Trump allies launch attacks on Harris in battleground states and beyond

Allies of former President Donald Trump immediately began their campaign assault on Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday afternoon, prepping a wave of anti-Harris ads and mapping out lines of attack against her.

Minutes after Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and announced he was endorsing Harris, MAGA Inc., the principal pro-Trump super PAC, said it was immediately launching Harris-focused commercials in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, with one ad saying Harris was “in on it” and had “covered up Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline.” And the Republican National Committee released a video attacking Harris on the Biden administration’s immigration policies — an issue that Trump has made a focal point of his campaign.

Biden’s decision, however, thrust the race into uncertain territory. Trump had been focused on his rematch with Biden, on whom he wanted to exact revenge for his defeat four years ago. With polls showing Trump establishing substantial leads over Biden in a number of swing states, last week’s Republican National Convention had a celebratory air. While the Democratic Party had been in chaos following Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Republicans had united around Trump, especially after the attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania a week ago.

Now, Trump is facing a new opponent — and the dynamics of the race are less clear.

At a rally Saturday evening in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump attacked both Biden and Harris, repeatedly calling Biden “stupid” and insulting his IQ. But Harris, Trump said, was “crazy.”

“I call her laughing Kamala,” Trump told the crowd, during his nearly two-hour appearance. “You can tell a lot by a laugh. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.”

A spokesperson for Harris' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump on Saturday offered a preview of the argument Republicans will make against Democrats now that they’ve pressured Biden to bow out, referring to Democrats as “the enemies of democracy.” While Biden and Democrats have suggested that another Trump administration would imperil democracy, Trump will likely use the current situation to deflect that criticism.

Several people close to Trump and granted anonymity to speak freely say he has not expressed concern about running against Harris, and Republicans close to his campaign say they are confident in their prospects against her. At 59, Harris is almost 20 years younger than Trump, though a pro-Trump outside group said that it had conducted surveys showing Biden performing better than Harris.

Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita told POLITICO on Thursday that they would still “love” if Harris became the nominee.

LaCivita called Harris a “gaslighter-in-chief” for saying about Biden, “Oh he’s fine, he’s in great shape.”

“That’s a character issue,” he said.

During the Republican convention last week, many speakers labeled Harris as the “border czar,” since Biden appointed her to take the lead on working with Central America to deter migration at the southern border. The moniker could help tie her to Biden’s overall struggles to stem migration at the border.

Not all Republicans were as bullish on the new development. Republican strategist Terry Sullivan said Trump can still run against Biden and Harris’ record, including issues like inflation and the border. But Biden was also seen as the weaker candidate.

“Probably not quite as … easy of [a] race but he was going to crush Biden in a landslide,” he said via text.

And New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said this week, “If and when they make the switch, everything is going to change. It’s going to get very close in a lot of those tighter states. There’s going to be more energy.”

“I think the Democrat party would effectively be rewarded, if you will, by independents for saying, ‘Hey none of us liked that whole Biden-Trump ticket to start with.’”

Roughly 45 minutes after the president made his announcement on X, Trump took to his own social media website, Truth Social, to bash Biden’s legacy.

“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement,” Trump wrote.

He claimed “all those around him,” including Biden’s “Doctor and the Media,” had been aware of his diminished abilities. Trump also attacked Biden’s immigration policies.

The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project in recent weeks has highlighted potential legal issues that Democrats could face with trying to change out the nominee on ballots in certain states. Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, said on a call with reporters last month that the group has been “doing the leg work” to research states that have protocols for changing the nominee on the ballot, specifically noting issues Democrats could face trying to do so in Wisconsin.

Howell said there would be “massive election integrity issues” surrounding Democrats replacing Biden, given the existing ballot laws in some states, and that Heritage will “ensure the law is complied with.”

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday also suggested that replacing Biden on the ticket could face legal challenges.

LaCivita previously declined to say whether the Trump campaign intended to take legal action if Biden were to be replaced as the nominee.