Trump and his allies are escalating lines of attack against Harris, which seek to portray her as further to Biden’s left and blame the vice president for the border crisis. They are also introducing fresh messaging that accuses her of covering up the state of Biden’s health.
Trump — who has previously made fun of Harris’s first name and spread false allegations that California-born Harris was a foreigner not eligible for office — is personally enthusiastic about the prospect of running against her, a person familiar with his comments said. He posted a video on Wednesday that showed him calling her “pathetic” and “so f—ing bad.” The campaign is pointing to polling showing Harris running similarly to Biden against Trump, possibly weaker with White non-college-educated men who could be key to winning Midwest battleground states.
“I think the bottom falls out for Democrats with blue-collar, working-class people in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan with Kamala Harris,” said senior Trump adviser Jason Miller, who on Friday circulated years-old clips of Harris saying she would ban plastic straws and recommending people donate to a bail fund that assisted some people charged with violent crimes. “She’s viewed as a California radical.”
Still, some advisers and allies acknowledged that Harris, 59, could change the race as a more vigorous campaigner with the potential to energize young voters and women. And they said her opportunity to choose a new running mate could further alter the dynamics of the matchup, especially if she adds a Midwestern governor such as Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) or Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) to the ticket.
“The policy debate doesn’t change, the capabilities of the candidate changes — all the problems associated with a declining Biden physically and mentally go away,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally. “If she picks a governor from Pennsylvania or Michigan that changes the game.”
The White House and the Biden campaign have rejected questions about Biden’s health and pressure for him to withdraw, but privately advisers acknowledged they have a limited time to reassure his panicking party. Harris spokeswoman Rhyan Lake said: “Vice President Harris is proud to be President Biden’s running mate. No matter what false attacks Trump and his extreme allies make, she will continue to defend the Biden-Harris record and prosecute the case against Donald Trump.”
Democrats argued that Harris, as a former prosecutor, could be an effective messenger against Trump, who was convicted in May on 34 felonies. They also said she has showed leadership on abortion rights, an issue that has propelled Democratic wins in recent elections.
Donna Brazile, a former acting chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Harris has already withstood years of withering attacks from Republicans. She noted that Trump has similarly insulted other Black women such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani T. Willis, and she warned that Trump’s barrage against the first woman and first Black vice president could backfire.
“They have been throwing paint, rocks, mud and just about every other metaphor I could come up with since the day she was inaugurated … I feel like saying where have you been?” Brazile said. “This is no time for their team to start attacking any woman,” she added of Trump, referencing his conviction for paying hush money to an adult-film actress and jury finding of liability for sexual abuse.
In 2020, Trump spread a baseless conspiracy theory that falsely suggested Harris might not be eligible for office, echoing his false allegations about President Barack Obama’s citizenship. Harris’s parents immigrated from India and Jamaica, and she was born in Oakland, Calif. Trump also made a show of mispronouncing Harris’s name.
Trump on Thursday debuted a new nickname for Harris — “Laffin’ Harris” — making fun of the way she laughs. The campaign has also run an ad mocking Harris’s laugh, and statement from his top advisers on Tuesday called her Biden’s “Cackling Copilot.”
Trump’s team is reemphasizing long-standing criticisms of Harris focused on her 2021 appointment to lead the administration’s response to a surge of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The MAGA Inc. super PAC on Wednesday dubbed Harris the “Invasion Czar,” a reference to Biden’s naming her to oversee his administration’s handling of the surge of migration at the border. Trump describes the wave of attempted crossings as an “invasion,” using unsubstantiated claims and inflammatory language to dehumanize and vilify migrants.
“Kamala Harris is the less likable and more chaotic face of the Biden-Harris regime,” said the PAC’s CEO, Taylor Budowich. “She wouldn’t only widen the map in the presidential race, but would be the nail in the coffin for Democrats’ hopes to keep the Senate and win back the House.”
Some people close to Trump expressed concern that Harris could take a different approach to Israel’s war in Gaza, the source of a damaging fissure in the Democratic coalition.
While Harris’s elevation would eliminate voters’ concerns about Biden’s ability to serve another four years, Republicans have indicated they would keep the issue alive by accusing her and other Democrats of hiding his condition and misleading the public. They will also argue that, if Biden decides he is not fit to run and yields to Harris, he should also resign the presidency immediately.
On Thursday, former Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller called for Harris to testify to Congress about her knowledge of Biden’s health status. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) told Fox News on Friday that Harris should be subpoenaed and could be impeached for “lying to the American people” about Biden’s mental state and not invoking the 25th Amendment, which provides for a handoff of power in case the president is unable to discharge his duties.
“No one has been more central to the coverup than Kamala Harris,” the Republican National Committee said in an email Friday, citing 16 times Harris has vouched for Biden’s fitness.
