3 Big PR Blunders by Kamala Harris in CNN Interview

Chair height, notes and lack of energy created unflattering public image…

Welcome to the latest edition of the "Pulse of Politics - USA" newsletter. Normally, I would refrain for pestering my friends in the USA with a Labor Day holiday weekend issuance of this newsletter.

However, the CNN interview Thursday night with Vice President Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz--their first major media joint interview--precipitated a time-sensitive exception.

There was a lot riding on this interview for the Harris-Walz campaign. That means no room for mistakes, especially from a veteran political campaign team. All the media hype and building momentum for the interview only served to raise expectations for a promising performance.

And even if you thought the interview went fairly well, I'm scrutinizing it based on two and a half decades of experience in strategic communications in the federal government and political arenas. Therefore, as anyone in the nation's capital will tell you, politics can be a blood sport. Plus, a time compressed presidential campaign only raises the stakes.

So, here's my take...

I’m perplexed by how badly Kamala Harris performed during her first big media interview on CNN.

It looked like wave after wave of public relations (PR) gaffes, all of which were completely preventable. Three factors (below) coalesced to present a poor public image. 

This is particularly problematic when considering that some voters were watching Vice President Harris for the first time as a presidential candidate.

1. Chair Height
2. Reliance on Notes
3. Low Energy

Kamala’s communications team made multiple PR blunders — and there’s no excuse for such self-inflicted wounds with just two months before Election Day.

PR Gaffe #1 — Chair Height!

Have you ever noticed when watching cable news that everyone’s height looks about the same during panel discussions? 

That’s no coincidence.

Rather, it’s par for the course during a seated format in broadcast media. Therefore, I was astounded to see Gov. Tim Walz towering over Harris, who looked like she was at the children’s table.

This made Kamala look noticeably small, which is ironic considering how she calls Donald Trump a “small man” (in character and moral stature). 

Obviously, there is a significant height disparity between Harris and Walz. However, it should have been negated by adjusting the chairs for a well-planned seated broadcast interview. 

That’s PR for dummies. The principal should not be seated lower than the deputy.

This seating deficiency made Kamala look less than presidential. 

It was also baffling to see this mistake because Kamala is supposed to have a top-notch communications staff with tons of experience. But every seasoned PR practitioner knows that visual cues are key for broadcast formats. 

The Harris campaign should have planned in advance to have the appropriate chairs with adjustable seat heights. That’s not to mention avoiding a low table, which only exacerbated the other miscues.

It should be PR 101 for such problems to be corrected prior to any big interview taking place. And if the campaign was relying on CNN for the chairs and table, Kamala’s staff should have demanded the correct ones or postponed the interview.

These logistical matters should have been proactively reconciled during the pre-interview discussions with CNN’s production team.

PR Gaffe #2 — No Notes!

It was not helpful that Kamala kept looking down at her notes during the interview. That showed poor body language and a lack of confidence.

Why did she even need notes at all? 

Looking down constantly at notes made her look sophomoric and inauthentic. It had been reported that CNN shared the interview questions with the Harris campaign in advance. 

It’s inexcusable that Kamala was unable to have rehearsed and memorized the answers or spoken more convincingly, in a spontaneous manner. 

This preventable mistake played right into Trump's hands because he has repeatedly castigated Kamala for being overly scripted.  Trump has accused Kamala of being “dumb as a rock” and a “low intelligence person” — both of which are absurd allegations.

Trump has continually mocked Kamala for not doing any unscripted media interviews, until this one.

 He has insisted that she only looks good when reading off a teleprompter. 

That’s why it was critically important for Kamala to be overly prepared, without needing to look down repeatedly as she answered questions. 

PR Gaffe #3 — Low Energy

Kamala looked like she had low energy. This is understandable due to her exhausting campaign schedule. 

But’s it’s a serious planning problem for the biggest TV interview of her life. This turned out to be bad news for Harris. 

She’s nearly two decades younger than Trump. Thus, if anything, she should have presented herself as highly energetic and charismatic — not listless and dull.

Again, this was easily preventable. 

Moreover, Kamala did not come across as particularly joyous, a key theme of her campaign.

Rather than risk a weak showing, the Harris campaign should have made sure that she got sufficient rest to be high energy and pumped up for this vital interview.

The Harris campaign had time to arrange the interview logistics in Kamala’s favor. Why would they even risk her appearing to look fatigued?

Final Thoughts

It’s disappointing that Kamala was woefully underprepared for this super-hyped and high-profile media interview. 

It’s inexcusable to me that such amateur-hour antics occurred. And it’s likewise sad and pathetic that all of these PR blunders were completely preventable! 

The CNN interview turned out to be a missed opportunity due to unforced errors which were foreseeable.

Another criticism is that Kamala should have had stronger and more concise answers to completely predictable questions, such as: What would you do on Day 1 as president?

And Tim Walz should have readily admitted in plain language that he screwed up regarding the factual inaccuracies which have surfaced about his military record versus what he’s said about it in the past.

Rather, Walz appeared to dodge the questions by saying people already knew him or would get to know him. Really? 

Just the opposite is true. Walz is not a household name in national politics. Moreover, not all voters have been paying attention until now.

Additionally, the Harris campaign should not have waited until the very last minute to schedule this interview. Rather, they should have conducted the interview earlier in the month to avoid bumping up against the Labor Day holiday weekend.

With political campaign veterans on Kamala’s staff, these preventable mistakes must not happen again. 

There’s simply no time to waste — or major media opportunity to squander — in Kamala’s shortened presidential run. These PR mistakes should have been avoided, especially due to all the media hype building up to the interview.

The word in Washington circles is that Kamala Harris can at times be brutal on her staff for screwing up. This is at least one example where she would be justified. 

Heads should roll.

What do you think? Please share your valuable comments below…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m a long-time registered independent who is unaffiliated with any political campaign. My experience in government and politics spans 25 years and includes work at The White House, the Presidential Transition Office, two winning presidential campaigns, the U.S. Congress, and two federal agencies.

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