Harris Contemplating the Great Battle
Harris-Trump Distant Combat
Harris is thinking about the great battle as Biden and his deputy appeared in public for the first time since the President’s withdrawal from the 2024 United States election campaign, while Trump never misses an opportunity to attack his opponent. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appeared together on stage in Maryland, but the cheers were almost entirely for her.
In short, an interesting snapshot of an unusual event that, for the first time since the White House tenant’s announcement of withdrawal from the presidential election campaign, shows two senior members of the US government side by side after months of criticism and controversy.
What was supposed to be an organizational gathering focusing on reducing prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients quickly turned into an election rally where Biden renewed his support for Harris just days after the Chicago Democratic Convention, the last major party event before the 2024 US elections.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the trench, former US President Donald Trump once again tried to divert attention from Harris by holding a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, during which he launched severe criticisms and attacks against his opponents, most notably the current Vice President Harris, whom he now sees as a tangible threat.
Harris’s operation was successful.
During this event at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, a city in Maryland about a half-hour drive from Washington, D.C., Biden and Harris announced agreements to reduce drug costs under the Medicare negotiation program, including treatments for diabetes and heart failure.
As the Washington Post emphasizes, this gathering was advertised as an official White House event but clearly had a political framework, which Biden made evident from the first minute of his speech.
Referring to Harris, he said, ‘Boy, do I have an incredible partner for the progress we’ve made,’ adding, ‘She will be an extraordinary president.’
In turn, Harris dedicated most of her speech to praising Biden and his leadership, but according to US press reports, the public’s preference was clear from the start, as every time the Vice President’s name was mentioned instead of Biden’s, there were cheers.
This event reflects a complex political moment for Democratic leaders as Biden seeks to positively conclude his experiences in the White House while wanting to give Harris credit and increase her chances of winning, while Harris tries to defend her candidacy for the presidency without disrespecting Biden or overshadowing him.
Alarm Bells for Trump
Harris’s election campaign, which began a month ago, has so far been characterized by an inclusive style focused on building a better future, arguing that fundamentally, Trump and the Republicans want to take America backward.
The former president, in his counter-event in New Jersey, launched significant attacks against Harris with full force.
As emphasized by The Hill, which is very attentive to what happens in the corridors of Washington, it seems that Trump is increasingly angry about the fact that polls show how Harris’s entry into the field has erased his advantage over Biden.
This New York businessman has used a wide range of names for Harris, calling her a communist who is destroying the whole world or even a radical liberal from California.
Trump then criticized the economic results of the Biden-Harris administration, arguing that mortgage rates are now around 10 percent.
In fact, on Thursday, August 15, the average 30-year mortgage interest rate in the United States was 6.5 percent.
When asked if personal attacks on Harris might backfire, Trump openly defended his right to attack opponents, saying, ‘I think I have the right to make personal attacks. I don’t have much respect for her.’
I don’t have much respect for her intelligence and I think she would be a terrible president.
What to Expect
The next event in the 2024 United States is the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago.
At the Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, Trump was almost greeted as a god-like figure after surviving an assassination attempt just days before.
Now it is the Democrats’ task to support their candidate and her new deputy, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
When Biden withdrew from the White House race, the delegates he had gathered during the primaries became uncommitted to him.
While they were free to support any candidate they wanted, Harris quickly solidified her support among party members, including the Clintons, the Obamas, and Biden himself, and earlier this month was officially nominated by about 4,000 delegates in a virtual vote.
Therefore, the convention in Illinois will likely be an electoral and programmatic event.
Harris, the first Black woman nominated for the US presidency, will have the opportunity to give her campaign a more defined identity, set its pace, and launch its slogans.
She could also express her views on major domestic policy issues like abortion or foreign policy issues like the crisis in the Middle East.
In the end, the number two in the government can honorably bid farewell to the man who brought her to the White House, current US President Joe Biden.
The first public appearance of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after the President’s withdrawal from the re-election race presents an image of a united and confident Democratic Party, which may be more theatrical than real.
Harris arrives at the convention with the strength of the favor expressed by the delegates towards her candidacy and polls that give her an advantage over Donald Trump both nationally and in several key states.
The Vice President is not a candidate without weaknesses, weaknesses that, if overly exposed, could increase the risk of clearly revealing the fractures that exist within the Democratic world in Chicago.
Beyond the chaotic attacks of the past few days, the Republican campaign has begun to exploit these weak points.
In this regard, Biden’s presence on the stage at Prince George’s Community College is seen as a clear and strong signal of cohesion to the people and voters, as well as a reassuring message for those concerned that Harris, if she reaches the White House, might stray too far from the current administration’s agenda.
