Therefore, Harris' campaign against Trump would become a wrestling match
Kamala Harris has not yet declared how she plans to combat inflation in the USA. She has failed in the task of combating illegal immigration from Mexico. The Republicans will use this against the Democrats should they run Harris against Trump.
Although she has been relatively low-key as Vice President, Kamala Harris does have a political profile: As the first black woman in her position, she is the face of the Democrats in the campaign for abortion access. Additionally, as a former Attorney General, she has sufficient expertise to give Trump needle pricks in the campaign. But does that alone suffice to defeat Trump should the Democrats nominate her as his opponent in the race for the White House?
Thomas Jäger, Professor for International Politics and Foreign Policy at the University of Cologne, has his doubts. He sees inflation and migration as the determining issues in the US election campaign, for which Harris has no solutions ready, according to Jäger in an interview with ntv.de.
The effects of inflation are felt by Americans for some time in their wallets. In June, consumer prices were 3% higher than in the same month the previous year, as reported by the US Labor Department. The core inflation rate, which excludes energy and food prices, was 3.3%.
It is still unclear what plan Harris could come up with to lower inflation. After all, Biden's support for her replacement candidacy does not automatically guarantee her success. She must still be chosen by her party before she can present her program. Biden has indeed stimulated the US economy with billion-dollar subsidies and tax exemptions and temporarily pushed the unemployment rate to a record low. However, Harris must also sell these achievements.
"Harris has used her chance as little as the other"
Moreover, the Republicans and Democrats have been fighting fiercely for years over how to contain migration, especially at the US-Mexico border. The situation at the border has clearly worsened since Biden took office: According to statistics from the US Border Patrol, approximately 1.9 million people tried to enter the US from Mexico illegally in 2021. A year later, it was about 2.7 million, and in 2023, over 3.2 million.
The fact that a solution for this problem is still far off is why Jäger attributes Harris' failure - she was appointed by Biden in 2021 to manage immigration. "Harris had an enormous chance in the handling of the migration issue, as it was an important issue for the Americans. She could have also gained international profile if she had fought the causes of migration together with central and Latin American countries. But Harris has used her chance as little as the other," says Jäger.
A right-wing populist like Trump welcomes this weakness. He has been using migration issues to whip up sentiment against the Democrats for a long time. Immediately after Biden's decision to support Harris as a presidential candidate, Donald Trump Jr. rejoiced on the social media platform Truth Social: "Kamala Harris possesses the entire left-wing political legacy of Joe Biden. The only difference is that she is even more liberal and less competent than Joe, which really means something. She was entrusted with border control and we experienced the worst invasion of illegals in our history."
Shortly after, Make America Great Again Inc., the main lobby organization supporting Trump's campaign, aired an advertisement that was to be broadcast primarily in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona - and attacked Harris sharply. "Look at what they've wrought: a border invasion, galloping inflation, the end of the American dream. They've created this chaos. You, Kamala, are responsible for this failed record," the ad says. Facing such attacks, Harris' campaign against Trump was likely to turn into a slugfest.
Jäger is certain: The Democrats are giving the Republicans enough ammunition if they choose Harris as their candidate. "It's surprising that so much hope is placed in Harris and the thought is: She's going to turn it all around now. After discovering in the past three and a half years that she can't," Jäger says. Trump will shape the campaign against Harris as misogynistic, according to him. This played to his advantage in 2017 when he ran against the democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the White House. Back then, "Trump that Bitch" T-shirts became bestsellers.
Trump's misogyny works to Harris' disadvantage, believes Jäger. Her fight for nationwide abortion rights could encourage women to rally behind her. Some Republicans are advocating for stricter abortion laws. "Abortion is a significant issue in the American election campaign. Here, Trump has no offer that appeals to women. He wants to keep the topic under wraps," Jäger says. "The question is: Does that cover the issues of immigration and inflation or not?"
- Despite her expertise in abortion access and potential ability to challenge Donald Trump, Kamala Harris' failure to address inflation and immigration concerns might be leveraged against her by the Republicans should they decide to run her against Trump in the United States Presidency Election 2024.
- Professor Thomas Jäger, an international politics and foreign policy expert, has expressed doubts about Kamala Harris' ability to combat inflation and migration issues, both crucial topics in the upcoming US election campaign.
- The Republicans and Democrats have been at odds for years over immigration policies, especially at the US-Mexico border, with the situation worsening since Joe Biden took office and Kamala Harris was appointed to manage the issue.
- The unaffordability of consumer goods due to inflation is a growing concern for Americans, with June 2022 seeing a 3% increase in consumer prices compared to the same period in 2021, according to the US Labor Department.
- Joe Biden's economic stimulus through billions in subsidies and tax exemptions and temporary reduction of the unemployment rate have been successful, but Kamala Harris must sell this success to her party and the American public to secure her candidacy and potentially face Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
