Harris Slammed For Hateful Closing Message to Voters
Vice President Kamala Harris faced a surge of criticism this week for what many are calling a “hateful” final message to voters, which, rather than focusing on policy, seemed directed at painting her opponent, former President Donald Trump, in a negative light.
In an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, The Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway called Harris' choice of a closing message “curious,” noting that it didn’t seem to offer a compelling reason for Americans to vote for her.
MacCallum pointed out that earlier in the day, President Joe Biden appeared to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage,” reacting to a joke about trash in Puerto Rico by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally the previous weekend.
“It’s surprising there wasn’t even an apology from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris for the remarks,” Hemingway stated. “You mentioned Kamala Harris distanced herself from these comments, but it wasn’t by much. She made an inaccurate claim, suggesting she doesn’t like to disparage voters who don’t support her.
“The issue is that her campaign, and Harris herself, have spent much of the last few months branding those who don’t support her as racists, bigots, and recently even Nazis. Today, her running mate labeled Trump supporters as Nazis. So, it’s difficult to distance herself from Biden’s rhetoric when her campaign’s messaging aligns closely,” Hemingway continued.
MacCallum then played a clip of Trump responding to Biden’s “garbage” remark at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
“Garbage, I think, is worse, right? (…) Please forgive him, for he not knoweth what he said. (…) It’s terrible to say such a thing, but honestly, he just doesn’t know,” Trump commented.
In response, MacCallum said, “But in reality, as we’ve seen from the Biden-Harris Administration, they’ve been going after Trump supporters for quite some time. Here’s a quick montage to remind viewers,” before showing clips of Biden making divisive statements about Trump and his supporters.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. (…) This MAGA threat endangers both our democratic institutions and the character of our nation. (…) He speaks of America’s blood as ‘poisoned,’ echoing Nazi Germany. (…) The MAGA Republicans, led by a defeated president, are trying to rewrite history,” Biden said in the video clips.
“They’re really doubling down on this message, aren’t they, Mollie?” MacCallum observed.
“Well, it’s a close race. But Kamala Harris’s support is far lower than where Joe Biden was four years ago or Hillary Clinton eight years ago. This is a puzzling final message, though,” Hemingway said. “What you showed just a moment ago—Trump’s closing message is: ‘I’ll fix it.’”
“That gives people a reason to vote for him. Harris’s message seems to be, ‘You’re a terrible person if you don’t vote for me.’ And I’m not sure—it may work; we’ll see next week, but it doesn’t come across as the hopeful or joyful tone she claims to want,” she added.
“Why do you think this shift happened?” MacCallum asked. “She actually saw her highest approval right after her convention, what I call the big switcheroo, the change in the candidates. That was her peak. Why, then, has her message taken on this darker tone in recent months?”
“Well, campaigns tend to reflect the personality of the presidential candidate. Harris’s own message lacks coherence, and it appears to be impacting her campaign,” Hemingway noted. “Another factor is that Trump’s favorability ratings are at their highest ever, and she’s clearly aiming to bring those down.”
MacCallum concluded by noting that Trump’s latest favorability rating from a Fox News poll stood at 53 percent, the highest it has been, even when he was in office.