Last week, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) officially named Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as their party’s president and vice president nominees, respectively.
Since this confirmation, Republican Party nominee former President Donald Trump has not gone easy on his opponent. CNN has stated that Trump called Harris’ rise as the Democratic nominee “unconstitutional”, saying it’s a “scam” during a broadcast with X owner Elon Musk, and has accused her of participating in a “coup”. Thus far, no significant efforts have been made to challenge Harris’ status as a presidential candidate.
Considering that the race with Harris is much closer than the one he had with Biden, it’s not shocking that he is complaining about the emergence of a candidate who can be considered a threat. In respone, Trump’s critics have warned that the former president could be setting up a backup plan, preparing to question the election’s outcome if he loses again.
Not all Republicans are questioning Harris’ status as a candidate though. A person with knowledge of the Trump campaign’s plans told CNN:
“When the DNC nominated her they were still within the timeframe to submit the required documentation to each of the states to place her name…on the ballot. The fact that the DNC nominated her has ended any challenge in this regard”.
Even those on Trump’s side are questioning the former president’s actions. John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser and vocal critic, told Kaitlan Collins of CNN:
“We know one thing…Trump never loses…if he’s not declared the winner of 2024…it must be because he was treated unfairly…it was stolen…I don’t think he knows…his theory…so he’s trotting out a number of things…this is why people need to start thinking…about how much to deny Trump the ability…if he loses, to try and throw the process into chaos again”.
A conversation between CNN and legal experts has revealed that the possibility of lawsuits surrounding Harris’ name replacing Biden’s on the Democratic ticket is unlikely. As surveyed by CNN, at least 48 states “said that there were no obstacles that would prevent Harris from getting on their ballots once she became the Democratic nominee”.
The race for office was shaken enough when Biden dropped out and Kamala stepped in. With Trump now making accusations months before Election Day, the drama has gone into overdrive. Depending on the results, the outcome of the 2024 election could be more intense than the 2020 one.
