Dem Rep. Phillips: Trump, Vance ‘Tend to Answer Questions Pretty Directly’ in a Way Harris, Walz Don’t

On Wednesday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “On Balance,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) said he is “disappointed” and believes the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) “should be answering questions, should be available, accessible, and direct in town halls and not scripted and not measured.” And said, “I wish Vice President Harris, when asked questions, would be a little bit more direct with the American people, because I think there is a massive appetite and a lot of dismay about politicians who simply try to avoid questions.” He also stated that the members of the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) “tend to answer questions pretty directly.”

Phillips said, “Tim’s a good man, and I think he’s been a good Governor. I don’t think that this campaign, so far, has done justice to him, to be forthright. And, frankly, I wish Vice President Harris, when asked questions, would be a little bit more direct with the American people, because I think there is a massive appetite and a lot of dismay about politicians who simply try to avoid questions. So, I’d like to — I know Tim Walz. I would like to see him shine, and I think that’s part of this campaign that has got to put him in a position to do so.”

He added, “JD Vance and Donald Trump tend to answer questions pretty directly.” And “I’m disappointed. I think Tim Walz and Kamala Harris should be answering questions, should be available, accessible, and direct in town halls and not scripted and not measured. I think that’s why Donald Trump and JD Vance are actually doing quite well right now. Now, what they say is deeply disconcerting to many of us. But I think they’re hitting something that’s really important to [the] American people, which is at least expressing themselves, whether you like it or not. And this notion of measured, calculated, controlled media circumstances is really, I think, working against them. Time is short. And I would like to think that we’d see more of that.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett