Former President Trump has begun giving Vice President Kamala Harris a new nickname as part of renewed attention on the vice president as she is seen as a possible successor to Biden following Biden’s disastrous defeat in the 2024 presidential debates.
Trump regularly gives nicknames to his political opponents. Low-energy Jeb [Bush] “Crooked Hillary” [Clinton]He has called Biden “Slow Joe,” “Sleepy Joe” and “Crooked Joe.”
Trump turned his attention to Harris this week after Biden’s debate performance sparked panic among some Democrats and members of the media and led to a drop in his approval rating in the polls.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has been nominated to succeed President Biden. (Lee Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As vice president, Harris would succeed Biden if he were to step down, and would also be a front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nomination if Biden announces he does not intend to seek a second term.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Biden of “choking like a dog” during the debate and offered his “congratulations” to the vice president, calling her “stupid Kamala Harris.”
“I also salute Ruffian Kamala Harris, the new potential Democratic challenger,” he said. “She faltered in the Democratic nomination process, initially coming in second, but losing and withdrawing before even getting to Iowa. But that doesn’t mean she’s not a ‘very talented’ politician!”
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Former President Trump takes to the stage to deliver the keynote address at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The day before, the Trump campaign had issued a statement accusing the Democrats and the media of trying to cover up Biden’s mental ability.
“They have all lied about Joe Biden’s cognitive status and supported his disastrous policies for the past four years, especially his giggling co-pilot, Kamala Harris,” the statement said.
A national poll released by CNN on Tuesday suggests Harris has a slight lead over Biden in the head-to-head against Trump.
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“Harris’ slight advantage over Trump is at least partly due to broad support among women (50% of female voters prefer Harris over Trump, compared with 44% for Biden vs. Trump) and independents (43% for Harris, 34% for Biden),” the poll said in a statement.
At 81, Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, is facing the toughest period in his quest for a second term in the White House. His team has repeatedly insisted the president has no intention of dropping out of the race.
On Thursday, Trump told supporters he had no plans to drop out of the race. At an Independence Day event, one supporter urged, “Keep fighting! We need you!”
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“You’re right. I’m not going anywhere,” Biden responded.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
