WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris opened a media blitz by the Democratic ticket on Sunday by appearing on the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast about abortion, sexual abuse and other issues that resonate with women, working in some digs at her GOP opponent along the way.
In the roughly 40-minute interview, taped last week, the Democratic presidential nominee spoke about the grit it takes to be a woman seeking public office, the toughness her mother instilled in her and the importance of reproductive rights in this election.
The program is the most-listened-to podcast for women and it has millions of fans tuning in for talk about relationships, sex, mental health and women’s empowerment. The discussion with Harris was on the tame side for the show, with the vice president keeping her message focused, in part, on the value of ignoring people who have doubted her.
“I don’t hear no. I urge all the ‘Daddy Gang,’ don’t hear no, just don’t hear it,” she said. “I think it’s really important not to let other people define you.”
The interview was part of a broader media outreach effort by Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as the Democrats seek to boost their support in the final 30 days of the campaign against Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Harris has been criticized for not doing more media interviews.
On the podcast, the Democratic nominee largely stuck to her usual messaging on abortion, and said that in her travels she’s seen that even people who have strong opposition to abortion tell her they “are now seeing what’s happening and saying ‘Hmm, I didn’t intend for all this to happen’ ” when they see the health problems arising since Roe v. Wade was repealed.
Harris dinged Trump as she has in recent speeches, leaning in on his integrity and saying “this guy is full of lies” when he talks about abortion and other issues. She dismissed Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” as “mean, and mean-spirited.”
Trump has continued to stress that abortion policy should be left to the states and that doctors have a duty to provide emergency care to women whose lives are in danger. Vance, for his part, has said his remark about childless women were misinterpreted and that he wants to support families.
There’s much more to come from Harris and Walz.
Harris has taped an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that will air Monday night. She is booked Tuesday on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show, ABC’s “The View” and “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Walz will be on Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show on Monday.
In a “60 Minutes” excerpt released Sunday, Harris navigated around a question about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “a real close ally,” saying that “The better question is: Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”
And nearly a week after his verbal stumbles in the only vice presidential debate, Walz used his debut campaign appearance on a Sunday news show to try to fend off criticism of his stand on abortion rights and to “own up” to past misstatements.
