focused on fringe online conspiracy theories or fighting with Fox News. This is not what you do after you win a debate and it’s not what you do if you want to win an election.”

Harris, who spent much of her energy on the debate stage getting under Trump’s skin, probably still has work to do in persuading voters who feel like they don’t know enough about her or her plans. Trump appears determined not to let her do that in a rematch.

“KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform Thursday. “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”

He has been known to change his mind, and he may still do so. But what he can’t change, and what’s clear from his own conduct, is that he had a bad night.

That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]

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