Harris Faces Delicate Step Confronts Trump’s Racism at Presidential Debate

While Vice President Kamala Harris has faced relentless attacks from Donald Trump and Republicans about her race and gender since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate, don’t expect her to dwell on it much during Tuesday’s presidential debate.

According to the New York Times, Harris’ campaign has “abandoned” what it sees as a “failed strategy” of calling out Trump’s racism and misogyny.

Exit reported“The vice president’s aides say telling voters what a terrible person Mr. Trump is is a waste of time, given how difficult it is to find a voter who doesn’t already have a preconceived notion of his character — good or bad,” the report said.

Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist and former staffer on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, said Harris’ campaign is “approaching this properly” by planning to avoid getting too caught up in Trump’s racial incitement.

“It’s not really going to shock anyone,” Payne said, referring to Trump’s frequent comments about Harris’ identity, including a false suggestion in July that she decided to “go black” for political reasons.

“I think the campaign is showing that the base understands how repulsive Donald Trump is,” explained Payne, who said the Harris campaign seems more focused on “winning over new voters” than stating the apparent.

He argued that “very few voters would be shocked to hear Donald Trump insult Kamala Harris.”

Payne, nonetheless, said that not overemphasizing Trump’s racism or sexism doesn’t mean the vice chairman should allow Trump to be “disrespected.” He added: “It’s not like he’s going to allow himself to be defamed.”

The strategist continued: “I think it’s just a matter of whether she uses this moment to focus on Trump and his grotesque way of talking about people of color and women, or whether she uses this to change the subject and say he’s not the right person to lead the country in 2025 and beyond.”

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said Harris should concentrate on policy and what she’s going to deliver for Americans as president, especially Black and brown communities, comparable to creating more “good-paying” jobs, lowering costs and “putting more money in people’s pockets.”

Reecie Colbert, a political commentator and frequent Harris defender, expects debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News to ask Harris about Trump’s comments about her race. She said it might be a “wasted event” if she avoided attacking Trump for his racism and misogyny.

“I think he has the ability to remind people of his racist past, but to use that as a springboard to say this person who doesn’t have the ability to understand the black experience in America is not going to dictate how I talk about my blackness,” said Colbert, who hosts the Sirius XM radio show “The Reecie Colbert Show.”

Colbert said that if it were her, she would say, “I will not let someone who calls Mexicans rapists, who says black people ‘live in hell,’ dictate how I talk about my blackness.”

Colbert noted that holding Trump accountable for his racist and sexist remarks could also “mobilize” young voters and voters of color.

Black voters, specifically, showed more enthusiasm for Harris than for President Joe Biden. Since becoming the party’s nominee, Harris has performed higher amongst black voters. A recent poll conducted The Washington Post and Ipsos found that 69% of black voters are “absolutely certain to vote” for Harris in November. Eighty-two percent said they’d “definitely” or “probably” vote for Harris.

Moreover, the share of black Americans under 30 — a coveted segment of young voters — who support her has risen 15 percentage points.

Compared to Harris’ surge in support, the proportion of black voters supporting Trump remained the identical at 12%.

Payne expects that, like Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama in 2008, Harris will garner more support amongst black voters than current polls suggest.

But for any skeptical black voters, Payne said Harris has unveiled “really ambitious plans” to enhance the economy and minority communities and “strengthen the middle class.”

Harris has proposed child tax credits of as much as $6,000, down payments for first-time homebuyers and huge tax breaks for small businesses.

“Donald Trump is talking about giving police more immunity,” Colbert said, adding, “I think it would be a good thing to make that contrast.”

Colbert, nonetheless, said she doesn’t fully buy the suggestion that Harris should do more to achieve out to black voters.

“I don’t know if you’re going to convince ‘immigrants who get free rent and free phones from Obama’ — I don’t know if you’re going to convince that group with this debate,” she explained. “I think it’s more about mobilizing black voters than it is about converting a black Trump voter to a Kamala voter.”

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