As Democrats debate whether President Biden should remain the nominee, former President Trump focused on Vice President Harris at a campaign rally in Doral, Florida, on Tuesday.
Trump has launched his usual attacks on Biden, mocking him as incompetent and attacking his immigration and economic policies, but on Thursday he also added Harris to his attack — a sign that the Trump campaign is preparing in case Biden leaves office before November.
“Whatever else you say about the unscrupulous Joe Biden, you have to give him credit for making one great decision, probably the smartest decision ever,” Trump told supporters. “He picked Kamala Harris to be his vice president. No, that was great, because it was an insurance policy. Probably the best insurance policy I’ve ever seen.”
“If Joe had picked someone half-competent, they would have thrown him out of office years ago. But they can’t do that because she has to be their No. 2 choice,” Trump added.
He sharply criticized Ms. Harris’ handling of the Northern Triangle immigration crisis in the early days of the Biden administration, a topic she struggled with initially and drew criticism in interviews, but which she has since secured significant private investment to address the root causes of migration.
Trump also sought to link Harris to Biden’s economic policies and efforts to promote environmentally friendly technologies such as electric vehicles.
“Joe, Kamala and the entire Democratic establishment were caught red-handed in the middle of the biggest scandal and the biggest cover-up. This is a cover-up. The biggest cover-up in political history,” Trump said. “You know, they’re all complicit in a wicked conspiracy to deceive the American people about the cognitive abilities of the person in the Oval Office.”
Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with Trump, in which he was unable to finish his sentences or deliver any effective attacks on his opponent, has led some Democratic lawmakers to call for him to withdraw from the race.
Several polls released after the debate showed Biden trailing Trump nationally and in key battleground states, but a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed him leading in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Seven House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step down as a candidate, and several House and Senate Democrats have said Biden needs to campaign aggressively and do more to demonstrate he can claim a second term.
Harris finds herself in a complicated position: As questions swirl about Biden’s future, she has been a fierce defender of him, even as she is the leading candidate to succeed him if he leaves office.
The vice president defended Biden as a “warrior” and blasted Trump in Nevada on Tuesday.
“We knew this election was going to be tough, and the last few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy,” Harris said. “But what I know about President Joe Biden is that he’s a fighter. He’s a fighter. And he’ll be the first to say he gets knocked down, he gets back up.”
