Three reasons Trump’s team is worried he’s not taking Kamala Harris seriously

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly worried he is not taking seriously the threat Vice President Kamala Harris poses to him if Democrats replace President Joe Biden with her as their nominee.

Biden has maintained that he will not step aside as the fallout from his disastrous debate performance last week has intensified. Elected Democrats are starting to demand he withdraw in favor of someone younger and more energetic, and major donors are threatening to withhold financing the party moving forward unless the president calls it quits.

If Biden were to step aside from the race, Harris would be the most likely replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Although Harris would have plenty of problems herself as the candidate, Democrats are beginning to rally around her as the prospect of keeping Biden as their standard bearer begins to look like they’ll be following him into a doomed battle.

With Democrats starting to think they might have their hand forced to adopt Harris as their leader, there are three reasons Trump’s team may be worried the former president isn’t conscious of the danger she poses, according to Axios.

Polling

Trump has maintained a polling lead over Biden, which appears to have solidified further after the debate. The former president also has a slight advantage over Harris.

A CNN poll released earlier this week shows Trump leading Biden, 49%-43%, but it also showed him leading Harris, 47%-45%. Trump’s 2-point lead over the vice president is in the poll’s 3.5-point margin of error, while his lead over the president falls outside of that range. Harris also has an advantage with independent voters, 43%-40%, over Trump, while the former president leads Biden with that group, 44%-34%.

The report from Axios suggests that Republicans are worried Harris could bring out voting blocs that do not show up the polls as consistently for Biden, and that a new running mate for Harris could shore up other groups for the Democratic ticket.

Age

Trump, despite only being roughly four years younger than Biden, appears to be winning the age battle over the president. If Harris, 59, is at the top of the ticket instead of Biden, 81, it could turn the issue against Trump, 78.

The report suggests that her elevation to the spotlight could shake the age concerns from the Democratic ticket, which has plagued the party’s election strategy since the Atlanta debate.

Reception of critiques of Harris

Another concern outlined by the report has to do with the way Trump will attack Harris, and how swing voters will perceive the jabs.

Advisers to the former president are reportedly concerned that his attacks on a black, south Asian woman may not go over well with minority voters the Trump campaign has touted it is looking to convince to vote for him.

Trump also already struggles in polling with women. While the debate pushed Biden behind Trump in several categories, including an overall 3-point swing in the former president’s favor, his standing with women improved. In the latest New York Times/Siena poll, the president built on his 5-point advantage with women over Trump and increased his margin to 8.

In the CNN poll showing Harris remaining competitive with Trump, 50% of women said they preferred her to Trump, compared to 44% of women who preferred Biden in a rematch against the former president.

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Harris would be the most likely replacement for Biden at the top of the ticket, but Biden, Harris, their campaign, and the White House have all firmly said that Biden will be the one facing off against Trump in November.

Despite attempts to calm reports of Democrats wanting Biden to step aside, throughout the week, various outlets have reported Democratic uneasiness over the president’s debate performance and the fallout from it.