Vice President Kamala Harris is under fire for not having engaged with the media since she began her presidential campaign. Now, as her first interview approaches, she faces further criticism for appearing alongside her running mate instead of on her own.

Harris and Governor Tim Walz will participate in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday. The interview will be pre-recorded and is set to air at 9 p.m. ET.

The Harris team has justified their choice, noting that it’s common for presidential candidates from both parties to take questions together with their running mates during interviews.

“For the past 20 years, every presidential ticket, regardless of party, has participated in joint interviews,” stated campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz in a response to YSL News.

The campaign also indicated that Harris intends to conduct individual interviews in the future, although no timeline has been provided.

This will mark Harris’s initial interview since President Joe Biden exited the race and she stepped into the spotlight.

However, some critics are questioning the decision to have Walz join her during this appearance.

“I don’t think Democrats truly grasp how damaging it looks for a potential first female president to require assistance from a man to conduct an interview,” Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain, commented in a post on X Wednesday.

Wayne Dawkins, a historian and professor at Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, believes the criticism is unwarranted.

“The reality is that she’s finally doing an interview,” Dawkins remarked.

“Dana will be the one asking questions, and even if they are both sitting down together, it’s still CNN conducting the interview. So watch how Kamala Harris responds,” he added.

Critics from Harris’ opposition have ramped up their demands, insisting that the Democratic nominee should take part in a live solo interview.

“She aspires to be commander-in-chief, yet she’s too intimidated to handle an interview alone without Tim Walz present?” Abigail Jackson, communications director for Josh Hawley, R-Miss., posted on X. “Girl power, right?”

Dawkins dismissed the backlash as “nonsense.”

“Critics will always find something to nitpick,” he said. “This is why I skip the Super Bowl pregame shows—it’s all just chatter before the main event; let’s just watch the interview.”