TIME was dragged on social media on Monday morning when the magazine unveiled a fawning cover story on Vice President Kamala Harris.
The new issue of TIME features a glowing story by Charlotte Alter on the vice president, with a front cover headline that simply reads “Her Moment.” Inside, Alter wrote that “Harris has pulled off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history” and declared that maybe the 2020 Democratic primary and her time as vice president haven’t been the right times for Harris to “showcase her talents,” but she “seems matched to the moment” as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Harris became the de facto nominee after President Biden endorsed her on July 21 when he dropped out of the race, and she has since officially clinched the nomination. Along the way, the mainstream media has given her overwhelmingly positive coverage and many feel the TIME piece is the icing on the cake.
Although Harris didn’t agree to be interviewed for the story, it quoted a wide array of aides, advisers and supporters like Pete Buttigieg, CNN’s Bakari Sellers and gun control activist David Hogg.
“Even if Washington was taken by surprise, the energetic fighter of the past two weeks matches the Harris whom allies say they have known for years,” Alter wrote.
Conservatives and Harris critics quickly mocked the magazine:
“The way the US corporate media transformed Kamala Harris from a national embarrassment to a transformative pioneer overnight — without even pretending to care about anything that she thinks or believes — is a powerful testament to how potent the science of propaganda is,” journalist Glenn Greenwald posted on X.
“Journos worshipping politicians, terrific,” writer Jim Treacher snarked.
Many blasted the glowing piece as “propaganda,” while others mocked TIME for failing to land an interview with Harris.
TIME shared the cover with the caption, “The reintroduction of Kamala Harris.”
Pundit Stephen L. Miller wrote, “We’re on about 8 reintroductions of her, for a reason but here’s Time’s new cover. Soak it up.”
National Review senior writer Charles C. W. Cooke reacted, “Why did she need reintroducing? Is it that she needed to change all her policies?”
“Kamala Harris has been reintroduced more times than the McDonalds McRib sandwich,” communications specialist Brian Doherty wrote.
Conservative communications strategist Matt Whitlock added, “No reintroduction necessary, she’s the Vice President of the United States, we know her well.”
Ascent Strategic director Mark Warner responded, “Reintroducing? Hey @TIME y’all know she has been the VP for the last almost four years? Right?”
Many others took to X with reactions:
The piece by Alter acknowledged Harris “may still be the underdog” and she would have to answer for the Biden administration’s record, including on difficult issues like the border and economy.
“Harris has yet to do a single substantive interview or to explain her policy shifts,” Alter wrote. “She has to repair ruptures in the party coalition, galvanizing the Black, Hispanic, Arab American, and young voters who migrated away from Biden. Though her early polling numbers are far better than Biden’s were, she lags his 2020 support with some key demographic groups she needs to win.”
Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.
