Time magazine was slammed Monday for publishing a fawning cover story featuring Vice President Kamala Harris — despite her refusing an interview with the publication in her long-standing dodging of the press.
The Time cover story depicted Harris with her supporters in the background on the cover with the phrase, “Her Moment.” Inside, author Charlotte Alter wrote that Harris “pulled off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history.”
The piece began with a description of the vibes of Harris’ debut with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: “The soundtrack suggested a Beyoncé concert. The light-up bracelets evoked the Eras Tour. And the exuberant crowd — more than 14,000 strong, lining up in the rain — resembled the early days of Barack Obama. Inside a Philadelphia arena on Aug. 6, Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted with a kind of reception a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t gotten in years.”
Alter argued that the Democratic Party “underestimated” Harris and that the vice presidency hadn’t given her the opportunity to “showcase her talents.”
Harris has yet to sit down for an interview after replacing President Biden atop the Democratic presidential ticket. The Donald Trump campaign has attacked Harris for her absence from talking to the media and has rallied their campaign around her silence. The GOP rival’s team has also stressed that it feels the media are working alongside Harris to boost her image.
Instead of Harris, the piece interviewed Harris allies like Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, CNN’s Bakari Sellers and gun control activist David Hogg.
“Elections come down to vibes, and Kamala has got the vibes right now,” Hogg said.
Conservatives were quick to criticize Time’s coverage, especially due to the absence of Harris’ voice and the vice president’s lack of coherent policy agenda for a potential presidency thus far. They also panned the headline of the piece, “The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris” — because she’s been in the White House for the last three years.
“The way the US corporate media transformed Kamala Harris from a national embarrassment to a transformative pioneer overnight — without even pretending to care about anything that she thinks or believes — is a powerful testament to how potent the science of propaganda is,” journalist Glenn Greenwald posted on X.
“Journos worshipping politicians, terrific,” writer Jim Treacher said.
“No reintroduction necessary she’s the Vice President of the United States we know her well,” Republican communications strategist Matt Whitlock said.
Others called the piece “propaganda.”
Pundit Stephen L. Miller said, “We’re on about 8 reintroductions of her, for a reason but here’s Time’s new cover. Soak it up.”
National Review senior writer Charles C.W. Cooke wrote on X, “Why did she need reintroducing? Is it that she needed to change all her policies?”
“Kamala Harris has been reintroduced more times than the McDonalds McRib sandwich,” communications specialist Brian Doherty wrote.
Harris was also featured on the cover of Time in July, walking into frame as Biden walked out.
After pressure from Republicans, the vice president vowed Thursday to schedule an interview “before the end of the month.”
With Post wires
