The one Harris comment Trump and his allies have spent $38 million for voters to see

David Wright, CNN

WASHINGTON — (CNN) — On an August day past year in Washington, Kamala Harris appeared astatine a unit colony to beforehand nan Biden administration’s economic record.

“Bidenomics is working,” nan vice president announced, touting nan latest information of occupation numbers. “That is called Bidenomics, and we are very proud of Bidenomics.”

It was a fateful declaration, 1 that has dogged Harris since she took complete arsenic nan Democratic standard-bearer and has attempted to prehend nan mantle of alteration campaigner successful nan 2024 statesmanlike race.

The Trump run and its friends person spent much than $38 million replaying that soundbite almost 70,000 times successful run advertisements since Harris became nan Democratic nominee, looking to capitalize connected persistent elector concerns astir nan system and blunt Harris’ turn-the-page messaging by yoking her to President Joe Biden’s record.

One of nan ads, backed by much than $13 million, simply juxtaposes Harris connected nan run way successful 2024, speaking to elector concerns astir rising prices, pinch nan clip from 2023, and includes nary different narration.

“Everyday prices are excessively precocious – food, rent, gas, back-to-school clothes,” Harris says successful nan clip featured successful nan ad. What instantly follows is nan 2023 clip of her saying, “That is called Bidenomics.”

Another one of nan ads, besides backed by much than $13 million, contrasts news sum of ostentation pinch nan aforesaid 2023 clip, taking nan aforesaid spare approach, besides pinch nary different narration.

A third ad from nan Trump campaign, launched past week and already backed by much than $3 million, opens pinch nan clip of Harris saying that “Bidenomics is working,” earlier a narrator cuts successful pinch “It’s not” and references much captious news sum of inflation. “Yet Harris still says, ‘Bidenomics working.’ No, it isn’t,” nan advertisement ends. A 4th ad featuring nan soundbite went up Friday.

Throughout nan campaign, Trump and his friends person taken a two-track attack to their attacks against Harris – connected nan 1 manus linking migration and crime, and amplifying nationalist information concerns; while connected nan other, slamming nan Biden-Harris economical record, pinch a peculiar attraction connected inflation.

The spree of ads replaying Harris’ endorsement of “Bidenomics” reflects nan second approach, and that stock of nan pro-Trump messaging has been increasing in caller weeks arsenic nan run fine-tunes its advertizing strategy for nan last weeks of nan race.

The ads are aimed astatine leveraging the advantage that polls show voters give Trump connected economical issues and magnifying persistent concerns astir ostentation and a imaginable recession – moreover arsenic ostentation successful nan existent system has slowed and occupation maturation has continued.

Harris and her allies, meanwhile, person made a concerted effort to blunt those criticisms, besides leaning into economical messaging successful their run advertising. Last week, Harris’ run launched a bid of ads connected her economical pitch, specifically tailored to key swing states.

“Lowering nan costs of surviving will beryllium a defining extremity of my presidency. I’ll little nan costs of insulin and medicine narcotics for everyone. And I will activity to walk nan first ever national prohibition connected value gouging connected food. More than 100 cardinal Americans will get a taxation cut. We will extremity America’s lodging shortage by building 3 cardinal caller homes and rentals that are affordable for nan mediate class,” Harris says successful nan ads.

In addition, her run has spent much than $10 cardinal airing an ad in which Harris says, “You want little prices and little taxes. I judge you want to conscionable not get by, but you want to get ahead,” earlier delivering her transportation for an “opportunity economy.”

And different apical Harris advertisement contrasts her attack pinch Trump’s. “It’s a very different imagination than Donald Trump’s. His plans will raise costs and taxes connected nan immense mostly of Americans. We request to beryllium reasoning astir nan early and really we make it amended for families for illustration yours,” Harris says in nan ad.

Democrats – including Biden and Harris – ditched nan “Bidenomics” branding agelong agone arsenic portion of their messaging connected nan economy. For nan vice president, her attack to nan rumor since ascending to nan apical of nan Democratic summons speaks to nan balancing enactment she has faced erstwhile it comes to embracing nan administration’s record, including during her first sit-down question and reply arsenic nan nominee past period pinch CNN.

“So you support Bidenomics is simply a success?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Harris during an speech astir her economical plans.

“I support that erstwhile we do nan work,” Harris responded earlier launching into a litany of nan administration’s achievements. “I’ll opportunity that that’s bully work. There’s much to do, but that’s bully work.”

The backdrop to nan back-and-forth complete who is champion for voters’ pocketbooks is simply a US system that has continued to station coagulated data, moreover arsenic prices are higher than 4 years agone and liking rates are elevated. Inflation has slowed significantly from its peak in 2022, and nan US system added 142,000 jobs successful August, marking stronger maturation than a worrisome little number successful July.

Still, nan ads from nan Trump run besides bespeak nan basal conundrum facing each politicians – they walk hours earlier nan public, staking retired positions and making statements, each while governmental operatives and ad-makers watch for a infinitesimal to capitalize. Harris, opinionated successful southeast DC successful August 2023, could not person known that precisely 1 twelvemonth later, she would look nan situation of pitching an wholly different imagination to voters.

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