Phrases instead of details

First interview as presidential candidate

The initial euphoria is fading.

(Bild: AP)

In her first interview after 40 days as a presidential candidate, she mainly stuck to empty phrases instead of providing details about her political program. Nevertheless, Kamala Harris took the next hurdle on her way to the White House with aplomb. In the words of Barack Obama's former adviser David Axelrod, "it was neither a step forward, but above all not a step back!" 

Donald Trump's camp waited in vain for the Vice President to contradict herself under pressure from critical questions - as she has often done in the past - or to get bogged down in confusing sentences. Instead, the "Marxist" - as she is falsely referred to by her opponents - swaggered her way to becoming an advocate of centrist politics. With promises such as arms supplies for Israel, tougher action against illegal immigration and a green light for the controversial "fracking" gas extraction method, Harris could also have scored points in the Republican primaries.

Republicans fume over "soft questions"
The furious reaction from the Republican camp over CNN presenter Dana Bash's "soft questions" left no doubt that nervousness is rising in the Trump camp following the Harris performance. With her unexcited pragmatism, the 59-year-old was able to create a clear contrast to Trump's bombastic and often egocentric manner. Following the motto "We want to open a new chapter for America", she did not want to get involved in any mud-slinging and put the spotlight on race or gender. When Bash tried to tease out a reaction from her to Trump's racist provocations about her Indian-Jamaican roots, she calmly parried with "next question please!"

Trump wants to "destroy" Harris in confrontation

(Bild: AP)

By now, even the former president seems to at least realize that he cannot win over undecided voters with personal attacks on Harris. This is the only way to explain why he suddenly made an astonishing U-turn on the critical issue of abortion and reproductive rights for women. The proud crusader of the "pro-life" movement, whose chief justices he appointed overturned the national right to abortion after 50 years, shocked his own supporters by announcing he would vote for a pro-abortion referendum in Florida. This would lift the ban on abortion from the 6th week of pregnancy enforced by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and raise the upper limit for legal abortions to 24 weeks.

U-turn on abortions causes anger
The outcry in his own party, from anti-abortion organizations and representatives of the Evangelical Church was huge. The influential conservative commentator Eric Erikson railed: "Instead of allowing us all to focus on the political contradictions of Harris, Trump has decided to further divide our party - with even greater contradictions for the MAGA movement." Trump responded to the shitstorm in his typical way. He did an about-turn and announced that he would vote against the referendum after all - allegedly as he had always intended.

The day after the Harris interview, Trump again announced that he would "destroy" his rival at the presidential debate on September 10 in Philadelphia. But some Republican advisors are suddenly having doubts about this. The ex-president appears to be more thin-skinned and therefore more undisciplined than ever in his statements. While Trump's side is running around with a fire extinguisher, the Harris side will try to light the fuse. The American election campaign therefore promises to become even more explosive.