How would she defend the multiple conflicting political positions that she has taken in her two decades-long political career which make her look like a chameleon that’s always changing its color to blend with the environment it finds itself in?
The key question is whether a debate between Trump and Harris could mark a political downfall for Harris, the first female, and woman of color to become Vice President and a major party’s presidential candidate. Trump’s supporters, who view him as divinely chosen to return to the White House, are driven by his continued popularity despite being the most criticized and vilified presidential candidate since his 2020 loss. This popularity persists even amidst criticisms of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous court cases that he has been slammed some of which he has received judgement in his favor.
Ron Klain, former Chief of Staff to President Biden, recently highlighted that the White House did not effectively promote Kamala Harris, potentially by design.
Biden’s body language had suggested he might not seek re-election due to concerns about his age during the 2019 campaign against Trump.
Although it was anticipated that Harris would replace Biden in the 2024 race, this created friction between them after they assumed office in 2020 and Biden’s intentions to run again became evident.
Ultimately, COVID-19 and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s concerns about the DNC not being able to take control of the House if Biden remained as the candidate led to Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.
Harris now faces the challenging task of securing the presidency against the formidable Donald Trump, who has experience from the 2016 and 2020 campaigns and remains a strong contender. Despite Harris’s boost from Biden’s endorsement, she is not inheriting strong voter support from a president whose approval ratings had plummeted to around 38% before he stepped down. Meanwhile, Trump, known for his ability to come from behind, is likely to leverage his support from evangelicals and MAGA supporters to mount a strong campaign.
Given that Kamala Harris has not faced the rigorous challenges of a presidential campaign like Donald Trump, who is running for the third time, and that she did not go through the traditional party primaries but was selected by President Biden, her optimism about winning the election is puzzling. That is more so because she is not enjoying overwhelming support of her natural constituents -women folk and blacks or colored who nurse the grudge that as District Attorney in San Francisco she is alleged to have the penchant for jailing blacks on crimes that could have ordinarily been deemed unserious.
According to PEW Research, 63% of Americans find that televised debates help them assess a presidential candidate’s capabilities. However, Harris has not participated in debates or unscripted media interviews since her ascent to the top of the ticket roughly a month ago, which did not involve the usual primary process. Her reaction to tough questions, such as when she was confronted by a Democrat during one of her campaign events about the Gaza conflict and how the U.S. is complicit, suggests she may struggle with probing questions from journalists, especially given her record of shifting positions. This could undermine her rising popularity before the November 5 election.
Moreover, despite the DNC’s portrayal of Trump as a threat to democracy and accusations of racist comments (which he denies), swing voters are increasingly seeing Trump as a candid politician who speaks plainly about issues. Trump’s straightforwardness may help him regain momentum, as he provides clear positions on various topics, in contrast to more evasive politicians. This directness is a double-edged sword: it appeals to some voters but alienates others due to his blunt demeanor.
An often-overlooked fact is that while President Biden has been involved in politics for about fifty years, former President Trump has been active in the political arena for only about a decade.
Remarkably, since launching his presidential bid against Senator Hillary Clinton in 2016 and winning the presidency, Trump has become the RNC’s presidential candidate for a third time. His charismatic leadership has given him greater influence over the party than any other figure, including Ronald Reagan, and surpasses even the Bush family’s influence with its father-and-son presidential dynasty.
In contrast, Kamala Harris began her political career in 2002 when she ran for District Attorney of San Francisco and won. This marks about twenty-two years of political experience, double the time Trump has spent in politics.
If Kamala Harris does not win the presidential election on November 5, which in my reckoning seems quite probable, she still has time to try again in the future. Unlike Hillary Clinton, who was 68 when she ran for president, Harris is only 59, giving her a decade more to pursue another presidential bid before she becomes too old to run.
Harris can leverage the goodwill she’s building now as a foundation for a future campaign. After all, President Biden, who has just concluded his 50-year political career, made several attempts after being a senator and vice president before finally winning in 2020, partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which helped him take over the White House from then President Donald J. Trump, who would likely return as the 47th president of the USA.
Many Nigerians have formed prayer groups to support Trump’s return to the White House, believing he is more favorable to legal immigrants and anti-abortion policies, as seen in his support for overturning Roe v. Wade. With the election still several months away, the wait feels long, and many are anxiously anticipating the outcome.