The Republicans have launched a concerted effort to tarnish Kamala Harris’s reputation. As Harris prepares to officially become the Democratic candidate for the US presidential election, she has faced a barrage of racist, sexist slurs, including sexualised insults, from online trolls.
After President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris, she became the Democrats' likely presidential nominee.
Kamala Harris will be the "most extreme radical liberal president in American history" if she is elected, said Trump intensifying attacks on her. "She was a bum three weeks ago...A failed vice president and a failed administration with millions of people crossing, and she was the border czar," said Trump in a speech at Turning Point USA's "The Believers Summit," in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He also alleged that once Harris comes to power, she will be appointing hundreds of extreme far-left judges to forcibly impose crazy San Francisco liberal values on Americans.
Trump even criticised Harris for skipping Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress. He alleged that she does not like Jewish people. "She doesn't like Jewish people. She doesn't like Israel. That's the way it is, and that's the way it's always going to be," he said.
Republicans are focusing to attack Harris by targeting her years as a prosecutor, and by calling her a ‘radical’ leftist.
Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that voters would reject Harris not because of her race and gender but for her failed policies.
But Harris is not going to let such comments pin her down. With the support of the Democrat heavyweights and communities, she is on a road to shift things in US politics. After starting her campaign trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she moved on to address the sorority of Black women in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“We face a choice between two different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other focused on the past,” she said at Indiana.
On Thursday, while addressing a gathering of teachers in Houston, Texas, she said, “In our vision, we see a place where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
An all-time record of $81 million was raised in 24 hours after Harris came to the forefront. The newly branded Harris Victory Fund surpassed $130 million by Thursday.
Harris also has an appeal among the young voters. The unofficial anthem of Harris for President, Beyonce's 2016 hit Freedom, provided the soundtrack for a message countering Trump’s hate vision of the country.
According to experts, Republicans will further intensify racist and misogynistic attacks on Harris. However, Harris and her team seem to be confident and it now remains to be seen whether the initial enthusiasm and momentum can be maintained till the elections in November.
