At a tense moment in President Biden’s reelection campaign as he faces calls to drop out of the race over serious gaffes at last week’s debate, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed donors at a private fundraising event Tuesday in San Francisco and focused on the election as a choice between civil liberties and dictatorship.
“We’re going to address the hot topic. There are actually two: One is the debate and the other is Trump,” Harris said, drawing laughter from a group of about 35 supporters at real estate executive Susan Lowenberg’s Nob Hill condominium, a high-rise building overlooking the city and the bay.
“The debate, as the president said, [was] “It was not his finest hour. We all know that,” Harris told the room. But the outcome of the election, she added, “cannot be determined by one day in June.”
“It remains a fact that there is a lot at stake in this election. It remains a fact that the race is close. It remains a fact that there is a deep contrast on both sides of the split screen in terms of who stands for what and what each has accomplished,” he said. “And it remains true that Trump is a liar.”
His appearance at the San Francisco fundraiser came on the same day that Trump's campaign reported raising $331 million compared to Biden's $264 million during the second quarter of this year, erasing the cash advantage Biden previously held over Trump.
“President Trump’s fundraising drive is thriving day after day and month after month,” the Republican’s top campaign advisers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, said in a statement. “This fundraising momentum is likely to grow even more as we approach a world-class convention and see Democrats continue their circular firing squad following Biden’s debate collapse.”
Harris said nothing further about Biden's debate performance while a Times reporter was present at the private fundraiser on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic strategist who served as Harris’s chief of staff during her tenure as California attorney general, applauded Harris’s focus in recent days on delivering a clear and concise message to an anxious American electorate. Harris’s job, Ashford said, is to focus on the administration’s accomplishments and demonstrate to voters — without actually saying so — that she can step in if necessary to effectively lead the nation.
“That’s what I would focus on exclusively,” Ashford said. “One of Kamala’s areas of growth has been being very confident in her communication. And this is that moment.”
A new CNN poll indicates that about 75% of voters believe Democrats would have a better chance of winning the White House if they replaced Biden with someone new. The poll also showed that Harris has nearly the same support as Trump in a hypothetical matchup: 47% of registered voters surveyed nationwide said they would support Trump and 45% said they would vote for Harris. The same poll indicated that the gap between the current potential candidates was larger: 49% back Trump and 43% favor Biden.
At Tuesday's fundraiser, Harris seemed comfortable and relaxed in a room full of donors and longtime friends dating back to her beginnings in San Francisco politics as district attorney 20 years ago.
Harris highlighted the administration’s policy accomplishments, such as capping the price of insulin for seniors on Medicare and canceling student loan debt for millions of borrowers. She highlighted the White House’s commitment to mitigating climate change through investments in green energy and its support for reproductive freedoms and other rights for women and marginalized communities.
“The American people are aware that there is an all-out attack, an intentional attack, on hard-won freedoms and rights,” he said.
Those stakes became “even higher” with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Monday that gave Trump, and possibly future presidents, legal immunity from criminal charges arising from official actions while in office, Harris said.
“And let’s not forget that Donald Trump has openly said that he admires dictators and that he intends to be a dictator from day one,” Harris said. “We have to fight back, and we know how to do it.”
