Battle intensifies as US election season heats up Trump vs. Harris

The initial calm within the Republican Party, which followed President Biden's withdrawal from the upcoming election and the emergence of Vice President Kamala Harris as a contender, is gradually fading. The political climate is returning to its usual intensity. Donald Trump has recently claimed that "decisions in the White House are made by a group of fascists, communists, and Marxists," describing this as a "threat to democracy." He has positioned himself as the antithesis to this ideology, calling Biden's replacement by Harris a "coup" and making sharp remarks about her.

Trump is well-known for his blunt critiques of both domestic and international political leaders. Therefore, it's no surprise that he is intensifying his attacks in the election campaign, shifting focus from Biden to Harris. He has disparagingly labeled Harris as a "puppet" for foreign leaders who, in his view, will take advantage of her and move on.

Another point of contention for Trump and his supporters against the Democratic Party has been the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, particularly focusing on certain aspects of the event.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson sharply criticized the White House for its lack of response to a segment of the ceremony he described as mocking Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," a depiction from the Gospel. Johnson claimed that this scene was "shocking and offensive to Christians around the world."

Despite the White House having every opportunity to condemn what he described as a disgraceful affront to religious sentiments, the administration chose to remain silent. Johnson suggested that this silence should be interpreted as approval of the controversial scene, urging that "over 200 million American Christians should take note."

This criticism followed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's refusal to address questions during a briefing about President Biden's stance on certain elements of the Olympic opening. Jean-Pierre, smiling, responded, "I have nothing to share. I appreciate the question, but I have nothing to offer."

According to several experts, the controversy surrounding the Olympic opening ceremony is expected to be heavily promoted by Republicans, particularly since one of Trump's key campaign themes is the importance of Americans adhering to traditional values. Observers suggest that this focus on traditional values is driving the intensified rhetoric from various segments of the population. For example, president of CatholicVote, a conservative, nonprofit political advocacy group, Brian Burch, has urged President Biden to condemn the sacrilegious mockery of the Last Supper portrayed at the Olympics’ opening ceremony. Our leaders, especially one who self-identifies as Catholic, should have no trouble denouncing such hateful attacks on Christianity," said Burch.

Simultaneously, comedian Rob Schneider has condemned parts of the Olympic opening ceremony as "glorifying Satan." He stated: “I am sorry to say to all the world’s greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan.”

On the political front, the debate has shifted to Biden's proposed major reforms to the Supreme Court. These reforms include limiting the terms of justices, establishing a code of conduct, and amending the Constitution to reduce presidential immunity. This proposal comes in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion (echoing Trump's emphasis on traditional values) and its rulings that blocked Biden’s immigration, vaccination, climate change, and other policy initiatives. Additionally, Biden’s proposal was influenced by the Supreme Court's July ruling that prevented Trump from facing accountability for actions taken during his presidency.

One of the central issues in the US presidential race remains the candidates' responses to the Russia-Ukraine war. John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, announced a new $200 million aid package from Pentagon reserves for Ukraine. This package includes air defence systems, ammunition for HIMARS, mortar shells, and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

Additionally, the Department of Defence revealed plans to use approximately $1.5 billion from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to bolster Ukraine's air defences. This marks the 20th aid package from the Biden administration since August 2021. According to the Pentagon, the continued collaboration with US allies aims to provide "critical capabilities" to Ukrainian defenders for effective military operations.

Trump’s stance on this issue is well-known.

No American election, or the path to it, is complete without discussions about foreign interference. Thus, it is no surprise that US intelligence agencies have reported on Russia's use of unsuspecting Americans and commercial PR firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the US presidential campaign. This includes creating websites that mimic American media and fake social media accounts.

Recent developments in American policy have prompted Russia, Iran, and China to adapt their propaganda strategies, notably by flooding the internet with false and inflammatory statements about American democracy. This is aimed at undermining trust in the electoral process.

In response to the growing concern about foreign influence, national intelligence agencies are emphasizing to Americans that "content they encounter online, especially on social media, may be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be produced in the US."

Thus, while quite a number of analysts confidently stated that Biden’s replacement by Harris had caused confusion and upheaval within Trump’s campaign staff, who don't know how they should proceed now, the realities turned out to be different. There has been no stagnation in Trump’s circle. The above-mentioned points clearly indicate that there are no significant changes in Trump’s campaign strategy. Instead, the former president’s activity is expected to increase as the November 2024 election approaches.

By Teymur Atayev

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their op-eds may differ from and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.