When Vice President Kamala Harris was officially nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate in place of President Joe Biden last August, the atmosphere was positive. Supporters were quickly rallied both inside and outside the party, and the polling gap with former President Donald Trump rapidly narrowed. However, unlike the promising start, the momentum of the Harris campaign gradually declined, ultimately failing to secure the White House. What mistakes did the Harris campaign make that caused supporters to drift away?
Major foreign media outlets on the 6th (local time) selected five moments that may have influenced Vice President Harris's presidential defeat. Among these, three were Harris's own mistakes, while her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and President Biden each bore one share of responsibility.
The first moment was an interview on ABC's popular talk show The View last October. When asked by the host, "How have you been different from President Biden over the past four years?" Vice President Harris replied, "I can't think of anything," adding, "But I have been involved in most of the impactful decisions." Expectations were for her to differentiate herself as an independent presidential candidate, separate from the Biden administration, but she failed to meet them.
Foreign media commented, "Harris struggled throughout the interview to express differences from Biden," and "As a result, when the Trump side claimed the country was heading in the wrong direction under Biden's leadership, it became difficult for Harris to confidently present herself as an alternative for change."
The second mistake was the so-called "word salad." Vice President Harris, who has been criticized for evading difficult and sensitive questions or speaking incoherently, failed to hide this weakness even in her first solo interview as a presidential candidate last September. When asked, "What policies would you implement to lower living costs if you became president?" she responded by recounting her upbringing story for about four minutes, giving an irrelevant answer.
The Middle East war was also identified as a factor that hindered Vice President Harris. Although she empathized with the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, by defending Israel's right to self-defense, it is analyzed that she lost the votes of younger generations and Arab Americans.
As a desperate measure, Vice President Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate instead of Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, but this did not provide much help. Governor Walz described himself as sometimes a "dummy" during a debate with Senator JD Vance last October and even lied about being in China during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
The final blow was President Biden's remark that "Trump supporters are trash." Similar to when Hillary Clinton described Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables" and faced backlash, this comment provided former President Trump with an opportunity to counterattack in the final stages of the election.
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