Former President Donald Trump has mocked Vice President Kamala Harris after her campaign spent money to reinforce the Democratic National Convention (DNC) amid the threat of pro-Palestine protests in Chicago.
A security wall has been built around the DNC in the city in case demonstrations escalate. That comes after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Harris for working “tirelessly” to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Comrade Kamala and the Democrats continue to lie about President Trump and spend thousands of dollars to secure their convention from protesters rather than secure our border,” Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, told Newsweek. “President Trump is traveling to battleground states to prosecute the case against weak, failed, and dangerously liberal Kamala Harris.”
Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. She praised Kamala Harris for working “tirelessly” to secure a ceasefire in Gaza
Paul Sancya/AP
The Context
As Democrats gathered in Chicago to unify around Harris, thousands of pro-Palestine protesters called for a ceasefire outside the DNC. Protesters are unhappy about the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez attempted to tie Harris to the progressive left. Herself a progressive Democrat and stringent supporter of Palestinian rights, she tried to quell concerns among the left amid the war in Gaza.
“She is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring hostages home,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez was voted into Congress in 2018 as the youngest woman ever elected to the House and she has established herself as one of the party’s progressive stars. She has become a thorn in the side of the Democratic establishment while being aligned with the left-wing fringes of the party.
However, she hesitated to describe Israel’s invasion of Gaza as “genocide” during an appearance on Meet the Press, despite her colleague in the Progressive Squad, Rashida Tlaib, branding the war as such.
The Democrats have been engulfed in fighting over the war in Gaza throughout the conflict. In April, more than three dozen congressional Democrats, including Representative Nancy Pelosi, signed a letter to President Joe Biden to urge him to halt weapons transfers to Israel.
“In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers,” the letter said.
It was signed by Pelosi and 36 other Democrats, including Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee and Rashida Tlaib.
Senator Bernie Sanders said at the time: “Israel should not be getting another nickel in military aid.”
Tlaib accused President Biden of supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people,” indicating deep wounds in the party.
Biden has been slammed by pro-Palestine protesters, who have branded him “genocide Joe” as the party has struggled to agree on a policy.
The views of Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, who was on Harris’ VP shortlist, on the Israel-Hamas war came under scrutiny amid the Democratic divide.
Josh Shapiro speaks during a campaign event for Kamala Harris in Ambler, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 2024. Politicians are divided on the issue.
Matt Rourke/AP
Shapiro made controversial remarks about Palestinians in a 1993 opinion piece published when he was a 21-year-old student and worked at the University of Rochester’s student newspaper.
“Palestinians will not coexist peacefully,” Shapiro wrote in the piece. “They do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States. They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own.”
The comment quickly divided some Democrats as progressives said the governor’s response to pro-Palestinian protests over the war could end up alienating the left flank of the party.
However Representative Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, wrote on X: “@JoeBiden, @KamalaHarris, every VP candidate, and a wide majority of Democrats support Israel. But for some reason, @JoshShapiro PA’s support is problematic to certain leftists. Such anti-Semitism cannot be granted a safe haven in any party. Period.”
Republicans have been unified around policy matters concerning Israel and are aligned with the same position.
Kamala Harris on Aug. 7, 2024, and Donald Trump on July 31. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Harris for working “tirelessly” to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Charles Rex Arbogast)/AP
Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago last month. It was the first meeting of the Israeli leader and former president in nearly four years.
Trump pledged to “combat antisemitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States” if elected.
During Netanyahu’s visit in July, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X: “It was an honor to have Prime Minister Netanyahu address Congress this week. America stands with our great ally, Israel, as it fights for its existence. Our two countries are united in our mission to bring our hostages home immediately.”
GOP lawmakers have lined up behind the former president and house speaker on Israeli policy, while Democrats still look divided as protests loom at the DNC.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
