Trump Calls Harris A Marxist, A Communist, Even A Fascist
In the six weeks since Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic presidential nominee following President Biden, Donald Trump has launched a relentless campaign against her, claiming that her views are far too extreme for the average voter.
“She’s a Marxist. She’s a fascist,” Trump stated last week, oddly mixing labels that are typically at odds with each other.
Donald Trump recently made unsubstantiated claims, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Comrade Kamala” and accusing her of wanting to turn the United States into a communist country. This is part of a broader strategy Trump has openly discussed with reporters, where he plans to paint his political opponents as communists or socialists.
However, these attacks don’t seem to be resonating with voters. In fact, recent public opinion polls indicate that Harris’s popularity has been steadily rising. A Wall Street Journal poll from last week showed that 49% of voters now have a favorable view of the vice president, a significant 14% increase since July.
In contrast, the same poll reveals that 59% of voters view Trump as “too extreme” to be president, while only 46% feel the same way about Harris. That 46% aligns closely with the percentage of voters already committed to supporting Trump.
So, why isn’t Trump’s aggressive rhetoric having the desired effect?
In her abortive presidential campaign in 2019, she cast herself as a progressive — but she was still closer to the center than candidates like independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who (unlike Harris) describes himself as a democratic socialist.
To be doubly certain, I consulted a leading historian of American Marxism, Paul Buhle, a retired lecturer at Brown University. He said he had looked into Harris’ history and found no evidence of Marxist leanings. “It’s a slur,” he wrote in an email.
For another thing, Harris has moved quickly and effectively to define her positions as squarely within the mainstream of current Democratic thinking: liberal, but a long way from anything resembling Marxism, which calls for government ownership of major industries.
At the Democratic convention in Chicago, and during her recent interview with CNN, Kamala Harris signaled a shift away from several of the progressive policies she briefly embraced during her 2019 campaign.
In her convention speech, Harris pledged to collaborate with “small business owners, entrepreneurs, and American companies to create jobs.” This pro-capitalist stance drew some mild criticism from a few progressive voices.
Despite this, Harris has proposed some policies that lean towards progressive ideals, such as a federal ban on “price-gouging” by grocery stores. While former President Trump criticized this idea, calling it “Soviet-style price controls,” it appears to have resonated with voters. A recent Economist-YouGov poll revealed that 60% of voters support the proposal, including nearly half of Republicans.
Campaign strategists from both parties have pointed out that Trump’s attacks on Harris lack focus and consistency. He has labeled her both a communist and a fascist, while also claiming she is more liberal than Biden yet would somehow continue Biden’s policies.
“He hasn’t quite nailed down his core message yet,” said Doug Sosnik, a Democratic strategist who played a key role in President Clinton’s successful 1996 reelection campaign. “It seems like he’s been testing out several different approaches.”
Some Republican strategists are concerned that Trump might be missing the mark. They believe he’s focusing too much on energizing his existing supporters, rather than appealing to undecided voters.
“Name-calling is great for rallying your base, but it’s not going to win over those in the middle,” said one GOP strategist, who requested anonymity while discussing the party’s nominee. “People are already familiar with her record. What they really want to know is how the candidates plan to boost the economy. Every time he resorts to insults, he’s missing an opportunity to talk about economic growth.”
“Harris is doing well in positioning herself as a change-maker,” noted Alex Conant, a former advisor to Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. “Back in 2016, one of the reasons Trump resonated with voters was his promise to be the candidate of change. His ‘drain the swamp’ slogan struck a chord with independents. But it’s been a long time since I’ve heard him use that phrase.”
Strategists argue that Harris still has weak spots that Trump could focus on more effectively.
They suggest that Trump could run a stronger campaign by linking her more directly to Biden’s economic policies. Since many voters blame the president for high prices and believe Trump could manage the economy better, this angle could resonate.
“Trump needs to frame this election as a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration,” Conant advised.
Additionally, some voters harbor doubts about Harris’ ability to lead in a crisis—a category where Trump tends to outshine her in polls.
Trump’s campaign ads, crafted by his professional team, already emphasize these points. Instead of throwing out fiery accusations like “Marxist,” they opt for a more traditional—and accurate—label: “San Francisco liberal.”
However, Trump has struggled to stick to this more disciplined message in public appearances.
While Harris is steadily improving her image with undecided voters who could determine the outcome of the election, Trump’s rally speeches seem to be more about self-gratification than winning votes.
The constant name-calling and wild accusations aren’t broadening his appeal. But Trump insists on being true to himself, resisting the discipline his campaign advisors have tried to instill. He just keeps swinging away.