US President Donald Trump has hit out Democratic vice-presidential rival Kamala Harris, calling her "nasty" and a "phony". Photo / AP
US President Donald Trump has hit out Democratic vice-presidential rival Kamala Harris, calling her "nasty" and a "phony". Photo / AP
Donald Trump has been slammed over his criticism of Democrat rivals Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, after saying "suburban housewives" wanted "safety" and would cast their vote for him.
Senator Harris, 55, a former California attorney general, yesterday became the first black woman in history to join a presidential ticket, after Biden named her as his running mate.
But Trump claimed on Twitter that he would take the key demographic of suburban women because he had changed housing laws, saying that "low income housing" no longer "invade their neighbourhood" thanks to him.
The “suburban housewife” will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge! @foxandfriends@MariaBartiromo
This “suburban housewife” tweet is a racist dog whistle about white women being scared of black men invading their neighborhoods and threatening their safety. Trump, in his desperation and sinking polls, uses racism as his last ditch effort to save his floundering campaign.
Last month, Trump scrapped the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, a move he claimed would protect property values in the suburbs.
He shared an op-ed in the New York Post that criticised Biden's plan for housing, and tweeted: "The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article. Biden will destroy your neighbourhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!"
The use of the term "suburban housewives" here sparked a backlash, including from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
The invocation of "suburban housewives" gets at a really good point @alexburnsNYT made the other day about how Trump still seems to view suburbs as being primarily occupied by white people who were recently removed from the "white flight" of the 1950s/60s https://t.co/CRk681H0z8https://t.co/fmCsYo5QVS
The Trump campaign has been critical of Senator Harris since the announcement, painting the California senator as a "phony" for having previously slammed Biden on his race record.
"I was a little surprised that he picked her. I have been watching her for a long time," Trump said, describing her as "nasty".
"She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden and it's hard to pick somebody that is that disrespectful.
"She's just about the most liberal person in the US Senate.
"I would have thought he'd have gone a different way."
The campaign also shared on social media an ad that described Harris as a "phony".
"Voters rejected Harris. They smartly spotted a phony. But not Joe Biden. He's not that smart. Biden calls himself a transition candidate. He is handing over the reins to Kamala while they jointly embrace the radical left. Slow Joe and Phony Kamala. Perfect together. Wrong for America," the ad said.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris arrive to speak at a news conference. Photo / AP
Senator Harris has hit back at the President, saying the case against his administration was "open and shut".
"This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about; our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in. It's all on the line," she said.
"We are reeling through the worst public health crisis in a century.
"The President's mismanagement of the pandemic has plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and we are experiencing a moral reckoning, with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conciseness on the streets of our country, demanding change."
Biden said the attacks from Trump were "predictable".
"You could have set your watches to it," he said. "Donald Trump has already begun his attacks, calling Kamala 'nasty'.
"It's no surprise, whining is what Donald Trump does best …
"Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman?"
He also said the appointment of Harris would be an inspiration.
"This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities," Biden said.
"But today, today, just maybe, they are seeing themselves for the first time in a new way."
Biden said the upcoming election was coming at "a life-changing election for this nation".
"This is a serious moment for our nation. We are at one of those inflection points," he said.
Biden said he believed Harris would serve as a vice president in similar fashion to his eight years alongside Barack Obama, where Obama asked him to be "the last voice in the room".
"I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room. To always tell me the truth … to challenge my assumptions," he said.
"Because that's the way we make the best decisions for the American people."
