But Trump's campaign is
now on offense with his vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance is
leading an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris' new running mate Tim Walz's
military record and credibility. Focusing on the Minnesota governor and
claiming that he withdrew from a deployment to Iraq to run for Congress in 2005
by retiring from the Army National Guard represents the hard fake reality of a
major national campaign against opponents for whom there is no issue limit .
Harris and Walz energized
the Democratic base with two spirited rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan,
injecting fresh enthusiasm into a party that had been struggling. Harris, drawing
inspiration from Trump’s playbook, made a dramatic entrance aboard Air Force
Two in Michigan, reminiscent of Trump’s grandiose arrivals in the presidential
jet. For the second consecutive day, Harris rallied thousands of enthusiastic
supporters, signaling a strong challenge to Trump, who is known to be
preoccupied with crowd sizes. Harris appeared to embrace her new role with
growing confidence, showing signs that her political momentum was just
beginning.
In a standout moment in
Detroit, Harris coolly confronted hecklers who were chanting a pro-Palestinian
message. She responded sharply, "You know what, if you want Donald Trump
to win, then say that, otherwise, I’m speaking." The brief exchange
quickly went viral, boosting her image as she continues to navigate the
numerous challenges ahead in the campaign.
TheTrump Team Initiates Its Counter-Attack
Trump's campaign is now
revealing its strategy to curb Harris' momentum and undermine her running mate,
whom she proudly presents as a coach, veteran, and quintessential Midwestern
dad.
The former president has
struggled to adapt to the unexpected shift in his opponent after President Joe
Biden stepped down amid concerns about his age. Trump's attempts to belittle
Harris by questioning her identity and mispronouncing her name in childish
social media posts only highlight his current disarray.
In an effort to regain
control of the narrative and disrupt Harris' early success, Trump announced via
Truth Social that he would hold a press conference at Mar-A-Lago on Thursday at
2 p.m. ET.
On Wednesday, Trump
called into Fox News from his Florida estate, claiming he was
"thrilled" with Harris' choice of Walz, branding the Democratic
ticket as dangerously radical. "This is a ticket that would want this
country to go communist immediately, if not sooner," Trump declared.
However, his criticisms lacked focus and failed to present a strong, coherent argument
against his opponents.
Meanwhile, Vance took a
more targeted approach. At a smaller event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, he
addressed critical economic issues that resonate with voters in the region,
such as high prices and the cost of living. "I know that we can do better.
We were doing better when Donald J. Trump was president," Vance said,
notably sidelining Biden and instead framing the situation as the "Harris
administration," suggesting that Harris holds the real power in the
current administration.
In contrast, Harris,
speaking in the same western Wisconsin city, acknowledged the economic
challenges that have plagued the Biden administration, despite a strong
post-pandemic recovery. "We will continue to fight for affordable housing,
for affordable health care, affordable childcare, and paid leave," she
assured the crowd. "While our economy is doing well by many measures,
prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high. You know it, and
I know it."
Vanceand Trump’s Strategy to Undermine Harris
As part of their broader
strategy to derail Harris, the Trump campaign has intensified efforts to push
the vice president into a high-stakes media interview, likely hoping to draw
her into a setting where she has historically been more vulnerable compared to
delivering prepared speeches.
Vance criticized Harris
and the media for her lack of public questioning since becoming the presumptive
nominee. "I think it’s really disgraceful, both for Kamala Harris but also
for a lot of the American media that participates in this stuff, to have a
person who has been the presumptive nominee of the Democrat Party for 17 days
and refuses to take a single question from the American media," Vance
stated while campaigning in Wisconsin.
Trump’s announcement of a
news conference on Thursday appears to be an effort to contrast himself with
Harris, highlighting her reluctance to engage with the press in an unscripted
setting.
Harris, who has
occasionally struggled in interviews and off-the-cuff situations, especially
early in her vice presidency, is seen by the Trump campaign as potentially
vulnerable if she steps out of the controlled environment of campaign speeches.
However, with the Democratic National Convention approaching, Harris' team
seems cautious about taking risks at this stage, focusing instead on building
the new campaign and solidifying their strategy. This approach though may not be sustainable in the long run
as Harris will eventually need to prove
her readiness to serve as president especially in the face of growing
international challenges.
Vance’s dogged pursuit of
the vice president was humorously highlighted when upon arriving in Wisconsin,
he spotted Air Force Two & made a beeline for it, later quipping that he
just wanted to "check out my future plane."
TrumpSignals Flexibility on Second Debate
A new development in the
campaign emerged on Wednesday, indicating a shift in Trump’s stance. After
previously declaring that he would not participate in an upcoming presidential
debate on ABC unless it took place on Fox, Trump seemed to soften his position,
suggesting he might be open to a one-on-one confrontation with Harris.
"We’ll be debating
her, I guess, in the pretty near future. It’s going to be announced fairly
soon, but we’ll be debating her," Trump remarked during a Fox interview,
hinting that the debate might happen on a different network.
Expressing his eagerness,
he added, "I’d do it right now, because I want to debate her. I think it’s
important for the country that we debate." While he initially pushed for a
Fox-hosted debate, Trump acknowledged that both sides need to agree, stating,
"I think Fox would do a really good job, but two people have to
agree."
Meanwhile, Harris views
her running mate, Walz, as a key figure in reaching voters beyond traditional
Democratic strongholds. At a rally in Detroit on Wednesday night, Harris
enthusiastically praised Walz, asking the energized crowd, "Isn’t he
amazing?" as she highlighted his appeal in more rural and less
traditionally Democratic areas.
Harris’s campaign
released a memo from its battleground states director, Dan Kanninen, signaling
the intense battle ahead for swing states. The memo emphasized the importance
of narrowing margins in rural areas to secure victory. Kanninen highlighted
that Walz, who had “represented a Republican district in southern Minnesota for
six terms in Congress,” was particularly well-suited to lead this effort, as he
has consistently outperformed national Democrats in his district, even in areas
that supported Trump. The memo described Walz’s experience as providing a
“blueprint for how to cut margins in rural areas across the country.”
However, the Trump
campaign has sought to turn Walz into a liability for Harris by portraying him
as a political extremist, out of touch with mainstream American views on crime,
immigration, and social policies.
Trump’s allies have
focused on a new Minnesota law that mandates public schools to provide
menstrual products in both girls' and boys' bathrooms, using it as an example
to paint Walz as a far-left liberal who is too accommodating to transgender
students. Additionally, Republicans have criticized Walz's handling of the
unrest in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s murder, accusing him of delaying
the National Guard’s deployment. Notably, Trump himself had praised Walz’s
response in a 2020 call with governors, which complicates some of these attacks
In the escalating
political battle, Vance intensified his criticism of Walz’s military service,
accusing him of avoiding deployment to Iraq by leaving the Army National Guard
to run for Congress in 2005. Vance contrasted his own service with Walz’s,
stating, “When the United States Marine Corps asked me to go to Iraq to serve
my country, I did it. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you
know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without
him.”
Walz officially filed his
candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on February 10, 2005.
The following month, after the National Guard announced a potential deployment
to Iraq within two years, Walz’s campaign stated that he would remain in the
race.
Having served 24 years in
the Army National Guard, Walz retired in May 2005, according to the Minnesota
National Guard. Service members often file their retirement paperwork months
before the actual retirement date. While it’s unclear when Walz submitted his
retirement papers, a National Guard article indicates that his unit received
alert orders for an Iraq deployment in July 2005, two months after his
retirement.
Vance, who served four
years in the Marine Corps as an enlisted combat correspondent and public
affairs specialist, deployed to Iraq for about six months. He was discharged in
September 2007 as a corporal.
Vance also accused Walz
of falsely suggesting that he had served in a combat zone, referencing Walz's
comments on assault weapons. Walz, who was deployed with the Minnesota National
Guard to Vicenza, Italy, in August 2003 in support of the U.S. war in
Afghanistan, did not serve in Afghanistan, Iraq, or any combat zone, according
to a Minnesota Guard spokesperson.
The clash between
military veterans over service records highlights the bitter political struggle
brewing in an election with far-reaching implications for the country. In a new
warning about Trump's potential threats to democracy, Biden, who has become a
more marginal figure in this campaign, expressed his concerns in an interview
with CBS News. When asked about a peaceful transition of power if Trump loses,
Biden said, “I mean, if Trump loses, I’m not confident at all. He means what he
says.”