Kamala Harris Appears on ’60 Minutes’ Weeklong Media Blitz

• Kamala Harris appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Monday.
• CBS said former President Donald Trump had previously agreed to attend; a spokesman denied this.
• Harris is running a media blitz targeting certain blocs of voters this week.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “60 Minutes” Monday as part of a media blitz in the final days of her presidential campaign. Not on CBS News: Donald Trump.

One political scientist said Harris’ interview could not change voters’ minds — but another said former President Trump’s absence could sway undecided voters.

During the interview, Harris highlighted her economic policies and differences with her opponent — though she offered no new details about a potential Harris administration.

Throughout his campaign, Harris faced criticism from Trump supporters and some media outlets who claimed he did not adequately explain his platform or give enough public interviews.

Harris’ appearance on “60 Minutes” comes amid a weeklong series of interviews the vice president has added to her schedule. CBS reported on Oct. 1 that Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” election special after initially agreeing to appear.

Asked about Trump’s apparent refusal to participate in the interview, Harris said people who want to know what he thinks should “watch his rallies.”

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told X earlier this month that a meeting with “60 Minutes” was never finalized. “There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked down,” he posted on X. “They also insisted on doing actual fact-checking, which is unprecedented.”

As for Harris, a political scientist told BI that “60 Minutes” “didn’t feel like a conversation.”

“It felt like a collage, with a bunch of pieces cut out,” said Susan McWilliams Barndt, a politics professor at Pomona College in California.

“The ’60 Minutes’ interview was over-edited, especially compared to Harris’ recent podcast interview on ‘Call Her Daddy,'” Barndt said.

On Sunday, Harris spoke with Alex Cooper of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Cooper, 30, has a massive and influential platform, particularly among young women, with an audience second only to “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Forbes reported.

Mike Nellis, a former top adviser to Harris and an organizer of “White Dudes for Harris,” said Harris’ targeted appearances — such as on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast — were a smart strategy to reach certain audiences such as young or suburban women. . This week, Harris is also scheduled to appear on “The View,” “The Howard Stern Show” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Still, Pomona professor McWilliams Barndt said Harris, in her “60 Minutes” interview, said nothing she hadn’t said before. “And in our fast-paced social media attention economy, you can’t get attention if you’re not saying anything new,” she said.

Patricia Crouse, an assistant professor of political science at the University of New Haven, said Harris held his own, but it wasn’t his best. She added that Trump’s absence from “60 Minutes” was among the biggest takeaways of the night.

“I think, like most presidential candidates who do these kinds of interviews, her answers were evasive and she didn’t answer any of the questions directly,” Crouse said. “From these things, however, she has at least emerged — and that may play well with some undecided voters. I don’t think it was in Trump’s best interest to air the interview.”