Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday she wants to win the black male vote and is not taking any segment of the American electorate for granted.
As she sat down for a rare “in-depth interview” with three reporters from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Ms.me Harris said it should not be assumed that black men will all support her candidacy because she is black herself.
Black men are traditionally one of the most consistently Democratic demographics in the United States, but Republicans have been trying to make inroads among that constituency, which worries the Democratic camp.
Mme Harris gave the interview a month after former President Donald Trump appeared before the same news organization.
His interview then turned into controversy, particularly on racial issues. The Republican candidate had questioned the identity of Mme Harris, baselessly claiming that she only “became black” late in her professional career. Mr. Trump has since repeatedly questioned that identity during the campaign and in the September presidential debate.
Mme Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, has repeatedly dismissed Mr. Trump’s remarks as “the same old show.” During the Sept. 10 debate against Mr. Trump, she called his attempts to “use race to divide the American people” a “tragedy.”
Mr. Trump, his running mate J.D. Vance, and other Republicans have also criticized M.me Harris for largely avoiding one-on-one interviews or even news conferences with reporters covering her campaign. She and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, gave the traditional “joint interview” last month on CNN.
Her campaign recently signaled that she would be doing more advertising in local media. Last week, she gave her first solo television interview since becoming the Democratic nominee, speaking to a Philadelphia station.
Mme Harris said Tuesday that her candidacy offers the country a chance to “turn the page on a time that has sadly shown us the attempts by some to incite fear in order to create division in our country.”
In his interview with NABJ, Trump lambasted the moderators and at times drew boos and grumbles from the audience, which included members of the African American Journalists Association and students.
Largely avoiding appearances in mainstream media, Mme Harris has instead focused on campaign rallies, town hall meetings and social media engagement, where the vice president can avoid questions from independent journalists about her policy record and agenda.
The NABJ stressed the importance of hosting the debate in Philadelphia, a major city in a key state with a large black population.
For years, the association has invited the two leading presidential candidates to speak before its annual convention. Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have all attended NABJ events as presidential candidates or while in office.