The Republicans’ attacks on Kamala Harris were bad – they are getting worse

Opinion polls suggest that US Vice President Kamala Harris is doing slightly better against Donald Trump than Joe Biden, but Republican attacks against her are only now starting to ramp up.

Even as a vice presidential candidate, Harris was the target of a barrage of conservative attacks, including claims that she had slacked her way into political prominence – a common slur against women in positions of power. The anti-Harris rhetoric is part of what a report by the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan think tank, describes as a broad pattern of gendered and sexualized attacks on prominent women in public discourse.

More recently, these comments have been joined by attacks from conservative politicians who have branded Harris a “border czar” – an attempt to link her to immigration, a sensitive issue for conservatives.

The fierce attacks that have taken place so far are just a fraction of what is to come. Trump is adept at both character assassination and political self-defense. Taken together, they add up to an extraordinary ability to defeat his political rivals once they enter the presidential race.

But Harris also has sharp rhetorical skills that could make the election campaign bitter.

Trump’s alternative facts

As I explain in my book Presidential Communication and Character, Trump is adept at channeling white working-class anger into political support for himself and convincing his supporters to overlook the former president’s well-documented professional and personal failings.

Trump’s character generates lasting contempt among liberals, but these voters will support the Democratic candidate.

In 2016, Trump defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He also defeated several well-known Republican presidential candidates in the primaries, including Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as former governors Jeb Bush of Florida, John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

In early 2024, Trump easily defeated another round of experienced Republicans, most notably Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Like his other opponents, President Biden has long endured Trump’s personal attacks. But in 2020, Trump’s original nickname, “Sleepy Joe,” was not as effective as his insults against other politicians, and Biden’s election was Trump’s only electoral defeat.

As the 2024 election approached, Trump and conservative voices again demonstrated their immense influence in shaping political narratives, convincing many voters this year to absolve Trump for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ignore that he had created a Supreme Court majority to overturn Roe v. Wade, and to agree with him that the 2020 election was stolen.

Even more impressive evidence of Trump’s skill in political marketing are polls that show that many voters are following his example and condemning Biden for the actually quite good economic situation in the USA.

Unemployment is low. Job growth is booming. Infrastructure projects are underway. Inflation is now much lower than it was at the start of Biden’s term, and private retirement accounts are well-filled thanks to big stock market gains.

Given Trump’s masterful PR skills – and the susceptibility of many voters to his lies – one might wonder how the Biden team managed to withstand the never-ending rhetorical attack and keep the election as close as the polls had suggested until recently.

During a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20, 2024, Trump attacked both Biden and Harris, repeatedly calling Biden “stupid” and insulting his IQ. But Harris, Trump said, was “crazy.”

“I call her the laughing Kamala,” Trump told the crowd. “You can tell a lot by a laugh. She’s crazy. She’s crazy.”

A former prosecutor against a convicted felon

Given the political developments, Biden’s withdrawal from the election campaign suggests that Trump is now getting a taste of his own medicine.

Harris’ previous record as a U.S. senator, challenging Trump administration officials and the former president’s judicial nominees, shows that she is one of the most effective Democratic officials at holding Republicans accountable.

Her career as attorney general and prosecutor also allows her to use law-and-order issues to fight back against America’s first former president convicted of a serious crime.

Biden’s departure could provide Harris with another big opportunity to rewrite the character assassination story, because the focus on age can now turn against Republicans. Trump now holds the record as the oldest presidential candidate of a major party, and a key issue he used against Biden will likely backfire against the former president.

For voters, the election campaign promises to be a devastating era.