In the midst of making history as the first female and first person of color to get elected vice president, Kamala Harris also faces an uphill battle against negative press into her vice presidency. A group of Harris’s allies reportedly gathered to discuss strategies on how to best defend the vice president.
Axios reports that a group of top Democratic strategists and communications experts recently held a dinner to discuss how they can best defend Harris from the negative press coverage. The dinner was organized by Democratic communications strategist Kiki McLean, former White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri, Biden adviser Stephanie Cutter, former 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign spokeswomen Karen Finney and Adrienne Elrod, strategist Minyon Moore, and former DNC officials Donna Brazile and Leah Daughtry.
The dinner the group held did not focus on the reported workplace culture of Harris’s office but how they could use their expertise to defend not only Harris but also her chief of staff Tina Flournoy, from the bad press, all from the outside. The group discussed how to reframe the narrative on the criticism that Harris has faced since taking office and how she has handled her assignments as the vice president.
“It was less about how do you sort out the infrastructure and it was more how this group can contribute to make sure that not only is her team making the most of this moment — as the first woman of color in the White House — but how can we help from the outside?” said one attendee.
Meanwhile, Harris is to visit Singapore and Vietnam this month as her second official overseas engagement and her first visit to the region as vice president. Harris would also be the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit the continent. Harris’s office released a statement regarding the upcoming trip, saying that Harris will be building on the administration’s message that “America is back.”
The trip will take place from August 20 to August 26, and Harris will most likely bring up trade and security issues, including the rising tensions in the South China Sea, in her meetings with government officials, civil society leaders, and the private sector.