Trump campaign accuses the media of favoring Kamala Harris by not challenging her on key issues like the economy.
In a recent interview, Chris LaCivita, a co-campaign manager for Donald Trump, accused the media of giving Vice President Kamala Harris a “free ride” and failing to hold her accountable as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. According to LaCivita, Harris has avoided answering tough questions, and the press has not pressured her to engage with the public on critical issues.
“The press has given her a free ride. I mean, and everybody knows that it’s been a few weeks without her answering questions,” LaCivita said during an appearance on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Wednesday.
He pointed out that Harris has gone 24 days without holding a formal press conference or a sit-down interview. Although she briefly spoke to reporters last week, she has mostly stuck to scripted remarks.
This lack of media scrutiny has allowed Harris to navigate her campaign without addressing significant challenges, particularly regarding the economy. LaCivita argued that the economy is a major contrast between Harris and Trump, and he believes the press is not adequately covering the issues that matter most to Americans.
“Since Harris has been vice president, gas is up 51%, electricity 32%, fuel oil 50%, airfare 23%, hotels 51%. Food, groceries, over 21%,” LaCivita detailed. He criticized the media for “gaslighting” the public into believing that the economy is in good shape, despite rising costs that are impacting everyday Americans.
“Americans are hurting, and they know that, and Americans are smarter than the Democrats give them credit for,” LaCivita added. “They’re not going to be played.” This sentiment reflects the frustration within the Trump campaign, which feels that Harris is not being challenged on her record or the issues facing the country.
While Harris has largely avoided the press, Trump has been actively engaging with the media and the public. Recently, he held a lengthy press conference, spoke with Elon Musk for over two hours on X (formerly Twitter), and announced another press conference. However, LaCivita expressed disappointment that the media did not give these events the attention they deserved, focusing instead on technical issues rather than the substance of Trump’s comments.
“When the president did his press conference at Mar-a-Lago, a little over a week ago, and literally stood in front of the entire press for an hour and took every conceivable question, none of those answers on the vast majority of those questions have ever been talked about,” LaCivita said. He emphasized that Trump addressed important topics such as inflation and America’s standing on the world stage, but these were not widely reported.
LaCivita made it clear that the focus of Trump’s campaign will continue to be on putting Americans in a better position to succeed. “The focus of the campaign has always been about putting Americans in a better position to be successful,” he stated. “And it’s going to continue to be that way.”
As the 2024 election approaches, the Trump campaign is likely to intensify its criticism of both the media and the Biden-Harris administration, particularly on issues related to the economy. Whether or not this strategy will resonate with voters remains to be seen, but LaCivita’s comments suggest that the campaign is preparing for a heated battle over the narrative surrounding the state of the country.
