Kamala Harris taunted former President Donald Trump for allegedly "hiding" from her, only to get immediately called out by TIME Magazine owner Marc Benioff for repeatedly avoiding requests for interviews.
On the surface, Harris's remarks, made at a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on Sunday, are bemusing. She has already been accused by her opposition of conducting a "basement" campaign similar to her mentor, President Joe Biden.
Yet, she accused Trump of ducking her.
“It makes you wonder — why does his staff want him to hide away?” Harris told supporters. “One must question — are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?”
Self-awareness is not her forte. Benioff later that evening posted to X that his outlet had tried reaching out to the Harris campaign on several occasions but to no avail.
"Despite multiple requests, TIME has not been granted an interview with Kamala Harris—unlike every other Presidential candidate. We believe in transparency and publish each interview in full," he wrote. "Why isn’t the Vice President engaging with the public on the same level?"
Benioff included links to two interviews conducted by the outlet - an extensive discussion with Trump and a more concise effort with Biden back in June.
Despite multiple requests, TIME has not been granted an interview with Kamala Harris—unlike every other Presidential candidate. We believe in transparency and publish each interview in full. Why isn’t the Vice President engaging with the public on the same level? #TrustMatters…
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) October 13, 2024
Benioff's comments come just days after TIME senior correspondent Charlotte Alter called Harris out in the middle of a column discussing what type of president she might become.
"When she does do interviews, she mostly favors local media, culture podcasts, or friendly talk shows. Harris declined repeated requests for an interview for this story," Alter wrote.
"In contrast, Trump talked about his policy vision with a TIME reporter for 90 minutes across two interviews. Biden spoke to TIME at similar length before dropping out of the race."
Think about that for a moment - they're hiding Kamala more than the man they forced out of the race due to his cognitive decline.
It's worth noting that TIME is a media entity that has been friendly to Vice President Harris in the past. Particularly Alter. So the criticism has to sting a bit.
We're just two months removed from Alter producing what RedState editor Bob Hoge referred to as a "Soviet-style" cover declaring Harris' soft coup of the Democrat nominating process had led to "her moment."
The cover featured an image of Harris looking extremely presidential and deep in thought. The former, she is not. The latter, in which she rarely engages.
The reintroduction of Kamala Harris https://t.co/noW5TOgawP pic.twitter.com/iLmQIhxOeF
— TIME (@TIME) August 12, 2024
"If you’re like many people, your first thought is, I’ve seen posters like that before. Ah, yes, in the former Soviet Union," Hoge wrote.
Alter also penned the 2020 TIME Person of the Year column awarded to both Biden and Harris because voters “craved decency, dignity, experience and competence.”
Each of those attributes went up in flames during their first term.
Benioff and Alter's criticism is a rare moment of truth for legacy media. Harris's recent "media blitz" has been a rather unserious effort, consisting of appearances with her cackling creepily and sharing beers with Stephen Colbert, chatting it up with the ladies of "The View," and joining a sex podcast called "Call Her Daddy."
Perhaps worse was her lone semi-legitimate effort with "60 Minutes" where she repeatedly refused to address the border crisis created through the Biden-Harris administration and, at one point, rambled so badly during a response about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that CBS felt it necessary to favorably edit it on her behalf.
With just 22 days until an Election Day that could fundamentally save or destroy this country, Harris continues to avoid serious interviews and public appearances.
It makes you wonder — why does her staff want her to hide away?
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