From left, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the Democratic presidential nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz, greet supporters during a campaign rally at Temple University’s Liacouras Center, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/TNS)
Akayla Gardner | (TNS) Bloomberg News
WASHINGTON – Noisy crowds, musical guests and big appearances: Kamala Harris’ campaign events are very similar to those of Donald Trump.
As Harris, the new Democratic candidate, tours the country, her rallies are increasingly taking on an atmosphere once seen at Trump’s major events – highlighting the differing success of the two presidential campaigns in recent weeks.
The vice president’s rise to the top of the ballot was accompanied by growing enthusiasm among Democrats, which was clearly evident at their rallies. Trump, on the other hand, largely stayed off the campaign trail this week, relying instead on press conferences and interviews to steal the spotlight.
Harris’ blitz campaign in swing states took her to Wisconsin on Wednesday, where she held an outdoor rally – the first time either presidential candidate has done so since the failed assassination attempt on Trump last month.
There were clear parallels to Trump’s showpiece events that marked his first presidential campaign in 2016 and were a source of money for his campaign: streams of people and cars in lines, a tightly packed crowd that had arrived hours before the candidates arrived, and loud, rousing music to energize the already boisterous crowd.
Harris took the stage as speakers blared the song Freedom by pop superstar Beyoncé, featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar, much like Trump has long performed to audiences to country singer Lee Greenwood’s iconic song God Bless the USA. Songs by groundbreaking artists like Diana Ross and Whitney Houston have been played regularly at events for a candidate seeking to become the first black woman and Asian American president in U.S. history.
To stay ahead of their GOP rivals, the Democratic campaign has organized live performances. At the Wisconsin event, attendees were treated to a performance by folk-rock band Bon Iver, who wore a camouflage cap emblazoned with the names of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. At previous rallies in Atlanta, rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo took the stage, and in Philadelphia, local artist DJ Diamond Cuts provided entertainment.
At a rally in Detroit on Wednesday, Harris took a cue from Trump’s once symbolic, ostentatious rallies – she arrived in her plane. When Harris and Walz stepped out of Air Force Two, 15,000 people cheered in an open hangar. The crowd, which was also shared by the campaign team, was the largest during Harris’ campaign.
Trump’s rallies are a sea of red, with his supporters wearing hats, shirts and signs with his slogan “Make America Great Again.” Harris’ campaign is trying to follow suit and showcase American motifs, adorning the events with red, white and blue signs for their candidate. A camouflage hat offered by the campaign sold out online in 30 minutes on Tuesday after Walz shared a photo of himself wearing the hat.
In Philadelphia, Harris’ team also distributed flashing bracelets with red, white and blue light bulbs – similar to the bands that caused a stir at pop star Taylor Swift’s concerts, where they created stunning light shows.
And Harris’ own campaign speech was heavily influenced by patriotic themes – touching on her own life story and that of Walz, as well as the uniqueness of a ballot that pairs the Oakland-born child of immigrants with a running mate who grew up as a farm boy in Nebraska.
The rallies also stand in sharp contrast to the often subdued events that President Joe Biden held during his campaign – sober, sparsely attended speeches about the economy or protecting democratic norms that generally lacked any aura of excitement.
And in a sign of unity within the party, Democrats once considered possible successors to Biden were nominated as top candidates, including Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
The adoption of Trump’s campaign style comes at a crucial time in the campaign, as the candidates face a three-month final sprint to Election Day. Harris’ tour of swing states aims to capitalize on a wave of momentum that has seen her catch up to Trump’s lead in the polls and overtake him in the crucial money race.
In addition to the rallies, there were more traditional campaign events. On Thursday, Harris and Walz, along with United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, visited a union hall outside Detroit, where they met with rank-and-file union members. Winning over those voters will be crucial in states like Michigan.
“The true strength of a leader lies not in who he puts down but in who he supports,” Harris said.
While there are growing similarities, differences remain. While crowds at Trump’s rallies regularly chanted “Lock her up,” in reference to his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton, crowds at Harris events have responded with “Lock him up,” mocking the first former president convicted of a crime. But unlike Trump, Harris has tried to quell those chants.
As the crowd in Wisconsin struck up the chorus on Wednesday, Harris urged her supporters to “hold on.”
“That part will be handled by the courts. What we will do is beat him in November,” she said to cheers.
Attendees at Harris rallies also tend to be younger and more diverse – but lack the roving groups of Trump supporters like the “Front Row Joes” who attend every rally of the former president and regularly provide fodder for debate with the candidate. At recent events, Trump has wondered what the husbands of a loyal group of female superfans who have attended dozens of rallies must think.
But Walz also wanted to involve the audience. After he sharply attacked Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, at a rally in Philadelphia, which caused the crowd to roar, Walz grinned and said: “See what I did there?”
However, the Vice President rarely leaves the teleprompter at her events and keeps her speeches short so that she can copy Trump’s showmanship without committing any faux pas.
But like Trump, whose own campaign speech is full of stock phrases that excite his voting base, she has settled on a series of hits that appeal to audiences.
Harris frequently points to her career as a prosecutor who has taken on “offenders of all kinds” and knows “Donald Trump’s type,” shining a spotlight on the former president’s numerous legal problems. And her phrase “We’re not going back” – a pointed rebuttal to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan – is often chanted by attendees.
The events were not always perfectly choreographed shows. In Detroit, Harris was interrupted by hecklers criticizing the government’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
As the demonstration continued, Harris addressed the protesters directly and said, “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, say so. Otherwise, I’ll do the talking.”
(Josh Wingrove and María Paula Mijares Torres contributed to this report.)
___
©2024 Bloomberg LP. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
