Trump and Harris enter final 100-day stretch of a rapidly evolving 2024 race

Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are entering nan past 100 days of 1 of nan fastest-moving and slightest predictable run seasons successful memory, aft a historical period upended nan 2024 statesmanlike race.

The crushed has shifted nether some governmental parties since June 27, erstwhile President Joe Biden’s mediocre capacity successful his statement pinch Trump threw nan Democratic Party into chaos and prompted Trump’s squad to oculus an expanded electoral map.

The title was rattled yet again after nan erstwhile president survived an assassination attempt successful Pennsylvania. Just days later, he chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance arsenic his moving mate and rallied nan Republican Party astatine its normal successful Milwaukee.

Then, a week ago, Biden announced his exit from nan title – and pointed to Harris, his vice president, arsenic his successor. Within 36 hours, Harris had rallied nan statement down her candidacy, locking down enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates to become nan party’s presumptive nominee.

Then she deed nan crushed running, holding events pinch voters successful nan plaything authorities of Wisconsin connected Tuesday, a Black sorority connected Wednesday and teachers connected Thursday. Friday morning, she touted nan endorsements of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks astatine a run arena successful West Allis, Wisconsin, connected July 23. | Kevin Mohatt/Reuters via CNN Newsource

Trump has responded to Harris’ evident momentum pinch a bid of individual attacks. At caller run stops, he has referred to her arsenic “evil,” mocked her laughter and nan pronunciation of her name, and said that “the American dream is dead” if Harris wins successful November. The vice president responded astatine a Saturday fundraiser that nan attacks by Trump and his moving mate were “plain weird.”

Polls are only opening to seizure nan caller authorities of play successful a title that now has nary clear leader.

A Democratic vice statesmanlike prime and convention, arsenic good arsenic imaginable debates betwixt Harris and Trump and between their moving mates, could further shingle up nan 2024 title successful nan 100 days betwixt now and Election Day, November 5.

Trump escalates attacks connected Harris

The issues and lines of attack that are animating some campaigns are increasingly coming into view.

Trump’s run has focused connected inflation, separator information and crime – and nan erstwhile president is arguing that Harris bears conscionable arsenic overmuch blasted arsenic Biden connected those issues and that she is much wide than her boss.

Former President Donald Trump is pictured astatine nan Republican National Convention successful Milwaukee connected July 18. | Will Lanzoni/CNN via CNN Newsource

However, Trump has besides escalated his attacks connected Harris, criticizing her successful profoundly individual position astatine run events Friday and Saturday.

At a conservative Christian gathering successful Florida connected Friday, he said that Harris had been “a bum 3 weeks ago” earlier her ascension to nan apical of nan Democratic summons and dubbed her “the astir incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president successful American history.” He besides said he “couldn’t attraction less” astir mispronouncing her first name.

Then, astatine a Saturday nighttime rally successful St. Cloud, Minnesota, Trump called Harris “evil” complete her handling of nan separator and said that if “a crazy wide for illustration Kamala Harris gets in, nan American dream is dead.”

He besides mocked his Democratic opponent’s laugh, claiming that nan media was trying to represent Harris arsenic a “Margaret Thatcher,” referring to nan precocious British premier minister, but that “it’s not gonna happen,” because “Margaret Thatcher didn’t laughter for illustration that.”

A Harris spokeswoman responded to Trump’s Minnesota reside by slamming nan GOP nominee arsenic a “bitter, unhinged, 78-year-old convicted felon.”

On Friday, Trump said protesters who sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti successful Washington connected Wednesday were Harris supporters, moreover though nan vice president condemned their actions. He criticized her for skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, without noting that Harris met privately pinch Netanyahu and that his ain moving mate besides didn’t be nan speech. And Trump said that Harris “doesn’t for illustration Jewish people. She doesn’t for illustration Israel. That’s nan measurement it is, and that’s nan measurement it’s ever gonna be.” Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

Trump, who continues to peddle falsehoods and raise fears astir predetermination fraud, besides drew power connected societal media for telling nan Florida assemblage that if he wins successful November, they won’t person to ballot again.

“You won’t person to do it anymore, my beautiful Christians. I emotion you, Christians. I’m a Christian. … You gotta get retired and vote,” nan erstwhile president said. “In 4 years, you won’t person to ballot again. We’ll person it fixed truthful good, you’re not going to person to vote.”

Harris, astatine a Western Massachusetts fundraiser connected Saturday, said that nan erstwhile president was pushing “wild lies” astir her grounds and that nan attacks by Trump and Vance were “plain weird.”

“I mean, that’s nan container you put that in, right?” Harris told supporters.

In run events since emerging arsenic nan presumptive Democratic nominee, Harris is taking connected Trump complete abortion authorities and casting him arsenic a threat to freedom.

“We are seeing a full-on schedule that is now astir restricting rights, and 1 of nan astir basal rights, nan correct to make decisions astir your ain body,” she said astatine nan Massachusetts fundraiser. “If location are those who situation to return nan state to make specified a basal determination for an individual, which is astir one’s ain body, what different freedoms could beryllium connected nan array for nan taking?”

Harris has besides been pointing to nan erstwhile president’s ineligible troubles. In remarks to run staffers Monday – her first clip delivering a little type of her caller stump reside – she recalled her clip arsenic San Francisco territory lawyer and California lawyer general, saying that she “took connected perpetrators of each kinds.”

“Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped disconnected consumers, cheaters who collapsed nan rules for their ain game,” Harris said. “So perceive maine erstwhile I say, I cognize Donald Trump’s type.”

Veepstakes, normal questions

Among the next orders of business for Harris’ run is to execute 2 tasks successful a play of days aliases weeks that Trump’s run achieved complete months.

First, she must choose a moving mate.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder is starring a squad that is poring done financial documents, family histories, nationalist statements, published documents, voting records, run acquisition and societal media postings. Tony West, Harris’ brother-in-law and a former subordinate lawyer wide nether Holder, is besides playing a cardinal domiciled successful nan search.

Democrats adjacent to nan process opportunity nan roster of starring contenders being vetted still includes North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has developed a adjacent narration pinch Harris and has besides been antecedently vetted and confirmed by nan Senate, is besides nether consideration, on pinch Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, sources say.

Many of those imaginable picks person been offering Harris’ run informal glimpses of really they’d execute arsenic her moving mate through appearances connected cablegram news shows.

Democratic pollsters person been asked to trial really Harris and nan prospective candidates would fare successful their location states – and successful cardinal battlegrounds – successful hypothetical matchups against Trump and Vance.

Harris has told nan squad of lawyers and advisers conducting 1 of nan astir accelerated vice statesmanlike searches successful modern American history that she plans to sanction her moving mate earlier August 7.

Then, Harris’ run and its friends must quickly revise plans for nan Democratic National Convention, which is group to commencement connected August 19 successful Chicago.

Instead of nominating Biden for a 2nd term, Democrats will usage nan normal to showcase nan outgoing president passing nan baton to Harris – and could change nan party’s programming to amended align pinch nan vice president’s characteristic and governmental appeal.

Her run must besides place Harris’ champion path toward 270 Electoral College votes. Biden’s hopes of a 2nd word were thought to reside primarily in sweeping the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Harris, though, has been polling better among young and non-White voters – and could beryllium much viable successful nan Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina that appeared to be moving away from Biden.

Debating nan debates

One of nan biggest questions, now that Harris has replaced Biden arsenic nan presumptive Democratic nominee, is whether she will look Trump connected nan statement stage.

The June 27 conflict connected CNN betwixt Trump and Biden had already transformed the race. And a Trump-Harris statement could style nan race’s last weeks possibly much than immoderate different event.

Biden and Trump had agreed to different statement – 1 that would return spot connected September 10, hosted by ABC. Harris said she would participate successful that debate.

“I deliberation nan voters merit to spot nan divided surface that exists successful this title connected a statement stage. And so, I’m ready. Let’s go,” she told reporters Thursday.

However, Trump’s run released a connection indicating that the erstwhile president wouldn’t commit to immoderate early debates until nan Democratic nominee is formally selected.

“Given nan continued governmental chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and nan Democrat Party, wide predetermination statement specifications cannot beryllium finalized until Democrats formally determine connected their nominee,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said successful a connection Thursday.

That prompted Harris to reply connected societal media: “What happened to ‘any time, immoderate place?’”

Coconut trees and ‘childless feline ladies’

Perhaps nan clearest parameter of nan governmental earthquake that’s taken spot successful caller days is nan displacement successful taste vibes and viral moments.

Just a week ago, Republicans were riding precocious aft a normal successful Milwaukee astatine which Trump’s guidance to nan assassination effort days earlier – his correct fist raised successful nan aerial arsenic he mouthed “Fight” to nan crowd – had go a rallying cry.

Now, Democrats – who were previously fretting astir slow fundraising, a disengaged guidelines and slippage in support among young, Black and Latino voters – are rallying down a campaigner with more taste cachet among those same voters. And Republicans are connected defense, pinch Trump’s vice statesmanlike pick, Vance, having to take sides prior comments that could alienate nan suburban women the Trump summons is courting.

Vance has come under fire over comments he made as a Senate candidate on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show successful 2021.

He told Carlson that nan United States is being tally by “a bunch of childless feline ladies who are miserable astatine their ain lives and nan choices that they’ve made, and truthful they want to make nan remainder of nan state miserable, too.” He past specifically mentioned Harris, Buttigieg and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arsenic examples.

Vance did not admit that Harris has 2 stepchildren pinch her husband. Buttigieg, who has since go a begetter to 2 children, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins connected Tuesday that he and his hubby were struggling pinch “a reasonably heartbreaking setback successful our take journey” erstwhile Vance made nan remark.

Actress Jennifer Aniston criticized Vance for nan remark arsenic personification who has struggled to person children and said she prays his girl is “fortunate capable to carnivore children.”

In an question and reply Friday pinch blimpish big Megyn Kelly connected SiriusXM, Vance said he was being sarcastic and nan constituent of what he said has been lost. He said he was criticizing nan Democratic Party for becoming “anti-family.”

“The elemental constituent that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do deliberation it changes your perspective, and successful a beautiful profound way,” Vance said.

Vance said it’s a “catastrophic problem” that nan United States has nan “lowest commencement complaint successful our history successful this country.” As CNN antecedently reported, nan United States’ fertility complaint has been trending down for decades, and successful 2023 it reached nan lowest rate successful a century. Vance said his remarks astir childless adults had been motivated successful portion by a speech pinch his woman astir balancing life arsenic a moving mother.

“What a weird nine that we’ve group up wherever moms who want to work, nan thought that a batch of them are having is, ‘I can’t person much babies because it’s going to beryllium bad for my career,’” Vance said. “How astir we make nan workplace much accommodating to moving moms and moving dads truthful that we tin beforehand a existent civilization of life?”

Harris, connected nan different hand, has been nan beneficiary of a bid of viral moments.

Charli XCX, nan British popular singer, declared nan vice president “brat,” which is the title of her sixth workplace medium and a Gen Z summertime soundtrack. It group disconnected an avalanche of posts connected TikTok, X and different societal media platforms featuring nan aforesaid shadiness of agleam greenish arsenic nan medium screen and video compilations of Harris.

Then, location were nan coconut memes, revisiting a May 2023 reside successful which Harris said astir “a quality betwixt equality and equity.”

“None of america conscionable unrecorded successful a silo. Everything is successful context,” she said successful that speech. “My mother utilized to – she would springiness america a difficult clip sometimes – and she would opportunity to us, ‘I don’t cognize what’s incorrect pinch you young people. You deliberation you conscionable fell retired of a coconut tree? You beryllium successful nan discourse of each successful which you unrecorded and what came earlier you.’”

Since then, coconuts and coconut character imagery person been utilized online successful support of Harris, pinch Colorado Gov. Jared Polis moreover posting an endorsement of nan vice president communicated done 3 emojis: a coconut, a thenar character and an American flag.

“What we’re seeing is simply a really classical illustration of erstwhile popular civilization really gets intertwined pinch politics, and it takes a typical benignant of campaigner and a typical benignant of leader to animate that,” Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 27-year-old Democrat, said connected CNN. “It has to beryllium organic. You can’t make it happen.”

Harris’ erstwhile remarks revisited

There were signs that aft a motorboat that had gone amended than Democrats could person hoped, Harris’ erstwhile remarks were coming nether caller scrutiny.

CNN’s KFile reported Friday that Harris voiced support for “defund nan police” successful a power question and reply successful June 2020 amid nationwide protests for constabulary reform, conscionable months earlier denouncing nan activity aft she had joined nan Biden statesmanlike campaign.

“This full activity is astir rightly saying, ‘We need to return a look astatine these budgets and fig retired whether it reflects nan correct priorities,’” Harris said on a New York-based power programme connected June 9, 2020, adding that US cities were “militarizing police” but “defunding nationalist schools.”

On Saturday, up of nan run rally successful Minnesota, nan Trump run released a video that slammed Harris for her “soft connected crime policies,” highlighting her 2020 support connected societal media for a money that bailed retired protesters successful nan aftermath of nan constabulary execution of George Floyd successful Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund is 1 of respective US charities dedicated to helping low-income defendants station bail that boomed successful nan aftermath of Floyd’s death. However, nan fund, successful summation to different charitable bail groups, later came nether occurrence aft immoderate defendants who were bailed retired were arrested again for alleged acts of convulsive crime.

As Trump’s run adjusts its strategies for the title against Harris, the erstwhile president has made clear connected societal media and connected nan way that he plans to make governmental ideology an issue.

“We’re not fresh for a Marxist President,” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social, “and Lyin’ Kamala Harris is simply a RADICAL LEFT MARXIST, AND WORSE!”

Trump had agelong criticized Biden complete separator security. He is likewise blasting Harris – who early successful Biden’s presidency was tapped to tackle nan guidelines cause of migration from Central America. The Republican National Committee connected Thursday posted a video on societal media featuring type clips of Harris saying that an undocumented migrant was not a criminal.

Down-ballot Republicans person likewise begun attacking Harris arsenic excessively liberal.

In Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Bob Casey successful 1 of nan year’s astir important races, posted a video Tuesday featuring Casey praising Harris – followed by a bid of clips of Harris speaking successful support of eliminating backstage wellness insurance, passing nan progressive “Green New Deal,” abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a mandatory weapon buyback programme and more.

On Friday, McCormick posted a somewhat shorter type of nan video.

“Starting this Monday, Pennsylvanians watching nan Olympics will besides spot Bob Casey and Kamala Harris’ dangerously wide schedule connected display,” he said.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, Kit Maher, Terence Burlij, Sam Fossum, Alayna Treene, Alison Main, Kim Berryman, Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck contributed to this report.

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