Typically, when a candidate’s presidential announcement is followed by a round of interviews with national media. This serves to quickly boost the candidate’s name identity around the nation. For example, almost every Republican candidate has granted their first post-announcement interview to Fox News’s Sean Hannity.
However, the Clinton campaign did not give any interviews after her announcement in April. Her campaign has been weary for interacting with the media, much like the candidate herself. The campaign has also been hesitant of giving specific policy proposals, such as when CNN’s Jake Tapper interviewed head spokeswoman Karen Finney and pressed her on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Finney danced around the issue for several questions before Tapper moved on. During his inaugural State of the Union, Tapper admitted his frustration with Finney and said he thought he “was going to have an aneurysm” during the interview.
However, a day after her launch rally, Clinton did grant two interviews to Iowa-based news outlets. She spoke to the Des Moines Register and Radio Iowa, a public radio station. Both interviews pressed her on trade deals and Clinton said she supported House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D) position of fighting for a stronger deal.