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Why can’t Trump limit himself to criticism of Kamala Harris that is based on reality?

VaselineSeptember 5, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Why can’t Trump limit himself to criticism of Kamala Harris that is based on reality?

Over the years, Americans have come to know Donald Trump. By and large, they are not impressed: The latest ABC News/Ipsos poll found that only a third of American voters had a positive opinion of the former president.

In theory, the Republican campaign could spend heavily on advertising in 2024 to boost the GOP candidate’s popularity, but in practice, those involved in the process realize that it is far too late. As a Washington Post report on Labor Day summarized, “With little chance of improving Trump’s standing, Trump’s advisers see the only option as damaging (Vice President Kamala Harris’s position).”

When it comes to campaign strategy, this one isn’t complicated: If the 2024 race hinges on whether the electorate likes the former president or not, he loses. With few options, Team Trump feels it has no choice but to trash the Democratic nominee.

But while the plan seems simple, its execution begins in a deceptive manner.

The problem isn’t that Trump is reluctant to attack Harris. On the contrary, he seems desperate to do so. Rather, the problem is that the Republican nominee has been unable to deliver criticism that is rooted in reality.

For example, Team Trump recently released a campaign ad claiming that Harris “literally unleashed the IRS to harass tipped workers.” That never happened. Team Trump then released another ad making several claims about the vice president and the U.S.-Mexico border, none of which are true.

The Republican candidate has told voters that Harris is a “communist.” He has said that Harris has “killed” American troops. He has insisted that the Democratic candidate is trying to ban gas stoves. Every one of these lines of attack is completely insane.

But Trump has lately been particularly interested in the work the vice president did when she was a student. At a conservative event late last week, the GOP candidate declared:

“She also said, ‘I worked at McDonald’s.’ Turns out she didn’t work at McDonald’s. Did anyone see that? After a thorough investigation, which took about 20 minutes, they found out she never worked there. So, you know, there’s a lot of fake news going on.”

Apparently his audience found this funny, as was evident from a video clip.

A day later, he posted a message on his social media platform saying, “Kamala said she worked at McDonalds — she never did. Lie!” Two days later, Trump returned to the topic, insisting that Harris “never worked at McDonalds.”

Harris actually worked at McDonald’s. She didn’t put it on her resume when she applied for a job with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in 1987 because it didn’t seem particularly relevant to the position, but it doesn’t change the fact that she flipped French fries and worked the cash register just like many other young people across the country.

Or, put another way, Trump lied about Harris lying.

But if we step back, the broader circumstances should probably give Republicans pause. The Democratic nominee has decades of public service, as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and vice president. If the GOP nominee and his team want to investigate her record, there should be plenty of accurate things to pick from.

So why is Trump relying so heavily on fabricated nonsense? If Harris is as bad as her partisan critics claim, why can’t Trump just tell the truth?

VaselineSeptember 5, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Vaseline

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