TIME Magazine owner Marc Benioff has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for repeatedly refusing to grant interview requests from his media outlet, despite TIME’s longstanding reputation for in-depth political journalism. Benioff took to social media to express frustration, noting that TIME, once a powerhouse of influential reporting under Henry Luce, had even featured a flattering cover of Harris when she became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race.
“Despite multiple requests, TIME has not been granted an interview with Kamala Harris — unlike every other presidential candidate,” Benioff posted on X. “We believe in transparency and publish each interview in full. Why isn’t the Vice President engaging with the public on the same level?”
In a follow-up post, Benioff emphasized the difference in accessibility between Harris and her competitors, stating, “Harris declined repeated requests for an interview for this story. In contrast, Trump spoke with a TIME reporter for 90 minutes over two interviews, and Biden gave us similar access before leaving the race.”
TIME recently published an article on Harris, but it was notably lacking her direct commentary. Journalist Charlotte Alter remarked in the piece that Harris tends to avoid sit-down interviews with serious news outlets, instead preferring appearances on local media, culture podcasts, or friendly talk shows. Despite avoiding in-depth interviews, Harris has agreed to appear on Fox News with host Brett Baier — a notable exception to her usual appearances on shows like “The View,” the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” A past interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” reportedly did not go well for the vice president.
Harris’ campaign has been showing signs of decline, with her poll numbers slipping in key battleground states, a stark contrast to the early “honeymoon” period when she first entered the race.
