[US Election 2024] Presidential Candidates' 'All or Nothing' Verbal Warfare

Negative Attacks Cross the Line with Vivid Criticism of Opponents
Concerns Raised That It May Backfire on Harris

Negative strategies that highlight the mistakes or weaknesses of opposing candidates are one of the key points that add excitement to elections. However, the U.S. presidential election takes it a step further. Former President Donald Trump's mouth, which pours out baseless, harsh insults and 'reckless remarks' beyond negativity, still seems tireless. Even Vice President Kamala Harris, who appeared relatively restrained, has raised the level of her remarks in response, turning the confrontation between the two into a mudslinging fight.

A representative characteristic of former President Trump's reckless remarks is that they contain divisive messages. In March, during a campaign rally in Ohio, he made dangerous statements such as "If I lose the election, the country will be a 'blood bath'" and "Immigrants are not people." He divided voters by political orientation and race, inciting hatred. In July, when reports emerged that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was persuading President Joe Biden to resign from the presidential candidacy, he took the opportunity to sow discord within the Democratic Party by saying, "Pelosi talked back to Biden like a dog."

The cunning sowing of discord continued even after Vice President Harris took over the baton. In July, at a discussion hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), he mocked Vice President Harris by saying, "She was always Indian and only promoted her Indian heritage," and "I didn’t know she was Black until she suddenly transformed into one a few years ago." After various polls confirmed the defection of Black and Latino voters, who are considered the Democratic Party's core supporters, he accelerated the division of his support base. Later, during a TV debate with Vice President Harris, he said, "Haitian immigrants in Ohio catch and eat residents' dogs and cats," causing an uproar in the region. Last month, during a rally in Arizona, he continued his harsh rhetoric, saying, "America is like the world's trash can. Criminal immigrants are coming from prisons, jails, and mental hospitals around the world."

Although the Republican Party was embarrassed by former President Trump's racist remarks and tried to restrain him, the so-called 'baseless' reckless remarks continued. In August, during a rally in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, he attacked Vice President Harris as a "crazy person," and in September, he insulted her by saying, "Harris was born with a mental disorder." Last month, he even went as far as to curse Vice President Harris as the "shit vice president."

Although former President Trump's language continues to get rougher, it is uncertain whether it will negatively affect his approval ratings. Republican strategist Dennis Grace Gisham analyzed, "Voters have been hearing Trump's rhetoric since 2016, so even if reckless remarks controversies erupt again, the vote will not shift," adding, "Those who dislike Trump's personality have already turned away."

Even Vice President Harris, who had been responding relatively calmly to former President Trump's reckless remarks, has recently raised the level of her statements. Last month, she held an emergency press conference at the Washington D.C. residence and said, "(Trump) is a fascist," drawing media attention. This brought back to the surface a past interview with The New York Times (NYT) by John Kelly, who served as White House Chief of Staff under the Trump administration, in which he revealed, "Trump wants generals like Hitler had, not a military loyal to the U.S. Constitution."

While former President Trump shows a one-man army level of skill in reckless negative remarks, Vice President Harris is characterized by receiving support fire from those around her. A representative case is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who, after being unable to handle Trump's reckless remarks and suffering a bitter defeat in the presidential election, supported Harris's 'fascist' remark.

In August, Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota and Harris's running mate, took on the role of a sniper by criticizing former President Trump and his counterpart, federal Senator J.D. Vance, saying, "They're weird." Former President Barack Obama also joined the offensive, saying, "I don't want to see an older, crazier Trump," and President Biden recently said, "Trump supporters are trash," prompting the White House to issue a clarification.

However, there is a prevailing skeptical view about whether this back-and-forth with former President Trump will work to Vice President Harris's advantage. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) pointed out, "Most voters' views on Trump were already solidified long ago, but Harris is relatively less known," adding, "Harris's negativity could have the opposite effect of alienating undecided voters."

BBC diagnosed, "As approval ratings head toward a razor-thin margin, the Democrats seem to have shifted toward highlighting the Trump risk out of urgency," adding, "While it could serve as an opportunity to rally the support base, by using language similar to Trump's, her early campaign message of unity could be undermined."