{"id":2334132,"date":"2024-08-30T06:29:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T10:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-attack-trump-character-as-gop-urges-policy-focus-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-30T06:32:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T10:32:18","slug":"democrats-attack-trump-character-as-gop-urges-policy-focus-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-attack-trump-character-as-gop-urges-policy-focus-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats attack Trump character as GOP urges policy focus- Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-attack-trump-character-as-gop-urges-policy-focus-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2334132&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-faces-the-nation-four-days-after-dropping-out-via-twitter\/\" title=\"Biden Faces The Nation Four Days After Dropping Out Via Twitter\">ongoing \u200cpolitical landscape<\/a>, the 2024 presidential campaign\u200b is shaping up to be a battle of character and policy, particularly between Democrats and Republicans. Former President \u200dDonald Trump is being urged by Republicans \u200bto focus his\u200d attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris primarily on policy issues. Conversely, Harris&#8217;s campaign emphasizes Trump&#8217;s character, portraying\u200d him\u200c as unfit for office while largely sidestepping detailed policy proposals. \u200d <\/p>\n<p>As Harris navigates her \u200ccampaign, she has\u200d linked Trump to the conservative Project 2025 agenda\u200c he has rejected, but her primary focus\u200c has been to argue that he\u200b represents a threat to democracy. Recent reports indicate that Democrats \u2062advise her to de-emphasize specific\u2062 policy discussions, believing the election will revolve around the broader &#8220;vibes&#8221; of the candidates. <\/p>\n<p>In a notable shift, both candidates\u2064 appear to be softening their stances on pivotal issues. While Trump has moved\u2062 towards a more moderate viewpoint on abortion, Harris has receded from several progressive positions,\u2064 including those concerning healthcare and \u2064immigration policies.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst \u200caccusations of dishonesty regarding each other&#8217;s \u200cpolicy positions, the campaigns are also navigating the tension between personal attacks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through\/\" title=\"Republican debate: Trump&#039;s rivals create a wall of noise, but struggle to make an impact.\">substantive policy discussions<\/a>. Some \u2064Republican strategists caution Trump against personal attacks, suggesting he would fare better focusing on policy debates. However, Trump remains resistant\u200b to such advice, indicating a preference for\u2062 his \u2063provocative style. <\/p>\n<p>The unfolding dynamics indicate a complex interplay of character, \u200cpolicy, and strategy that will significantly \u200binfluence \u2062voter perceptions as the election \u2064year progresses.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats attack Trump&rsquo;s character as Republicans urge policy focus<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1741142\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Republicans are urging former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> to attack Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Kamala Harris<\/a> exclusively on policy as Democrats take the opposite approach.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In the early weeks of her campaign, Harris has made Trump&rsquo;s character the centerpiece of her campaign while largely skirting around the proposals she would adopt as president.<\/p>\n<p>Harris has not avoided policy altogether. She has attempted to tie Trump to Project 2025, a conservative agenda he has disavowed, while slowly rolling out how she would tackle problems like inflation and the border. But Democrats have advised her to subordinate those policies to what has become the defining message of her campaign: that the former president is not fit for office.<\/p>\n<p>According to CNN, Democrats are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/28\/politics\/congressional-democrats-harris-campaign-values-policy\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reporting\">not only urging<\/a> Harris to downplay policy on the campaign trail but to avoid getting into the &ldquo;nitty gritty&rdquo; about what she would do if elected. One anonymous Democratic aide told the outlet that &ldquo;this election will clearly be won or lost on vibes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris, a former California attorney general, has focused heavily on Trump&rsquo;s character from the start of her campaign, framing the November election as a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3094985\/harris-sets-up-race-between-prosecutor-felon-first-campaign-stop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"prosecutor vs. felon\">prosecutor vs. felon<\/a>&rdquo; battle in her first remarks as a candidate. At her Democratic National Convention speech last week, Harris said she was fighting &ldquo;for the people,&rdquo; whereas Trump &ldquo;fights for himself and his billionaire friends.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The emphasis suggests Democrats see Trump as a polarizing enough force that voters turned off by his rhetoric will turn out at the polls regardless of her agenda. But the strategy also comes as Harris and Trump have moved closer together on policy as Election Day nears.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has moved to the middle on abortion, suggesting on Thursday that he will oppose Florida&rsquo;s six-week ban when he votes on a state referendum in November. Meanwhile, Harris has moved to the right on a host of issues.<\/p>\n<p>According to her staff, Harris no longer wants to end private health insurance, no longer supports an electric vehicle mandate, no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-questions-harris-may-face-in-cnn-interview-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Top questions Harris may face in CNN interview - Washington Examiner\">longer supports mandatory gun buybacks<\/a>, no longer wants to ban fracking, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3106367\/harris-reverses-support-federal-job-guarantee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no longer supports<\/a>&nbsp;a federal jobs guarantee. Most prominently, she has endorsed Senate legislation that, among other things, includes $650 million in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3135644\/senate-border-deal-lankford-harris-wall-flip-flop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">border wall<\/a> funding despite her past progressive stances on immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Both campaigns have accused the other of lying about their positions. Trump says Harris can&rsquo;t be trusted on the border, pointing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3135644\/senate-border-deal-lankford-harris-wall-flip-flop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"past statements\">past statements<\/a> in which she called the wall a &ldquo;medieval vanity project.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris claims that Trump wants to implement a federal abortion ban despite his denials. Asked about her changing policy stances on Thursday, Harris insisted in her first interview since taking over the Democratic ticket that her &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3138351\/harris-defends-policy-flip-flops-first-interview-values-not-changed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>values have not changed<\/a>&rdquo; even if some of her stances have.<\/p>\n<p>The spat over policy is unfolding amid a larger fight over whether and how much their respective campaigns should be focused on personality and competence.<\/p>\n<p>Congressional Republicans and Trump&rsquo;s own aides have urged him to refrain from personal attacks, particularly after he falsely accused the biracial Harris of only embracing her Indian heritage before she &ldquo;happened to turn black.&rdquo; Since then, he&rsquo;s repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3127410\/trump-defends-strategy-personal-attacks-he-admits-could-hurt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">attacked<\/a> her as &ldquo;dumb&rdquo; and not a &ldquo;very bright person.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Donald Trump, the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election,&rdquo; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a Trump ally,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3125315\/lindsey-graham-concedes-trump-may-not-win-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a>&nbsp;earlier this month. &ldquo;If you have a policy debate for president, he wins.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has flatly rejected such advice.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You know they always say, &lsquo;Sir, please stick to policy. Don&rsquo;t get personal,&#8217;&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3129660\/trump-lashes-out-television-generals-foreign-policy-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Trump said\">Trump said<\/a> during a rally in North Carolina earlier this month. &ldquo;And yet they&rsquo;re getting personal all night long.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump even did a mock poll asking the crowd if he should get personal or not.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My advisers are fired,&rdquo; he joked after the attendees cheered for the &ldquo;get personal&rdquo; option. Still, he has increasingly tailored his message on Harris around her past embrace of the Left, taunting her as &ldquo;Comrade Kamala.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For Harris&rsquo;s part, her focus on Trump extends beyond his character. She and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), have riled up their base by painting the former president and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), as &ldquo;creepy&rdquo; and &ldquo;weird.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, her one detailed policy proposal, centered on the economy, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2024\/08\/15\/kamala-harris-price-gouging-groceries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"ridiculed\">ridiculed<\/a>, with even some Democrats openly distancing themselves from her proposed price controls to combat the rising cost of groceries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1741142\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1741142\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats criticize Trump&#8217;s character while Republicans push for a focus on policy. Republicans are advising former President Donald Trump to target Vice President Kamala Harris solely on policy issues, contrasting with the Democrats&#8217; strategy. In the initial stages of her campaign, Harris has centered her message around Trump&#8217;s character, often avoiding detailed discussions about her own presidential proposals. Although she has addressed some policy matters\u2014linking Trump to Project 2025 and outlining her plans for inflation and border control\u2014Democrats have encouraged her to prioritize the narrative that Trump is unfit for office over specific policies. A Democratic aide noted that &#8220;this election will clearly be won or lost on vibes.&#8221; From the outset of her campaign, Harris has emphasized Trump&#8217;s character, framing the upcoming election as a contest between a &#8220;prosecutor and a felon.&#8221; During her speech at the Democratic National Convention last week, she stated that she fights &#8220;for the people,&#8221; while accusing Trump of fighting &#8220;for himself and his billionaire friends.&#8221; This approach indicates that Democrats believe Trump&#8217;s polarizing nature will motivate voters who are disenchanted with him to show up at the polls regardless of Harris&#8217;s agenda.<\/p>\n<p>However, as Election Day approaches, both candidates have shifted their positions on various policies. Trump appears to be moderating his stance on abortion by suggesting he may oppose Florida&#8217;s six-week ban in an upcoming referendum vote. Meanwhile, Harris has adopted more centrist views on several issues; according to her team, she no longer supports ending private health insurance or implementing an electric vehicle mandate and has backed Senate legislation that includes $650 million in funding for border wall construction despite previously progressive views on immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Both campaigns have accused each other of misrepresenting their positions: Trump claims Harris cannot be trusted regarding border issues due to past comments where she dismissed the wall as a \u201cmedieval vanity project,\u201d while Harris asserts that Trump aims for a federal abortion ban despite his denials. When questioned about changes in her policy positions recently, Harris maintained in an interview that although some stances may have evolved, her core values remain unchanged.<\/p>\n<p>This debate over policies occurs alongside broader discussions about how much emphasis each campaign should place on personality versus competence. Congressional Republicans and even some aides within Trump&#8217;s camp have advised him against personal attacks after he made controversial remarks about Harris\u2019s racial identity; since then he has repeatedly labeled her as \u201cdumb\u201d and lacking intelligence. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an ally of Trump\u2019s warned earlier this month that \u201cDonald Trump\u2014the provocateur\u2014may not win this election,\u201d emphasizing instead a need for substantive policy debates where he believes Trump excels.<\/p>\n<p>Despite such advice from allies urging him towards more constructive discourse rather than personal jabs\u2014Trump humorously dismissed it during a rally by conducting an informal poll asking attendees whether he should keep it personal or stick with policy; they cheered for personal attacks which led him to joke about firing his advisers advocating otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s focus extends beyond just criticizing Trump&#8217;s character; along with running mate Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), they\u2019ve energized their supporters by labeling both Donald Trump and his running mate Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as \u201ccreepy\u201d and \u201cweird.\u201d However, one significant economic proposal from Harris faced ridicule even among fellow Democrats who distanced themselves from suggestions like price controls aimed at alleviating grocery costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2334133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kamala-Harris-Donald-Trump-character.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3685,6203,4326,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2334132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-democrats","tag-gop","tag-policy","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kamala-Harris-Donald-Trump-character.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2334132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2334133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2334132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2334132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2334132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}