On Wednesday afternoon, Kamala Harris stood in front of the vice-presidential residence in Washington DC, and delivered a short but withering attack on her Republican presidential opponent. She called Donald Trump “increasingly unhinged and unstable” on Wednesday afternoon, as she cited critical comments made by John Kelly, Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff, in a New York Times interview.
According to the vice-president, Kelly had described the President as somebody who “certainly falls into the general definition of fascists” and who had made “several” statements regarding Hitler that were approving.
She charged her rival wanted “unchecked power” and then, in a CNN Town Hall, was asked point-blank if she thought him a “fascist”. “Yes, I do,” she replied. The Trump campaign quickly labeled the Democratic candidate a purveyor of lies. Desperate is how she is becoming, spokesman Steven Cheung said because “she is flailing, and her campaign is in shambles.”
In the final stretch of political campaigns – especially one as closely contested and intensely fought over as the 2024 presidential race – there’s an understandable urge for them to get negative. Attacks tend to be more effective in motivating supporters to head to the polls and disrupting the opposition campaigns.
For Harris, at least, though, the harder hand toward Trump contrasts with the more positive, “joyful” messaging of the early days of her campaign.
While she did warn at the Democratic convention of a Trump presidency without guardrails, Harris largely stepped back from President Joe Biden’s core campaign message that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. According to political strategist Matt Bennett, of the centrist Democratic group Third Way, however, it’s clear why Harris was quick this time to amplify Kelly’s dark portrait of Trump as a man with authoritarian tendencies. “Everything she does now is tactical,” he said. “The imperative was to make sure as many voters as possible know about what Kelly said.”
The vice-president’s latest remarks come on the heels of a multi-week strategy by her campaign to appeal to independent voters and moderate Republicans who could be open to supporting the Democratic ticket. The suburbs around the biggest cities in key battleground states – Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee and Phoenix, for instance – are populated by college-educated professionals who have traditionally voted for Republicans but who polls indicate have doubts about returning Trump to the White House.
“Her case for how she wins this thing is to create as broad a coalition as possible and bring over disaffected Republicans – people who just don’t feel that they can vote for Trump again,” Mr Bennett said.
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A Notable Shift in Tone
Harris has always been a fervent crusader for democratic values, but her recent characterization of Trump as a fascist is striking, in light of the difference from her past years in office. When Harris was first elected vice president, she adopted a message of “joy” and optimism. Her message was healing divisions within the country and leading with unity. The symbolism of her inauguration — the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first South Asian woman to hold the office — carried an air of historic progress and possibility.
However, the political climate has changed dramatically since then. Trump’s reemergence on the political scene and his influence on the Republican Party have prompted many Democratic leaders, including Harris, to sound the alarm about the dangers they believe Trump represents.
The Growing Fear of Authoritarianism
Not calling Trump a fascist doesn’t preclude that Harris is defining what many Democrats hold as an increasing threat of authoritarianism in the United States. From the January 6th Capitol riot to Trump’s continued questioning of the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Harris and others believe Trump’s actions and those of his most fervent supporters reflect a dangerous disregard for democratic norms.
Even while always being a polarizing figure, this new label from Harris reflects a heightened level of stake in the election to come. The vice president is at pains to tell voters that this is no longer a question of partisan differences but, rather, a fundamental struggle over the very nature of the American government itself.
Balance between Hope and Urgency
Harris’s trajectory from “joy” to warnings about fascism doesn’t indicate a abandonment of hope for a better future. In fact, many have perceived this as an evolution in her approach-a recognition that the fight for democracy requires not just optimism but also vigilance.
For Harris, this is not a purely political or even personal election, but deeply so. She reckons that the future of democratic values such as voting rights, equality, and justice hang in the balance. By calling out Trump in such stark terms, she wants to rally a broad coalition of voters who may be skeptical of Trump’s influence and concerned about the erosion of democratic norms.
The Broader Impact
Harris’s comments already sparked plenty of debate. The opponents claim this kind of rhetoric just increases the divisions within an already fractured nation. However, supporters argue that it is just a necessary step to stop them against the perceived continued assault by Trump on democracy.
This new framing— from “joy” to the fight against fascism—may also presage the overall tone of the Democratic campaign in 2024. Facing a likely Trump-led Republican primary field, Democrats such as Harris must prepare for one of the most consequential elections in modern U.S. history.
As election season looms, the rhetoric will certainly reflect the dual need for hope and urgency as she sees it-a critical moment in the future of the country. In this acutely tense political moment, words will be weighed not only by history but also by the press:
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