TIME magazine owner puts Kamala Harris ‘on blast’ for refusing interview, says, ‘believe in transparency…’

US Elections 2024: TIME magazine owner Marc Benioff has put Kamala Harris ‘on blast’ for refusing an in-depth interview with the magazine unlike her competitor Donald Trump and even predecessor Joe Biden.

In two posts on social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), Benioff questioned Harris' refusal, stating that Time ‘believes in transparency and publishes interviews in full’.

“Despite multiple requests, TIME has not been granted an interview with Kamala Harris—unlike every other Presidential candidate. We believe in transparency and publish each interview in full. Why isn’t the Vice President engaging with the public on the same level? #TrustMatters #TransparencyMatters #Leadership” Benioff wrote.

He added another post, quoting the author of the TIME profile piece, “Harris declined repeated requests for an interview for this story. In contrast, Trump talked about his policy vision with a TIME reporter for 90 minutes across two interviews. Biden spoke to TIME at similar length before dropping out of the race.”

Notably, Benioff has owned TIME since 2018 and is the co-Chair of the magazine. He is also the co-founder, Chairman and CEO of software company Salesforce.

Political Reactions

The posts from Benioff, who has traditionally known to be be a Democratic party supporter have stirred reactions on social media. Among these is American hedge fund manager and Republican Party supporter Bill Ackman.

“Kamala Harris is the first presidential candidate in my lifetime that repeatedly declines to be interviewed for a story. TIME magazine no less. That alone should tell you what you need to know about her,” he said quoting Benioff's post.

Overall reactions on Benioff's tweets ranged from Harris' supporters pointing out that not interviewing with one magazine does not entirely dismiss her campaign so far, while Trump supporters alleged she is “avoiding questions”.

US Elections 2024

This comes as Harris in a campaign rally at North Carolina seemed to call into question Trump's claims on Hurricane aid from the Biden-Harris administration, as per an AFP report.

Without naming Trump, Harris called out “those who have been lying about people who are working hard to help folks in need, spreading disinformation.”

North Carolina was hard-hit by a hurricane two weeks ago which destroyed many communities and left over 235 people dead in the region. She sought to counter Trump's claims that the federal government did little to help storm victims.

(With inputs from AFP)