Getty Donald Trump (left) and Kamala Harris (right)
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced his running mate pick, choosing California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris. The announcement was made on Biden’s website, which now reads Biden Harris, and he wrote on Twitter: “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.”
The Trump campaign was quick to issue a statement on Biden’s pick for vice president, calling her “Phony Kamala.” A press release on his campaign website reads: “Not long ago, Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never received. Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party.”
The statement continues, calling her candidacy for Democratic presidential nominee a “failed attempt” in which she “gleefully embraced the left’s radical manifesto.” The statement, by senior campaign advisor Katrina Pierson, ends: “At the ballot box, Americans will resoundingly reject the abysmal failures of Biden-Harris in favor of the America First strength of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.”
The press release was accompanied by a video titled “Phony,” which Trump also posted to his Twitter account. Here is the video:
The Trump Campaign’s ‘Phony’ Video Labels Harris’ Views as ‘Radical Left’ & Points to Her Failed Candidacy for Democratic Nominee
The video attempts to portray Harris as a radical left Democrat and links her to Bernie Sanders, saying she “[embraced] Bernie’s plan for socialized medicine [and called] for trillions in new taxes.” It also points to her exchange with Biden during Democratic debates, saying she was “attacking Joe Biden for racist policies.”
During the June 27, 2019, debate, Harris began her questioning of Biden by saying, “I do not believe you are a racist, and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground.” She then says his comments about working with two segregationist senators were “hurtful.”
The “Phony” campaign ad then continues, “Voters rejected Harris. They smartly spotted a phony. But not Joe Biden. He’s not that smart. Biden calls himself a transition candidate. He is handing over the reins to Kamala while they jointly embrace the radical left. Slow Joe and Phony Kamala. Perfect together, wrong for America.”
Donald Trump Jr. retweeted the video, writing, “Might as well switch the hashtag to #HarrisBiden2020 because we all know phony Kamala and her radical leftwing friends will be calling all of the shots in a ‘Biden Administration,’ not slow Joe!”
Biden Committed to Choosing a Female Running Mate in March, & Cited Her Record as Attorney General of California as a Source of Pride
Back in March, Biden committed to choosing a female vice presidential candidate and a number of front runners were in the discussion, including California Rep. Karen Bass, former Obama administration National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. He made the commitment during a debate on CNN, saying, “I will, in fact, appoint a woman to be vice president. There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow.”
During his announcement of her appointment as his running mate, Biden cited her record as attorney general of California, a position she held from 2011 to 2017. He said, “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
He said he was first introduced to Harris through his late son Beau, who was the attorney general of Delaware before his death from cancer in 2015. In his email to supporters announcing his VP pick, Biden wrote that Harris and his son “were both Attorneys General at the same time. He had enormous respect for her and her work. I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. There is no one’s opinion I valued more than Beau’s and I’m proud to have Kamala standing with me on this campaign.”
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