Even before President Biden's stunning decision to exit the 2024 race, Donald Trump's campaign was preparing a battle plan against Kamala Harris, reports the New York Times. Biden endorsed his vice president on Sunday, making her the clear frontrunner to be the Democratic nominee, though it was not immediately clear whether others might challenge her. The Times story on Saturday said the Trump campaign had been preparing "opposition books" against all potential foes in case Biden dropped out, but the bulk of the effort has been devoted to Harris.
The 59-year-old Harris served as a senator and attorney general in California before becoming vice president and, before that, as the district attorney of San Francisco. During the 2020 presidential race, her record in the latter office "was alternately criticized as too conservative, or too lenient toward first-time drug offenders," per the Times. Republicans will surely attempt to tie Harris to all of Biden's more unpopular or unsuccessful initiatives—as well as to the narrative that the White House has hidden Biden's apparent decline, the story predicts. On the flip side, Democrats say the vice president may be better able to speak forcefully on issues such as abortion and, because of her D.A. background, on Trump's criminal record.
Politico suggests Biden has been dropping hints about Harris of late. "Folks, it's because of you that I am president and Kamala Harris is vice president," he told the NAACP convention last week. "And, by the way, she's not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States." Prior to that, at his NATO press conference, he immediately answered in the affirmative when asked about her ability to take over as president. (More Kamala Harris stories.)
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