Steele Defends Harris's Media Approach, Slams Democrats and Press for Double Standards

MSNBC analyst Michael Steele accused Democrats and the media of hypocrisy for pressuring Vice President Kamala Harris to engage more with the media while giving former President Trump a pass.

MSNBC analyst Michael Steele launched a scathing attack on Democrats and the media on Friday, accusing them of holding Vice President Kamala Harris to a different standard than they do former President Trump regarding press access.

"I don’t see Donald Trump doing sit-downs and press conferences with the mainstream media every week," Steele said during an interview on MSNBC. "So let’s stop — let’s hold her to the same standard we’re holding Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump is not giving you anything except a rally in which he dribbles and — and nods off and just goes off on — on tangents. And the press accepts that. And yet they look at her and say, ‘Well, how come you’re not, you know, giving us more of what we want?’ Well, as soon as you get it from Donald Trump, she’ll give it to you," the former RNC chairman continued.

Steele Defends Harris's Media Approach, Slams Democrats and Press for Double Standards

Steele's comments came in response to growing criticism that Harris has not engaged enough with the media since taking over as the Democratic presidential nominee. While Trump has held five formal press conferences since early September, Harris has yet to hold one. However, Steele argued that it is unfair to compare Harris's media strategy to Trump's, as they are running in different types of races and have different levels of experience in national campaigns.

"It’s Democrats being Democrats and it’s the mainstream media being the mainstream media. They want to be coddled. They want to show that they got the connection, they got the in," Steele said.

Steele Defends Harris's Media Approach, Slams Democrats and Press for Double Standards

Steele also pointed out that Harris has stepped up her media appearances in recent weeks, including doing radio hits, a solo sit-down with a Philadelphia TV station, and an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. He said that the vice president's campaign is being selective in her media appearances with the limited time left until election day.

"At the end of the day, you’re talking 140 days to run a national presidential campaign. She’s got to be particular with the targets. If she had an extra 400 days, everybody would get touched in the mainstream media and in the Democratic Party. This is not the Hillary campaign of 2016, this is not Joe Biden’s campaign of 2020," he said.

Steele Defends Harris's Media Approach, Slams Democrats and Press for Double Standards

Steele's defense of Harris drew mixed reactions from Democrats and media critics. Some agreed that Harris is being unfairly targeted, while others argued that she needs to do more to connect with voters.

A recent poll by NBC News found that Harris leads Trump by 2 points nationally, but she shows vulnerabilities with non-white voters. Harris has also been criticized for her performance in the vice presidential debate last week, which some argued was lackluster.

Steele Defends Harris's Media Approach, Slams Democrats and Press for Double Standards

Despite the criticism, Harris's campaign spokesperson, Kevin Munoz, defended the campaign's media strategy, saying that they are focusing on reaching undecided voters in ways that will actually reach them.

"Our task for the final stretch of this campaign is ensuring that [Harris'] winning vision reaches the undecided voters who will decide this election in places and ways that will actually reach them. That may look different in today’s evolving media environment than prior campaigns, but coupled with campaign events, aggressive organizing and a historic paid media campaign, it’s a winning approach," Munoz said.

With just over a month to go until Election Day, it remains to be seen whether Harris's media strategy will be effective in helping her win the presidency.