Harris takes page out of Trump’s playbook, goes on the attack during presidential debate
(WASHINGTON) — During the first presidential debate Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris took a page out of former President Donald Trump’s playbook, attacking Trump by using his exact words against him.
Trump has repeatedly touted the world is laughing at the United States, and that the country has become a “disgrace” as a result of the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policies.
Harris instead painted Trump as the “disgrace” that the world is laughing at Tuesday night.
“I have traveled the world as vice president of the United States and world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump,” she said.
In addition to appropriating one of Trump’s regular lines, Harris also told the former president that dictators “can manipulate you with flattery and favors” and foes like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia “would eat you for lunch.”
At the start of the debate, Harris said Trump would deliver “the same old tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling.” However, she seemed to take a page out of this playbook with name-calling of her own.
She continued to reverse the foreign policy blame onto Trump and referred to him as “weak” and a “disgrace” — terms he has repeatedly directed towards her party and administration.
“It is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy,” she said. “It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one, according to himself.”
She added that military leaders that have worked with Trump “say [he’s] a disgrace.”
In terms of overall strategy, Harris also used Trump’s tactics against him, taking on an attack stance and attempting to get under his skin.
The vice president mocked Trump for talking about “fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter” and said he was “fired by 81 million people” — just a few of her many jabs throughout the night.
According to a New York Times analysis, Trump’s total speaking time spanned longer than Harris’, but the vice president spent more time attacking her opponent.
Harris spent 17 minutes and 25 seconds attacking Trump, while Trump spent 12 minutes and 54 seconds attacking Harris, the report said.
ABC News has reached out to Harris’ campaign regarding her debate strategy.
While Trump did not explicitly acknowledge Harris’ use of his signature phrasing and typical attack strategy, he insinuated that she was copying him.
“Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She’s going to my philosophy now,” he said during the debate. “In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.”
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris has enough Democratic Party delegate votes in a virtual roll call to earn the party’s nomination when the roll call ends Monday, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced Friday.
“I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,” Harrison said during a campaign update video call on Friday.
“You returned your nomination petitions at lightning speed. You made your voices heard. And what you said was clear: We are not going back. We have to send Kamala Harris to the White House,” Harrison said to the delegates in a call plagued by audio issues. “You demonstrated your dedication and your commitment to this process.”
Convention delegates have been virtually voting by email or phone since 9 a.m. ET on Thursday in a virtual roll call set up by the Democratic National Committee. Delegates still have until Monday at 6 p.m. ET to vote in the nomination process, and Harris — who joined the call — highlighted that she would officially accept her nomination then, after the voting period is closed.
“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” said Harris, who the DNC deemed the presumptive nominee on Tuesday after she emerged from a process, laid out by the party’s Rules Committee, as the only qualified candidate.
“As your future president, I know we are up to this fight, and when we fight, everyone will say, we win,” she later added.
The nomination is a historic one — if she wins the general election in November against former President Donald Trump, she would be the first woman to serve as president. Harris is already the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to be vice president.
Friday’s announcement marks a major milestone of Harris’ rapid ascension to the top of the ticket, which comes just 12 days after President Joe Biden ended his campaign for reelection on July 21 — a remarkable show of unity for a party that just weeks ago stood deeply divided over what to do about the president’s candidacy.
With Biden endorsing Harris to succeed him shortly after he announced that he would step aside, support from Democratic donors and elected officials quickly coalesced around the vice president. In the end, Harris was the only competitive candidate that launched a campaign to succeed Biden and the only candidate that received enough delegate signatures to progress to the virtual roll call.
Harris is the first candidate to become the nominee for either major party without winning a single party primary since Hubert Humphrey in 1968. (That year’s convention precipitated reforms that led to the modern primary process.)
The DNC initially decided in May to hold a virtual roll call because of uncertainty over deadlines to get on the ballot in Ohio. The state legislature eventually rectified the issue, but the DNC has argued that Republican lawmakers in Ohio are acting in bad faith and that the Democratic candidate needs to be nominated earlier than the convention to avoid legal issues. Ohio leaders have denied this allegation.
ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Once dubbed the longest general election ever, the 2024 presidential race has been flipped on its head.
A rapid ticket shuffle in the Democratic Party means what is typically a year of campaigning will be boiled down to just 10 weeks as newly-nominated Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump hit the trail after their party conventions.
Harris will be looking to maintain her momentum and Trump, in turn, will try to blunt any further progress for Democrats after President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside resulted in a significant energy shift.
“What the Harris campaign did was bring polling back to normal, and normal in a polarized age means dead heat races nationally,” Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, told ABC News. “Now we have what’s clearly a tied race going forward.”
Next up as the race kicks into high gear, Ayres said, will be a laser-focus on the handful of swing states that will determine the electoral college winner — an area where Trump’s generally had the upper hand this cycle.
Harris this week is campaigning with her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, in Georgia for the first time. Trump is ratcheting up his appearances with stops in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The shorter campaign generally favors Harris, strategists on both sides of the aisle said, but still presents challenges for both candidates.
“The compressed calendar has reduced the surface area of attack for the Trump campaign,” said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who worked on Mitt Romney’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. “Having to navigate a 100-day window of scrutiny is preferable to having to endure a year’s worth of attacks from your opponents.”
It also makes it likelier Harris can keep the momentum last until Americans begin casting their ballots, which in some places starts as early as late September.
“They’re peaking at the right time,” Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said of the Harris-Walz ticket. “And that’s what you want to do in politics because the worst thing you can do — and Trump may be suffering from this — is peak too soon.”
Still, it means less time for Harris to deliver her message to voters, who may have questions about where she stands on certain policies given her limited agenda rollout since her late entry as the nominee. Trump, meanwhile, has name recognition and legislative positions stretching back nine years.
“It’s harder for the Harris campaign to get her policies out in a short campaign,” said Douglas Herman, who led Barack Obama’s mail strategy in 2008 and 2012. “It’s harder to fill in all of the details in a short campaign.”
“The major objective for the Harris campaign is to continue to put meat on the bones for the voters,” Herman added.
Plus, if any serious blunders are made, there is less time for Harris to bounce back.
Her next big test will be her promised interview since becoming the nominee. No date has been set, though Harris said she would get her team to schedule an interview before the end of the month.
“The real risk of Harris avoiding the media for an extended period of time is first, it can’t go on forever,” said Madden. “And second, it just builds up anticipation for that first interview or press conference and turns it into a major event. That just creates added pressure on the performance.”
Then next month, Harris and Trump will meet for their first debate hosted by ABC News. The showdown, set for Sept. 10., will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
There will also undoubtedly be unknown external factors that will impact the campaigns over the next 70 days.
“This race is so close now that I can’t help but believe it’s going to be decided by events that haven’t happened yet,” said Ayres. “When we think back on what’s happened over the last six weeks, it’s a fool’s errand to try to predict what might happen over the next six or 10 weeks.”
(CHICAGO) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was among the many politicians attendance at the Democratic National Convention Monday, as the political gathering kicked off in Chicago.
Whitmer has served as governor of the Great Lake State since 2019 and published her political memoir “True Gretch” in July.
She sat down with ABC News’ ABC News’ Linsey Davis to discuss the Harris-Walz ticket, her potential future presidential run and underscore the significance of women’s votes in the upcoming election.
ABC NEWS: Joining us now on set, Michigan governor, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Thank you so much, governor, for joining us. We really appreciate it. So, one month ago, you were still suggesting and supporting Joe Biden for another term. Are you surprised at how quickly things have changed?
WHITMER: Well, you know what, we always knew that if a change was going to happen, it was going to come from President Biden. And ultimately he did change his mind. And we pivoted really quickly to embrace his vice president. She’s been by his side. She has been a loyal part of his administration. She’s been a key part of why they’ve had so many victories and knows how to step into the role and take us to the next, the next chapter, and I’m really excited about it. I think Tim Walz is a fantastic running mate for her, too.
ABC NEWS: You were one of a number of governors, of party leaders who really stepped out and endorsed Kamala Harris right away, right on the heels of Joe Biden doing the same. Were you surprised at all about how quickly the party really coalesced around Kamala Harris? Because, of course, at first there was some concern about that.
WHITMER: Well, you know, it’s a big tent and there are lots of different vantage points and people that are part of this party. But I think we all recognize that Kamala Harris was in the best position to take the next step for us as a party. She’s a great leader. She has proven she knows how to get things done, and she’s a normal human being. You know, she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She has worked her way through life. She’s attained and held a number of offices and shown how tough she is. And she is up to this moment, and I’m excited to be here. I brought my daughters with me because I think it is. We are on the cusp of a big new chapter in this country and and it’s exciting. You can feel it here.
ABC NEWS: And you mentioned Tim Walz and your support for him. We know that you took your name out of the running for that VP selection early on, but had you received a call how would you have responded?
WHITMER: You know, I got to tell you, I’ve made a commitment to serve out my term in Michigan, and never for a second have I, do I plan not to do exactly that. Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro — Kamala Harris had so many great people from whom she could choose her running mate. But at the end of the day, it’s got to be someone she wants to run with. And so I, I would have been happy with any of those choices, but I think, I think this is just a great ticket. These are regular everyday people. They get it. They understand us, they see our lives, and they’re going to focus every single day on how to make our lives better. And you contrast that with Donald Trump, who’s in it for himself. I think that this is going to resonate with a lot of Americans.
ABC NEWS: There are many people will associate your state of Michigan with the uncommitted movement. Of course, we’ve seen a number of protesters here. How concerned are you, with regard to not only the physical presence of the protesters here in Chicago, but also the ballot box, in Michigan in particular, come November?
WHITMER: Well, number one, you know, there’s always protests at conventions, and certainly it’s robust. And we recognize it’s important that people have their ability to speak out. And that’s what people are doing. I also know that we are seeing a tremendous outpouring of energy and excitement about a Harris-Walz administration. We had a 15,000 person rally in Michigan two days after she announced her running mate. The other guy called it AI, but I was there. It was actually real people who are very excited about this. And so we have to earn the votes of every person. That means getting into the Jewish community, the Muslim community, the Arab community, the Palestinian community, all of whom call home in robust numbers, but all of whom are important. And, there’s there’s good work to do here, but I’m optimistic.
ABC NEWS: As you know, president — well former president — Donald Trump is expected to go campaign in Howell, Michigan, tomorrow. Many people are aware that a month ago, in Howell, KKK protesters marched in the streets with the white robes on and, and suggested that they support Donald Trump. I’m curious if you make anything about that connection and his going in particular to Howell tomorrow.
WHITMER: Well, you know, anyone who’s doing a little bit of research might have said that’s really a bad idea. Look at the optics. You’re showing up where the KKK was just at the same time you’re in Michigan. I mean, this is, I think a troubling, a troubling strategy that we see from the other side to divide us and to scare us and to stoke fear and anger and contrast to what we’re going to see here all week. This is a gathering of joyful, happy warriors. We are rolling up our sleeves. We’re doing the work. We take no one and no vote for granted. But by the same token, we’re not going to feed into the hatred and the otherism that we see routinely coming out of the Trump campaign.
ABC NEWS: In your book, “True Gretch,” and I want to quote, you say “You put on a leather jacket when you need true armor,” and “Don’t mess with the American women, we will fight back and we will win.” You talked about bringing your daughters here. Do you think that women are key in Michigan for Kamala Harris winning?
WHITMER: No question. No question at all. We saw, with our reproductive rights on the ballot two years ago, women would come to our events and say “I’m a Republican. I didn’t vote for you, but I’m out knocking doors for you because you’re the only one fighting for my rights.” People who have been expecting these 50-year rights would always be there, are now gone for our daughters across this country, are engaged. And so I do think that, the women’s votes are going to be very important in every election, but especially this one, especially in this historic moment too.
ABC NEWS: So each night we’re going to be talking to a governor from a battleground state like Michigan. And I’m curious for your state in particular, what do you think it’s going to need? What do you think your voters need, in order to get Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over the victory line?
WHITMER: Well, I think we get we show up, we do the work, we get into all 83 counties. We actually talk to voters, talk about the, you know, opportunity economy that Kamala Harris is, you know, addressing, saying every person deserves a path to prosperity, affordable housing and affordable way to get skills so we can get to a good paying job. The growth and manufacturing, we are seeing that in Michigan, it would not have happened but for the Biden-Harris administration. The cars that used to sit on lots waiting for chips are now moving, moving along the line, because we’re on on-shoring the supply chains. So I think that there are a lot of compelling things that Michiganders, are going to resonate with us. But I’m not going to assume everyone knows this. We got to make sure that they, that they appreciate what what really is at stake here.
ABC NEWS: And lastly before I let you go, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask. I know this is all about Harris and Walz now, but down the future, have you ruled out ever running for president yourself?
WHITMER: You know what? I’m voting for Harris-Walz this year. I plan to vote for them again in four years. So we’ll talk about what happens in eight years a while from now.
ABC NEWS: Alright Gov. Whitmer thank you so much for the time. Really appreciate you joining us.