WASHINGTON – On top of your first speech like his running mate, the governor of Minnesota. Tim Walz turned to the vice president Kamala Harris and declared, “Thank you for bringing back the joy.” The next day, Harris took the topic a step further, calling the Democratic ticket “joyful warriors.”
Compare this to the former president donald trumpWho opened a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida a few days later, saying, “We have a lot of bad things coming” and predicting that the U.S. could slide into an economic depression not seen since the dark days of 1929 or even another world war. .
“I think our country is, right now, in the most dangerous position it has ever been in, from an economic standpoint, from a security standpoint,” Trump said on Thursday.
Democrats are highlighting their more optimistic outlook, promoting the idea that voters can be inspired to support someone and not just vote against the other side. The Trump campaign argues that its candidate reflects the country’s dark mood and rejects the idea that a growing contrast in tone and upbeat attitude will decide the presidency.
Two-thirds of Americans reported feeling very or somewhat pessimistic about the state of politics, according to voting by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last month. About 7 in 10 said things in the country are moving in the wrong direction.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the former president, said people don’t care about “vibe checks.”
“This doesn’t mean making gas, food or housing cheaper,” Miller said.
Still, how strongly Harris is banking on the opposite approach is evident in his decision to choose Walz, whose personal history includes being on the coaching staff of a high school football team that had gone winless just a few years earlier to conquer a state championship. in 1999.
The Minnesota governor’s tireless positivity aims to give supporters new energy and maintain the momentum Harris built after President Joe Biden — facing increasing pressure from within his own party and increasingly pessimistic views about his chances in November — stepped aside and endorsed its vice president.
Walz spent his first week as Harris’ running mate traveling to swing states with Harris and underscored that point during a rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsincelebrating what he said was “the ability to talk about what can be good.”
“This idea of caring for others and kindness, and helping when someone needs it. And just the feeling that people go through things and can be there when they need to be there, that’s who we are,” he said. “This is not mockery. It’s not swearing.”
Biden often ended his speeches by saying he had never been more optimistic. But he built his now-ended re-election bid around labeling Trump as a existential threat to democracy. The president made dark predictions about the former president, suggesting he would dismantle the nation’s founding principles if he regained the White House.
Harris’ campaign still builds on many of the same themes, condemning Trump as a threat to democracy, warning that he will impose draconian limits on abortion and voting and that he will follow Project 2025a plan championed by mainstream conservatives to remake large swaths of the federal government.
And despite Walz insisting that smiles were more powerful than insults, he and Harris continued their share of denunciations, condemning Trump’s conviction in New York in 34 criminal charges in hush money case and he will be held responsible for fraudulent business practices and sexual abuse in civil court.
Still, even before naming Walz as her running mate, Harris was already suggesting she could help make politics fun again.
“We love our country. And I believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country,” Harris declared in campaign speeches before choosing Walz. She now tells crowds that she and her running mate “believe in lifting people up, not tearing them down.”
Paula Montagna, who went to see Harris and Walz at a rally outside Detroit last week, highlighted the shift in messaging since Harris replaced Biden.
“Kamala is very positive and it’s nice to hear positive things instead of negative,” Montagna said.
Trump’s top campaign advisers counter that the country’s mood right now is bitter about the economy, the state of the US-Mexico border and the turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere. They see their candidate as a reflection of that reality, not what they believe to be a temporary exuberance that fires up the Democratic base after months of discouragement over his candidacy.
Trump has tried to capitalize on this with his repeated predictions of stock market crashes and war. His campaign appearances included a long list of other warnings that turned apocalyptic, saying that if he is not elected, “we will no longer have a country,” that “the only thing standing between you and your destruction is me,” and that under the Harris administration, “Social Security will buckle and collapse” and “the suburbs will be overrun by violent crime and savage foreign gangs.”
During his speech at the Republican National Convention last month, where his advisers said Trump would appear changed and more personable afterwards surviving an assassination attemptthe former president adopted a different tone – at least at first.
He said from the beginning that he had “a message of confidence, strength and hope” and sought to “launch a new era of security, prosperity and freedom for citizens of all races, religions, colors and creeds”.
But in the end, Trump returned to predictions of destruction, twice warning: “Bad things are going to happen.”
Ohio Senator. JD VanceTrump’s running mate, drew a stark contrast to Walz. Vance has been applauded on the right for being an aggressive fighter on behalf of the former president, especially when engaging with reporters.
“Right now, I’m angry about what Kamala Harris has done to this country and the southern border of the United States,” Vance said at a campaign stop in Michigan. – sometimes they’re lucky, sometimes they can enjoy things and they can turn on the news and recognize that what’s happening in this country is a disgrace.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnellwho is not known for his cheerful disposition, made much the same assessment Friday at a conservative conference in Atlanta hosted by radio host Erick Erickson.
“The country is obviously in a bad mood,” McConnell said.
Trump supporters waiting to see him in a rally in Bozeman, Montanasaid they felt the former president’s campaign made them feel positive — even if his message often didn’t.
“Just looking at the state of the country right now, I don’t think Kamala Harris’ campaign is one of joy and hope. I think this is the Trump campaign,” said Alex Lustig, a 23-year-old from Billings, Montana.
Fred Scarlett, a 63-year-old retiree from Condon, Montana, said “everyone understands that we need to be here to support Trump because he has never let us down.”
“They shoot at him,” Scarlett said, “and he keeps shooting back.”
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Price reported in Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Matthew Brown in Bozeman, Montana, Joey Cappelletti in Detroit, Haven Daley in Glendale, Arizona, Linley Sanders in Washington and Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
