Harris and Trump launch new advertisements for presidential election sprint

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump released new television advertisements on Tuesday as part of a multimillion dollar battle to gain the upper hand in this year’s reshaped campaign.

The Harris advertisement, which is a minute long and describes her as “fearless,” serves as a highlight reel of her political career dating back to her days as a courtroom prosecutor in California. The likely Democratic nominee, who is less well known than Trump, is racing to introduce herself to voters after being thrust to the top of the ticket when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid a little more than a week ago.

“This campaign is about who we fight for,” Harris says in the advertisement, which is running during the Olympics, the Bachelorette, the Daily Show and other popular programs.

Her campaign said it’s the first spot in a $50 million advertising push ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which starts on Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Trump is trying to define Harris in his own way. The Republican nominee’s half-minute advertisement targets her work on migration issues, dubbing her the “border czar” and blaming her for illegal crossings into the United States. After displaying headlines about crime and drugs, the video brands Harris as “Failed. Weak. Dangerously liberal.”

Border crossings hit record highs during the Biden administration but have dropped more recently.

The Trump campaign has so far reserved $12.2 million in television and digital ads through the next two weeks, according to data from the media tracking firm AdImpact.

The organization did not have updated figures for the Harris campaign on Tuesday morning.