In a recent CNN interview, Vice President Kamala Harris chose to sidestep a verbal skirmish with Donald Trump, opting instead to concentrate on her own campaign.
This move, according to political experts, was a wise strategic decision.
As reported by Newsweek, Stephen K. Medvic, the Honorable and Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College, commended Harris for her strategic decision to avoid wasting precious airtime on attacking her potential 2024 Republican adversary.
The Vice President, along with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, made their first televised appearance of their 2024 campaign last Thursday. The pre-recorded conversation with CNN's Dana Bash was marked by Harris's refusal to fully engage with Trump's personal attacks, including his insinuations about her Indian and Jamaican heritage and his suggestion that she had recently "turned Black" for political advantage.
"Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please," was Harris's succinct response to Bash.
Throughout the rest of the interview, Harris made only occasional references to Trump. She lauded President Joe Biden's handling of the economy, attributing the need for his intervention to Trump's "mismanagement" of the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said led to an economic downturn.
Harris also accused Trump of "killing" a bipartisan border security bill by persuading Republicans not to support it. She further pointed out that Trump had made several unfulfilled promises during his term, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
"Never happened. We did it," Harris declared.
Medvic, reflecting on the CNN interview, noted, "She didn't spend much time criticizing or attacking Donald Trump. She drew some contrasts here and there, but moved on pretty quickly. At least in this interview, she wanted to establish a positive case for her candidacy and not rely on an anti-Trump rationale. That was a smart strategic move."
Samantha Pettey, associate professor of political science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, highlighted Harris's refusal to engage with Trump's questioning of her identity as a Black woman as a standout moment in the CNN interview.
"Harris, like many women candidates, but especially women of color, deal with comments in someway relating to their race and gender regularly," Pettey said. "Harris though, did not indulge the question and instead has a perhaps 'memeable' moment."
Susan McWilliams Barndt, professor of politics at Pomona College in California, emphasized that a significant part of politics is "showing, not telling." She suggested that Harris's reluctance to discuss Trump was a deliberate strategy to underscore the differences between them and to demonstrate her readiness for the presidency.
"The underlying message Harris and Walz were trying to get across is: We are the grownups in the room. We are the grownups in this election," Barndt said.
Following the CNN interview, Trump took to Truth Social to launch another attack on Harris, while also mentioning the upcoming September 10 presidential debate between them.
"I look so forward to Debating Comrade Comrade Kamala Harris and exposing her for the fraud she is," Trump wrote. "Harris has changed every one of her long held positions, on everything. America will never allow an Election WEAPONIZING MARXIST TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S."
Despite Trump's continued attacks, Harris's strategic decision to focus on her campaign and policy issues rather than engaging in a war of words with her potential adversary demonstrates her commitment to maintaining a mature and focused approach to the upcoming election.
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