In a turn of events that has become increasingly common in the 2024 presidential race, former President Donald Trump has once again ignited controversy with his latest remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris.
During a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump veered off-script to make an unexpected claim about his appearance compared to that of the Democratic nominee for president.
“I say that I am much better looking. I’m a better looking person than Kamala,” Trump declared to the crowd, responding to a critique he had read from a Republican commentator.
According to Trump, the commentator suggested that one of Harris’ greatest assets in this election was her attractiveness. “She said, Kamala has one big advantage, that she’s a very beautiful woman,” Trump recounted, before dismissing the notion with his own assessment of their relative appearances.
Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign on Saturday via email for comment.
Online commentators took to social media to mock Trump for not sticking to policy and making fun of Harris during the key swing state rally.
This latest comment is part of a growing pattern of personal attacks Trump has leveled against Harris since she entered the 2024 race despite being warned by GOP analysts to stick to policy over attacks.
The former president has taken to describing her as a “radical liberal” and has crafted a variety of unflattering nicknames, including “Kamabla,” “Lyin’ Kamala,” and “Laffin Kamala.”
Far from backing down from these personal jabs, Trump has doubled down on his approach. In a news conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the former president defended his right to attack Harris personally.
“I think I am entitled to personal attacks,” Trump stated bluntly. “I don’t have a lot of respect for [Harris]. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president.”
Trump attempted to justify his stance by accusing Harris of weaponizing the justice system against him and others. He also claimed that Harris had called him “weird,” though fact-checkers were quick to point out that it was actually her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who first began describing Republican policies as “weird” in late July.
The former president’s comments have raised eyebrows and concerns across the political spectrum. Trump’s penchant for personal attacks has extended beyond mere nicknames and insults about intelligence.
During an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in July, Trump questioned Harris’s racial identity, stating that she had only recently “became a Black person.” This comment drew particular criticism, given that Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, and is the first Black, Asian American, and woman to hold the office of vice president.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz has warned that such comments could further damage Trump’s already precarious standing with women voters. Luntz described the gender gap between Harris and Trump as a “chasm,” citing recent polling data that shows a significant disparity in support between male and female voters.
“Trump is actively going out of his way and insulting his way… and it’s not a [gender] gap, it’s a chasm. We’ve never seen this before,” Luntz said in an interview with CNN. He went on to explain that Trump’s personal attacks against Harris are particularly damaging, stating, “Don’t insult your opponent on how they look, how they speak, women can’t stand that.”
Even some of Trump’s former advisors are cautioning against this approach. Kellyanne Conway, who served as a senior consultant on Trump’s 2016 campaign, recently appeared on Fox Business to discuss the race. She advocated for a different strategy, saying, “The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see it’s fewer insults, more insights, and that policy contrast.”
Conway emphasized the importance of focusing on policy differences, noting that Trump has a “two-to-one advantage over Biden-Harris on the economy and inflation, on the border, on Israel and Hamas.” She suggested that if Trump would “just contrast the policies, he’ll win.”
As the 2024 presidential race intensifies, both candidates face significant challenges. For Harris, the task is to convince voters that she can effectively lead the country and implement her proposed policies. Her campaign has recently released a comprehensive economic policy agenda, focusing on lowering costs for American families. The proposal includes measures such as offering $25,000 to over a million first-time homebuyers with a history of timely rent payments, as well as expanding child tax credits and other tax incentives.
For Trump, the challenge is to maintain discipline in his messaging and broaden his appeal beyond his core supporters. Recent polling averages show Harris leading Trump in five out of seven battleground states, buoyed by strong support from women and younger voters.
The coming weeks will be crucial for both campaigns as they prepare for their first debate, scheduled for September 10 on ABC News. Trump has proposed additional debates on September 4 with Fox News and September 25 with NBC News, although the Harris campaign has not yet agreed to these dates.
