Donald Trump’s campaign and some of its allies have launched a political attack on US Vice President Kamala Harris, moving quickly to discredit her amid talk among some Democrats that she could replace President Joe Biden on the party’s 2024 presidential ticket.
On social media, the Trump campaign and its allies appear to be laying the groundwork for an all-out attack on Kamala should Biden decide to end his re-election bid after a poor performance in the 2019 debate. CNN last week.
While Biden has insisted he will not drop out of the race, and Kamala Harris has steadfastly endorsed him, the Trump campaign has little to lose by attacking the vice president now. So if Harris is nominated, she could enter a weakened environment.
Republicans have regularly criticized Harris during Biden’s tenure. But this week’s attacks represented a sharp and apparently coordinated escalation.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which oversees House Republican races, called her Biden’s “enabler in chief.”
MAGA Inc., a Trump-supporting super PAC, meanwhile, released a statement calling her the “invasion czar.” In March 2021, Biden said Kamala would lead efforts with Mexico and Central American nations to address illegal immigration.
Republicans have since seized on this to accuse her of failing to stem the flow of millions of immigrants crossing illegally into the United States, even though she has never been directly responsible for securing the southern border.
“Kamala Harris is incompetent. She has proven herself to be the weakest and worst vice president in history and has 100 percent supported Joe Biden on every disastrous policy he has implemented over the past four years,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign.
Biden’s campaign has pushed back against mounting Republican criticism without addressing the question of whether the vice president is waiting in the wings.
“Vice President Harris is proud to be President Biden’s running mate,” said Rhyan Lake, a spokeswoman for Harris’ campaign. “No matter what false attacks Trump and his extremist allies make, she will continue to defend the Biden-Harris record.”
The attacks on Harris from Trump’s camp were reminiscent of a similar tactic that Republican Trump, president from 2017 to 2021, used to successfully undermine Ron DeSantis, his main Republican rival, before the Florida governor entered his party’s 2024 primary race last year.
Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump adviser, told Reuters that Harris is politically vulnerable because of her role in addressing illegal immigration, among other issues that are part of an extensive investigation the party has gathered into her record.
A former senior Trump White House official who is still in touch with the Trump campaign said the new emphasis on Kamala makes sense.
“If Joe Biden remains at the top of the ticket, given what we’ve seen, she will be even more important. But if he steps aside, she will be the potential nominee. It’s about defining who she is,” the person said.
The outcry from Trump’s allies stands in stark contrast to the former president’s unusual silence. Since Biden’s poor debate performance, Trump has kept a low profile, making few public appearances or statements.
“This shows a maturation of the candidate himself. You can teach an old dog new tricks. He is demonstrating greater discipline and control of his message,” said a senior Trump campaign aide familiar with the internal discussions.
Source: CNN Brasil
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