(NewsNation) — The next 72 hours are crucial for both sides to define Kamala Harris in a way that makes a lasting impression with voters.
Republicans are painting the presumptive Democratic nominee as an out-of-touch California liberal, pointing out that her Senate record was to the left of Bernie Sanders.
The GOP are draping the title “border czar” around her neck in an attempt to blame her for the deluge of illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Democrats deny that she was in charge of the border and are playing up her past as a prosecutor; something Harris downplayed during her 2020 presidential run for fear of alienating the left.
Democrats portray the race as the prosecutor versus the convicted felon. Both sides are already posting campaign ads that give us our first glimpse into how she will be defined.
Harris on the offensive
The vice president posted a video to X (formerly known as Twitter) this morning criticizing her likely election opponent, former President Donald Trump.
Harris spoke to her previous experiences, including as a California prosecutor, to discredit Trump’s standing.
“I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” she said. “Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own game.
“So, hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type. And in this campaign, I will proudly put my record against his.”
In a later tweet, Harris previewed her first rally in Wisconsin, saying she would detail how Trump and “his extreme Project 2025 agenda” would be defeated.
Trump fires his own shots
The former president fired off several posts on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning ripping Harris.
Mixed in among critiques of President Joe Biden, Trump said of Harris; “Lyin’ Kamala Harris destroys everything she touches.”
In another post, he ripped the security he was afforded amid an assassination attempt earlier this month.
“The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!,” Trump wrote.
While complimenting the “peace and stability” in the Middle East during his presidency, ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Trump said Harris was “in no way capable of stopping” the deadly conflicts present throughout the world.
Trump also questioned how Biden is capable of running the country through his term given his decision to step aside on Sunday.
“Does Lyin’ Kamala Harris think Joe Biden is fit to run the U.S.A. for the next six months? She must answer the question,” he wrote.
