Donald Trump appeared at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday (August 17), where he continued attacking Vice President Kamala Harris. In addition to calling her “not very smart” last week, he’s now commenting on her looks, claiming he’s “much better looking” than her.
The comments arrived as Trump was talking about the drawing of Harris on the cover of TIME Magazine, suggesting the publication couldn’t get any flattering photos of her. He then mentioned he read something by a “highly overrated” speech writer, who praised Harris’s beauty.
“She said, ‘Kamala has one big advantage, she’s a beautiful woman,'” he says in the clip. “So I decide to go back and re-read, but I say I am much better looking than her. Much better. I’m a better looking person than Kamala. No, I couldn’t believe it. I had never heard that one. No, she said, ‘Her biggest advantage is she’s a beautiful woman.’ I never thought of that.
Donald Trump compares Kamala Harris’s Time Magazine cover to Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. He talks about Kamala’s beauty and then proceeds to say he’s better looking than her. #DonaldTrump #Pennsylvania #TrumpRally pic.twitter.com/uRQBbdoa68
— Dana Abercrombie (@sagesurge) August 17, 2024
Trump frequently attacks Harris, often using sharp rhetoric to undermine her qualifications and political standing. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Trump and his allies sought to cast doubt on Harris’s suitability for the vice presidency, labeling her as “nasty” and “mean.”
Trump routinely questions her credibility and dismissed her achievements, portraying her as a radical leftist whose policies would steer the country in a dangerous direction. His criticisms were often intertwined with broader attacks on the Joe Biden administration, painting Harris as a key figure in what he described as a potential socialist agenda.
Trump’s attacks on Harris extended beyond her policies to target her identity and background. He frequently questioned her authenticity and suggested that she was unlikable, trying to stir division and appeal to his base’s skepticism of her. Trump also amplified unfounded conspiracy theories about Harris, including questioning her eligibility for the vice presidency based on her parents’ immigrant status, despite her being born in the United States.
Harris has also been critical of Trump, particularly regarding his leadership style, policies and impact on American democracy. Throughout her career, especially during the 2020 presidential campaign, she has characterized Trump as a divisive figure who’s undermined key democratic institutions and norms.
She has often pointed to Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, his response to racial injustice and role in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot as evidence of his unfitness for leadership. Harris has argued that Trump’s presidency represented a dangerous departure from the values of inclusion, equality, and justice that she believes are essential to the American identity.
Per Newsweek, Harris’ aggregated favorability rating is stronger than Biden or Trump has achieved in more than two years. Despite becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee just three weeks ago, Harris and her campaign have been successful in helping her overtake Trump in many polls.
The share of registered voters who think Trump will win in November has fallen 10 points, from 58 percent to 48 percent, in less than a month, according to Marist College polls conducted between July 9 and 10 and August 1 through 4.