Republicans step up attacks on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s political future hangs in the balance

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As the future of Joe Biden’s candidacy remains uncertain, Republicans have another target in their sights: Vice President Kamala Harris.

Members of the president’s party – donors, lawmakers and politically active celebrities – have joined the chorus of calls for Biden to resign. But the president himself remained defiant, telling supporters in Michigan on Friday: “I’m running, and we’re going to win.”

Trump’s campaign team reportedly does not want to face any other candidate than Biden. Nevertheless, Republicans appear to be preparing for Harris to rise to the top of the ballot list. After the debate, she became the target of sexist and racist attacks from Republicans.

In 2020, Harris made history in several ways. When she was sworn in, she became the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian to be elected Vice President of the United States.

Republicans have focused on these facts in recent days — completely ignoring her years of experience on the political stage. This includes some Republicans suggesting she is a DEI candidate, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Democrats “have to choose between a mentally incompetent president and a DEI vice president,” Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy recently told Fox Business.

Amazingly, he wasn’t the only one to make this offensive remark. Former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka expressed the same sentiment in an even more offensive way when he said on Newsmax this week, “She’s a DEI employee, right? She’s a woman. She’s of color, so she must be good.”

The New York Post The racist scene was also fueled by a columnist on July 6 with an article headlined “America Could Soon Have the Country’s First DEI President: Kamala Harris.”

Some have attacked the intelligence of the former district attorney and attorney general of California.

Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who also served as Trump’s White House doctor, sharply criticized Harris: “She has to be the vice president with the lowest IQ this country has ever had.”

Failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also claimed that Harris had a “low IQ.”

Although she has served as Vice President for over three years, her competence and qualifications are questioned by others.

Earlier this week, Trump mocked Harris herself: “If Joe had picked someone even halfway competent, they would have thrown him out of office years ago. But they can’t do that because she has to be their second choice.”

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro claimed the vice president “couldn’t put a sentence together” before suggesting that she is often under the influence of drugs: “I think she likes to have fun.”

Some strategists said they were not surprised by the recent spate of Republican attacks on Harris – or how they are portraying them.

“Republicans are attacking Harris with these hackneyed racist phrases because they really have no idea how to take on a woman who is smarter and tougher than their wannabe strongman Trump,” said Jess McIntosh, a Democratic strategist and former communications adviser to Hillary Clinton, who Wall Street Journal.

“It’s about things like attacks on her intelligence, attacks on the tone of her voice, her laughter, the exclusionary language,” said Karen Finney, Democratic strategist and former spokeswoman for Clinton in 2016, The guard“These are pretty common stereotypes used against women.”

Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary under Biden, attributed Harris’ lack of popularity on Wednesday’s “Pod Save America” ​​show to the fact that “we live in a sexist and racist country.”

Despite discriminatory comments, Harris has gained in the polls, suggesting that she has a better chance of defeating Trump in a hypothetical election campaign than Biden.

According to a poll conducted by Democratic polling agency Bendixen & Amandi, Biden is trailing Trump by a narrow margin of 42 percent to 43 percent, while Harris has overtaken Trump by a margin of 42 percent to 41 percent.

In an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, respondents also preferred Harris over Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head race against Trump.

Forty-nine percent of respondents said they would support Harris, while 46 percent would support Trump. However, if Biden and Trump were to face off, the president would be supported by only 46 percent of respondents, while Trump would be narrowly ahead with 47 percent of respondents.

Harris is scheduled to speak at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, just a day after Biden again pledged to stay in the race.