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Kamala Harris Criticizes Donald Trump’s ‘Unhinged’ Remarks During Minnesota Speech

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Kamala Harris’ Campaign Slams Donald Trump for Attacks During Campaign Speech

In a recent campaign speech in Minnesota, Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her a “radical left lunatic” and labeling her as “evil” and “unhinged.” Trump’s remarks were filled with lies and baseless accusations, including claims that Harris would allow high immigration if elected and mocking her policies and laugh. Harris’ campaign quickly fired back, accusing Trump of being “unhinged” and clinging to lies about the 2020 election.

Trump’s address in Minnesota comes as his campaign targets the state in the upcoming presidential election. Despite polling data showing a close race between Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota, the state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, also joined in the attacks on Harris, claiming that the media has misled the public about her and comparing her to Martin Luther King Jr. These relentless attacks on Harris are expected to continue as the election draws nearer.

Donald Trump’s constant stream of narcissistic lies poses a significant threat to democracy, as it undermines the trust and integrity of the electoral process. By spreading misinformation and baseless accusations, Trump is eroding the foundation of democracy and sowing division among the American people. Source: [Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/)

There is extensive documentation of Trump’s falsehoods

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The Truth About Trump’s Lies: A Response to Anti-Trump Bias

In a recent letter to the editor, a writer claimed that there are no facts to support accusations of Donald Trump lying. However, the reality is that Trump has a long history of making false statements, particularly when it comes to issues like crime rates and the economy. Despite his claims of the U.S. being in decline, data from reputable sources like the New York Times show that the country is actually thriving under President Biden’s leadership.

One of the most concerning aspects of Trump’s constant lies is the threat they pose to democracy. When a leader consistently spreads misinformation and disregards facts, it undermines the trust of the public in the government and the media. This erosion of trust can lead to a breakdown in the democratic process, as citizens are unable to make informed decisions based on accurate information. It is crucial for the integrity of our democracy that we hold leaders like Trump accountable for their dishonesty and prioritize truth and transparency in our political discourse.

Source: [New York Times – “Don’t take Trump’s word for it. Check the data.”](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/opinion/trump-lies-charts-data.html)

Joe Biden should consider stepping aside for a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 US elections

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Analysis of the First Trump-Biden 2024 Debate: A Critical Look at Biden’s Performance

In a recent debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the former president’s lies went unchallenged as Biden struggled to deliver clear and intelligible statements. Trump falsely claimed that Democrats supported abortion at nine months and that he had lowered the cost of insulin, when it was actually Biden who did so. The lack of fact-checking during the debate allowed Trump to spread lie after lie, presenting him as a legitimate option for the highest office in the world.

Trump’s constant stream of lies, coupled with his ability to speak loudly and clearly, poses a significant threat to democracy. His manipulation of the truth and his narcissistic tendencies undermine the very foundations of a free and fair society, creating a dangerous environment where misinformation and deceit reign supreme. Source: [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/democrats)

Fact check: Trump made at least 10 false claims about Kamala Harris in a single rally speech


Washington
CNN
 — 

Former President Donald Trump made at least 10 false claims about Vice President Kamala Harris in his first campaign rally since she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump, speaking in North Carolina, attacked Harris at length with a flurry of assertions about her personal and political past, her record as vice president and her policy stances. We’re still looking into some of his claims, but at least 10 were wrong.

Here is a fact check.

Harris and the retirement age

Discussing Social Security, Trump claimed of President Joe Biden and Harris: “They’re talking about, he was talking, she’s talking about – lifting the retirement age.”

Facts First: This claim is false about Harris. She has not spoken in favor of raising the age for receiving Social Security retirement benefits. (Biden did, as a US senator in the 2000s and prior, express support for or openness to raising the retirement age, but he has been a vocal opponent of the idea as president.)

Harris has supported increasing, not reducing, Social Security benefits. In 2019, about two years before she became vice president, she co-sponsored a bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, called the Social Security Expansion Act, that would boost Social Security benefits by raising payroll taxes on high earners.

Harris and abortion

Trump said, “She wants abortions in the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy, that’s fine with her, right up until birth, and even after birth – the execution of a baby.” 

Facts First: Trump’s claim that Harris supports the execution of babies after birth is false. She has never said anything to endorse post-birth murder, which is illegal everywhere in the country; Trump has frequently claimed that some Democratic states allow such post-birth executions, but that claim is false, too.

Harris, a vocal supporter of abortion rights, has declined to endorse specific limits on how late in a pregnancy an abortion should be permitted to occur. According to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just 0.9% of reported abortions in 2020 occurred at 21 weeks gestation or later. Many of these abortions occur because of serious health risks or lethal fetal anomalies.

Harris has called for legislation restoring the protections of the Roe v. Wade decision that was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022; Roe allowed states to restrict abortion after the point of fetal viability, often considered to be around 23 to 24 weeks gestation, with exceptions for abortions necessary to protect the patient’s life or health. As a senator and vice president, Harris has supported a bill that would, like Roe, ensure abortion was available at least until fetal viability – and would also prohibit various state policies that make the process of providing or obtaining an abortion more onerous.

Asked about Trump’s comments, the Trump campaign provided various examples of Harris taking liberal positions on abortion policy and declining to endorse specific limits – but nothing to substantiate the claim that she supports “the execution of a baby” after birth.

Harris and red meat

Trump claimed, “Kamala even wants to pass laws to outlaw red meat to stop climate change.”

Facts First: This is false. Harris has never expressed support for passing laws to outlaw red meat. At a CNN climate change town hall in 2019, when she was running in the Democratic presidential primary, she expressed support for changing dietary guidelines to try to encourage Americans to reduce their consumption of red meat, but she also said “I love cheeseburgers from time to time” and that she favored using “incentives” and education to encourage healthy eating. 

After mentioning sodas and foods with copious sugar, Harris said in this same town hall answer that “the balance that we have to strike here, frankly, is about what government can and should do around creating incentives and then banning certain behaviors.” The phrase “banning certain behaviors” opened the door to claims that she wants to ban red meat. But she immediately proceeded to her comments about how she enjoys cheeseburgers and favors incentives to prod changes in behavior – making clear in context that she was expressing support for incentives rather than bans.

Asked about Trump’s claim about Harris wanting to outlaw red meat, the Trump campaign provided two citations that did not substantiate it: a YouTube video of Harris’ comments that was correctly titled “Kamala Harris Wants The Government To Create ‘Incentives’ For Americans to Eat Less Meat” and an article headlined, “Flashback: Kamala Harris said she would support eating less meat if elected president.”

Harris and Trump’s legal cases

Trump has claimed for months that Biden secretly orchestrated his criminal and civil legal cases. This time, he directed the claim at Harris. He said, “But it was all headed up by her. Because she’s a prosecutor.”

Facts FirstThis is false. There is simply no basis for claiming that Harris “headed up” the legal cases against him. Trump has never presented any evidence for this claim that Biden was the hidden hand behind his cases, let alone for suddenly switching the claim to make it about the vice president after months of saying it about the president.

There is no sign that Harris had any role in bringing charges against Trump in Manhattan, New York (where he was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records) or Fulton County, Georgia (where an election subversion case against Trump is on hold); those prosecutions have been led by elected local district attorneys. Trump’s two federal cases, one dismissed by a judge earlier this month, were brought by a special counsel, Jack Smith. Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Biden appointee, but that is not proof that Biden orchestrated the prosecutions – and certainly not proof that Harris did.

Harris’ immigration role

Trump claimed of Harris: “She was the border czar, but she never went to the border.”

Facts FirstTrump made two false claims here. First, Harris did go to the border as vice president, in Texas in mid-2021many Republicans had criticized Harris prior to the visit for not having gone, and some later argued that she didn’t go frequently enough, but the claim that she “never” went has not been true for more than three years. Second, Harris was never made Biden’s “border czar,” a label the White House has always emphasized is inaccurate. In reality, Biden gave Harris a more limited immigration-related assignment in 2021, asking her to lead diplomacy with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in an attempt to address the conditions that prompted their citizens to try to migrate to the United States.

Some Republicans have scoffed this week at assertions that Harris was never the “border czar,” noting on social media that news articles sometimes described Harris as such. But those articles were wrong. Various news outletsincluding CNN, reported as early as the first half of 2021 that the White House emphasized that Harris had not been put in charge of border security as a whole, as “border czar” strongly suggests, and had instead been handed a diplomatic task related to Central American countries.

A White House “fact sheet” in July 2021 said: “On February 2, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order that called for the development of a Root Causes Strategy. Since March, Vice President Kamala Harris has been leading the Administration’s diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.”

Biden’s own comments at a March 2021 event announcing the assignment were slightly more muddled, but he said he had asked Harris to lead “our diplomatic effort” to address factors causing migration in the three “Northern Triangle” countries (he also mentioned Mexico that day). Biden listed factors in these countries he thought had led to migration and said that “if you deal with the problems in-country, it benefits everyone.” And Harris’ comments that day were focused squarely on “root causes.”

Republicans can fairly say that even “root causes” work is a border-related task. But calling her “border czar” goes too far.

Harris and the number of migrants

Trump claimed that Harris “allowed 20 million illegal aliens to stampede into our country from all over the world.”

Facts FirstLeaving aside Trump’s claim about Harris’ own responsibility for migration levels, the“20 million” figure is false, a major exaggeration. The total number of “encounters” at the northern and southern border from February 2021 through June 2024, at both legal ports of entry and in between those ports, was about 10 million – and an “encounter” does not mean a person was let into the country; some people encountered are promptly sent away.

Even if you added the estimated number of Biden-era “gotaways” (people who evaded the Border Patrol to enter illegally), which House Republicans said in May was nearly two million, “the totals would still be vastly smaller than 15, 16 or 18 million,” Michelle Mittelstadt, spokesperson for the Migration Policy Institute think tank, said in late June after Trump used those figures.

The “encounters” figures can’t be described as figures on people successfully entering the US. Some encounters involve people who are deemed inadmissible at legal ports and are refused permission to enter. Also, the same person can be “encountered” multiple times if they keep returning to the border to try again – which is what happened in many cases under Biden when the Title 42 rapid-expulsion authority invoked by Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic was in place into May 2023.

Harris and fentanyl deaths

Shortly after claiming there is a “Kamala Harris invasion” of the border, Trump said, “We’re losing 300,000 people a year through fentanyl that comes through our border.”

Facts First: Trump’s “300,000” claim is false. The number of US overdose deaths in 2023 involving synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, was approximately 75,000, according to estimated and provisional data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said in May that roughly 107,500 people in the US died from a drug overdose involving any kind of drug in 2023; even that larger number is nowhere close to Trump’s “300,000.”  

When Trump made similar “300,000” claims earlier this year, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University, said “I have no idea where Trump is getting ‘300,000’ from and called it “a made-up number.”

While Kolodny said it’s likely that the number of US overdose deaths is undercounted, there is no apparent basis for Trump’s insistence that the real number is nearly triple the reported number. And Kolodny said the undercount issue is centered not on overdoses from illicit fentanyl smuggled across the southern border but on seniors’ overdoses from accidentally taking too much of their legal prescription medications.

It is also worth noting that fentanyl is largely smuggled by US citizens through legal ports of entry rather than by migrants sneaking into the country.

CNN’s Jen Christensen contributed to this item.

Harris and the Jewish community

Trump criticized Harris for not attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Wednesday speech to Congress (though Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, also did not attend); Harris, who is planning to hold a meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, traveled to Indianapolis on Wednesday to give a previously scheduled speech to a historically Black sorority.

That’s fair game for criticism. But Trump said after criticizing Harris’ absence: “Even if you’re against Israel or you’re against the Jewish people, show up and listen to the concept. But she’s totally against the Jewish people.”

Facts FirstTrump’s claim that Harris is “totally against the Jewish people” is nonsense. Harris has been married to a Jewish man, Doug Emhoff, for nearly 10 years – and she has repeatedly denounced antisemitism, expressed fondness for the Jewish community and its traditions, complimented Israel at length, and endorsed “America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.” Though she has sometimes been pointedly critical of the actions of Israel’s government during the war in Gaza, drawing criticism from conservative Jews and others, there is no evidence she has a general antipathy toward “the Jewish people” as Trump claimed.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service reported this week: “Over the course of her life and career, she has been surrounded by Jews, from her schoolmates to her colleagues to her closest family members. That background has given Harris, 59, an easy familiarity with Jewish spaces, say those who have interacted with her. She has also encouraged Emhoff to embrace his Jewish identity as the second gentleman; for the first time, mezuzahs have been installed at the vice presidential residence, and Emhoff has taken a leading role in the administration’s efforts to fight antisemitism.”

Harris and the bar exam

Trump claimed that Harris, a lawyer who was elected as San Francisco’s district attorney and then as California’s attorney general, “failed her law exams.” Then he continued, “You know that? She couldn’t pass her bar. She couldn’t pass her bar exams…Does anyone know that? … But she’s gonna be a great president, right? No, she couldn’t pass her bar exams. She couldn’t pass anything. Couldn’t pass everything. She couldn’t pass anything.”

Facts First: It’s not true that Harris “couldn’t pass anything.” She did fail on her first attempt to pass the bar exam, according to The New York Times, but then succeeded. She was admitted to the California bar in 1990, the year after she graduated from law school

Trump could fairly say that Harris couldn’t initially pass the bar exam, but his rally comments made it sound like she never passed at all.



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Trump and Vance campaign in Minnesota for Election 2024, criticize Harris on immigration and crime

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Republican Nominee Donald Trump and JD Vance Rally Supporters in St. Cloud, Minnesota

In a recent rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Donald Trump continued his pattern of spreading lies and misinformation, particularly targeting Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump accused Harris of wanting to defund the police and failing at her tasks related to the border, calling her a “crazy liberal” and “evil.” These baseless attacks are part of a larger strategy to undermine his political opponents and sow division among voters.

Despite being convicted of multiple felonies himself, Trump falsely claimed that Harris is unfit to be president due to her supposed failures at the border. He also wrongly accused her of supporting infanticide, a claim that has no basis in reality. Trump’s willingness to spread lies and misinformation not only undermines the integrity of the political process but also poses a threat to democracy by eroding trust in institutions and fostering a climate of division and distrust among the American public (source: AP News).

Furthermore, Trump’s relentless attacks on Harris and other political opponents demonstrate a dangerous trend of narcissistic lying, where he prioritizes his own interests and ego over the truth and the well-being of the country. This pattern of behavior not only sets a dangerous precedent for future leaders but also undermines the foundations of democracy by eroding trust in the electoral process and the institutions that uphold it.

Presidential Campaign Updates for July 28, 2024

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News: Kamala Harris’ Campaign Criticizes Elon Musk for Sharing Doctored Video

In a recent incident, Elon Musk shared a video with doctored or fake audio of Vice President Kamala Harris, falsely purporting her to describe herself as the “ultimate DEI hire.” The video, which Musk re-shared for his millions of followers, had been viewed over 73 million times, spreading misinformation and lies about Harris.

The Harris campaign spokesperson, Mia Ehrenberg, condemned Musk’s actions, stating, “We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” This incident highlights the dangerous impact of spreading false information and deepening the divide in an already polarized political landscape.

Donald Trump’s consistent pattern of narcissistic lying poses a significant threat to democracy by eroding trust in institutions, spreading misinformation, and undermining the integrity of the electoral process. It is crucial for the public to remain vigilant and fact-check information to combat the spread of falsehoods that can have far-reaching consequences. [Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/tech/elon-musk-daughter-vivian-jenna-wilson-criticizes-posts/index.html)]

Pete Buttigieg Educates Fox News on Trump’s Abortion Ban Misinformation

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Discussion between Pete Buttigieg and Shannon Bream on Trump’s Campaign Promises and Policies

The conversation between Buttigieg and Bream highlighted the numerous broken promises and lies that have characterized Trump’s presidency. From failing to deliver on economic growth and infrastructure bills to inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump’s track record of dishonesty was laid bare for viewers to see.

Buttigieg’s blunt assessment of Trump’s presidency serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of electing leaders who prioritize their own interests over the well-being of the country. His willingness to call out Trump’s lies and hold him accountable for his actions is a crucial step in safeguarding democracy and ensuring that truth and integrity prevail in politics.

Source: The Wrap

Full Interview with Lester Holt on NBC News: Biden discusses key issues

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Interview with President Joe Biden: Reflections on Recent Events and Future Plans

In a recent interview with President Joe Biden, he addressed the recent shooting incident involving his opponent, Donald Trump, at a political rally. Biden expressed his concern for Trump’s well-being and condemned the violence that has become all too common in American politics. However, the conversation quickly turned to the issue of Trump’s lies and divisive rhetoric, with Biden highlighting the numerous falsehoods Trump has spread, particularly during the debates.

Biden emphasized the importance of focusing on policy issues and the truth, rather than engaging in inflammatory rhetoric and spreading lies. He called out the media for not holding Trump accountable for the lies he told during the debates and stressed the need for a more honest and civil discourse in politics. Biden also addressed the security concerns raised by the recent shooting incident and called for a thorough investigation into any potential security failures.

In light of Trump’s continued lies and divisive behavior, it is clear that his narcissistic tendencies pose a significant threat to democracy. By spreading misinformation and sowing discord, Trump undermines the foundations of a democratic society, eroding trust in institutions and fueling polarization. It is crucial for leaders like Biden to stand up against such behavior and work towards a more united and truthful political landscape. (Source: [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com))

Preview of False Claims in Tonight’s Presidential Debate

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Analysis of Crime, Elections, and the World

In a series of false claims, former President Donald Trump has been spreading misinformation about crime rates and election results, despite evidence to the contrary. Trump has falsely asserted that crime has surged since he left office in 2021, painting a picture of chaos and violence in Democratic-led cities that is not supported by the data. Additionally, he continues to perpetuate the baseless lie that he was the true winner of the 2020 election, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the democratic process.

These lies not only undermine the truth and erode public trust in institutions, but they also pose a significant threat to democracy itself. By spreading falsehoods about crime rates and election results, Trump is sowing division and discord among the American people, creating a climate of fear and mistrust. This deliberate manipulation of facts for personal gain undermines the very foundation of democracy, which relies on an informed and engaged citizenry to function effectively.

As a source of information, the Associated Press has been instrumental in fact-checking and debunking Trump’s false claims, providing a vital service in the fight against misinformation and disinformation. By holding public figures accountable for their statements and providing accurate information to the public, news organizations like the AP play a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of our democratic processes. [Source: [AP News](https://apnews.com/)]

Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race | News







Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in West Allis, Wisconsin, on July 23.




(CNN) — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are entering the last 100 days of one of the fastest-moving and least predictable campaign seasons in memory, after a historic month upended the 2024 presidential race.

The ground has shifted under both political parties since June 27, when President Joe Biden’s poor performance in his debate with Trump threw the Democratic Party into chaos and prompted Trump’s team to eye an expanded electoral map.

The race was rattled yet again after the former president survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Just days later, he chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate and rallied the Republican Party at its convention in Milwaukee.

Then, a week ago, Biden announced his exit from the race – and pointed to Harris, his vice president, as his successor. Within 36 hours, Harris had rallied the party behind her candidacy, locking down enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee.

Then she hit the ground running, holding events with voters in the swing state of Wisconsin on Tuesday, a Black sorority on Wednesday and teachers on Thursday. Friday morning, she touted the endorsements of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Trump has responded to Harris’ apparent momentum with a series of personal attacks. At recent campaign stops, he has referred to her as “evil,” mocked her laugh and the pronunciation of her name, and said that “the American dream is dead” if Harris wins in November. The vice president responded at a Saturday fundraiser that the attacks by Trump and his running mate were “plain weird.”

Polls are only beginning to capture the new state of play in a race that now has no clear leader.

A Democratic vice presidential pick and convention, as well as potential debates between Harris and Trump and between their running mates, could further shake up the 2024 contest in the 100 days between now and Election Day, November 5.







Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race

Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are entering the last 100 days of the 2024 election.




Trump escalates attacks on Harris

The issues and lines of attack that are animating both campaigns are increasingly coming into view.

Trump’s campaign has focused on inflation, border security and crime – and the former president is arguing that Harris bears just as much blame as Biden on those issues and that she is more liberal than her boss.

However, Trump has also escalated his attacks on Harris, criticizing her in deeply personal terms at campaign events Friday and Saturday.

At a conservative Christian gathering in Florida on Friday, he said that Harris had been “a bum three weeks ago” before her ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket and dubbed her “the most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history.” He also said he “couldn’t care less” about mispronouncing her first name.

Then, at a Saturday night rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Trump called Harris “evil” over her handling of the border and said that if “a crazy liberal like Kamala Harris gets in, the American dream is dead.”

He also mocked his Democratic opponent’s laugh, claiming that the media was trying to portray Harris as a “Margaret Thatcher,” referring to the late British prime minister, but that “it’s not gonna happen,” because “Margaret Thatcher didn’t laugh like that.”

A Harris spokeswoman responded to Trump’s Minnesota speech by slamming the GOP nominee as a “bitter, unhinged, 78-year-old convicted felon.”

On Friday, Trump said protesters who sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti in Washington on Wednesday were Harris supporters, even though the vice president condemned their actions. He criticized her for skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, without noting that Harris met privately with Netanyahu and that his own running mate also didn’t attend the speech. And Trump said that Harris “doesn’t like Jewish people. She doesn’t like Israel. That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it’s always gonna be.” Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

Trump, who continues to peddle falsehoods and raise fears about election fraud, also drew heat on social media for telling the Florida audience that if he wins in November, they won’t have to vote again.

“You won’t have to do it anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians. I’m a Christian. … You gotta get out and vote,” the former president said. “In four years, you won’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote.”

Harris, at a Western Massachusetts fundraiser on Saturday, said that the former president was pushing “wild lies” about her record and that the attacks by Trump and Vance were “plain weird.”

“I mean, that’s the box you put that in, right?” Harris told supporters.

In campaign events since emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Harris is taking on Trump over abortion rights and casting him as a threat to freedom.

“We are seeing a full-on agenda that is now about restricting rights, and one of the most fundamental rights, the right to make decisions about your own body,” she said at the Massachusetts fundraiser. “If there are those who dare to take the freedom to make such a fundamental decision for an individual, which is about one’s own body, what other freedoms could be on the table for the taking?”

Harris has also been pointing to the former president’s legal troubles. In remarks to campaign staffers Monday – her first time delivering a brief version of her new stump speech – she recalled her time as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, saying that she “took on perpetrators of all kinds.”

“Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own game,” Harris said. “So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type.”







Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race

Former President Donald Trump is pictured at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18.




Veepstakes, convention questions

Among the next orders of business for Harris’ campaign is to accomplish two tasks in a period of days or weeks that Trump’s campaign achieved over months.

First, she must choose a running mate.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder is leading a team that is poring through financial documents, family histories, public statements, published documents, voting records, campaign experience and social media postings. Tony West, Harris’ brother-in-law and a former associate attorney general under Holder, is also playing a central role in the search.

Democrats close to the process say the roster of leading contenders being vetted still includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has developed a close relationship with Harris and has also been previously vetted and confirmed by the Senate, is also under consideration, along with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, sources say.

Many of those potential picks have been offering Harris’ campaign informal glimpses of how they’d perform as her running mate through appearances on cable news shows.

Democratic pollsters have been asked to test how Harris and the prospective candidates would fare in their home states – and in key battlegrounds – in hypothetical matchups against Trump and Vance.

Harris has told the team of lawyers and advisers conducting one of the most accelerated vice presidential searches in modern American history that she plans to name her running mate before August 7.

Then, Harris’ campaign and its allies must rapidly revise plans for the Democratic National Convention, which is set to start on August 19 in Chicago.

Instead of nominating Biden for a second term, Democrats will use the convention to showcase the outgoing president passing the baton to Harris – and could alter the party’s programming to better align with the vice president’s personality and political appeal.

Her campaign must also identify Harris’ best path toward 270 Electoral College votes. Biden’s hopes of a second term were thought to reside primarily in sweeping the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Harris, though, has been polling better among young and non-White voters – and could prove more viable in the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina that appeared to be moving away from Biden.







Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race

Trump and President Joe Biden debate at CNN’s Atlanta studios on June 27.




Debating the debates

One of the biggest questions, now that Harris has replaced Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee, is whether she will face Trump on the debate stage.

The June 27 clash on CNN between Trump and Biden had already transformed the race. And a Trump-Harris debate could shape the race’s final weeks perhaps more than any other event.

Biden and Trump had agreed to another debate – one that would take place on September 10, hosted by ABC. Harris said she would participate in that debate.

“I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage. And so, I’m ready. Let’s go,” she told reporters Thursday.

However, Trump’s campaign released a statement indicating that the former president wouldn’t commit to any future debates until the Democratic nominee is formally selected.

“Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement Thursday.

That prompted Harris to reply on social media: “What happened to ‘any time, any place?’”

Coconut trees and ‘childless cat ladies’

Perhaps the clearest indicator of the political earthquake that’s taken place in recent days is the shift in cultural vibes and viral moments.

Just a week ago, Republicans were riding high after a convention in Milwaukee at which Trump’s reaction to the assassination attempt days earlier – his right fist raised in the air as he mouthed “Fight” to the crowd – had become a rallying cry.

Now, Democrats – who were previously fretting about slow fundraising, a disengaged base and slippage in support among young, Black and Latino voters – are rallying behind a candidate with more cultural cachet among those same voters. And Republicans are on defense, with Trump’s vice presidential pick, Vance, having to defend prior comments that could alienate the suburban women the Trump ticket is courting.

Vance has come under fire over comments he made as a Senate candidate on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show in 2021.

He told Carlson that the United States is being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” He then specifically mentioned Harris, Buttigieg and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples.

Vance did not acknowledge that Harris has two stepchildren with her husband. Buttigieg, who has since become a father to two children, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday that he and his husband were struggling with “a fairly heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey” when Vance made the remark.

Actress Jennifer Aniston criticized Vance for the comment as someone who has struggled to have children and said she prays his daughter is “fortunate enough to bear children.”

In an interview Friday with conservative host Megyn Kelly on SiriusXM, Vance said he was being sarcastic and the substance of what he said has been lost. He said he was criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming “anti-family.”

“The simple point that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do think it changes your perspective, and in a pretty profound way,” Vance said.

Vance said it’s a “catastrophic problem” that the United States has the “lowest birth rate in our history in this country.” As CNN previously reported, the United States’ fertility rate has been trending down for decades, and in 2023 it reached the lowest rate in a century. Vance said his remarks about childless adults had been motivated in part by a conversation with his wife about balancing life as a working mother.

“What a weird society that we’ve set up where moms who want to work, the thought that a lot of them are having is, ‘I can’t have more babies because it’s going to be bad for my career,’” Vance said. “How about we make the workplace more accommodating to working moms and working dads so that we can promote a real culture of life?”

Harris, on the other hand, has been the beneficiary of a series of viral moments.

Charli XCX, the British pop singer, declared the vice president “brat,” which is the title of her sixth studio album and a Gen Z summer soundtrack. It set off an avalanche of posts on TikTok, Twitter and other social media platforms featuring the same shade of bright green as the album cover and video compilations of Harris.

Then, there were the coconut memes, revisiting a May 2023 speech in which Harris spoke about “a difference between equality and equity.”

“None of us just live in a silo. Everything is in context,” she said in that speech. “My mother used to – she would give us a hard time sometimes – and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’”

Since then, coconuts and coconut tree imagery have been used online in support of Harris, with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis even posting an endorsement of the vice president on social media that was communicated through three emojis: a coconut, a palm tree and an American flag.

“What we’re seeing is a really classic example of when pop culture really gets intertwined with politics, and it takes a special kind of candidate and a special kind of leader to inspire that,” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 27-year-old Democrat, said on CNN. “It has to be organic. You can’t make it happen.”

Harris’ previous remarks revisited

There were signs that after a launch that had gone better than Democrats could have hoped, Harris’ previous remarks were coming under fresh scrutiny.

CNN’s KFile reported Friday that Harris voiced support for “defund the police” in a radio interview in June 2020 amid nationwide protests for police reform, just months before denouncing the movement after she had joined the Biden presidential campaign.

“This whole movement is about rightly saying, ‘We need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities,’” Harris said on a New York-based radio program on June 9, 2020, adding that US cities were “militarizing police” but “defunding public schools.”

On Saturday, ahead of the campaign rally in Minnesota, the Trump campaign released a video that slammed Harris for her “soft on crime policies,” highlighting her 2020 support on social media for a fund that bailed out protesters in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund is one of several US charities dedicated to helping low-income defendants post bail that boomed in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. However, the fund, in addition to other charitable bail groups, later came under fire after some defendants who were bailed out were arrested again for alleged acts of violent crime.

As Trump’s campaign adjusts its tactics for the race against Harris, the former president has made clear on social media and on the trail that he plans to make political ideology an issue.

“We’re not ready for a Marxist President,” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social, “and Lyin’ Kamala Harris is a RADICAL LEFT MARXIST, AND WORSE!”

Trump had long criticized Biden over border security. He is similarly blasting Harris – who early in Biden’s presidency was tapped to tackle the root cause of migration from Central America. The Republican National Committee on Thursday posted a video on social media featuring assorted clips of Harris saying that an undocumented immigrant was not a criminal.

Down-ballot Republicans have similarly begun attacking Harris as too liberal.

In Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in one of the year’s most important races, posted a video Tuesday featuring Casey praising Harris – followed by a series of clips of Harris speaking in support of eliminating private health insurance, passing the progressive “Green New Deal,” abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a mandatory gun buyback program and more.

On Friday, McCormick posted a slightly shorter version of the video.

“Starting this Monday, Pennsylvanians watching the Olympics will also see Bob Casey and Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal agenda on display,” he said.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, Kit Maher, Terence Burlij, Sam Fossum, Alayna Treene, Alison Main, Kim Berryman, Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire

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