In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, devastating hurricanes, escalating conflicts in the Middle East, and a looming dockworker strike threatening the U.S. economy are three major challenges approaching, affecting voters’ emotions and testing the two presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
At this turbulent moment, as the incumbent president, Joe Biden remains the helmsman of the U.S. economy and foreign policy, likely to bear ultimate responsibility for the unfolding events. However, how the presidential candidates of both parties handle these three distinct issues may directly determine who can win the support of key battleground state voters and ultimately win the election.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said to reporters on Tuesday, “Unfortunately, such events will continue to happen, and now is the moment to show leadership as a president, I believe Americans should be clear on one thing: the decisiveness of the person behind the desk is crucial.”
With Biden’s assistance, Kamala Harris has been striving to demonstrate composure and calm amidst a series of challenging situations.
On Tuesday, she worked alongside Biden in overseeing the post-hurricane recovery and rescue efforts of Hurricane “Helene,” and later observed how the U.S. would assist Israel in repelling a large-scale retaliatory attack by Iran, following the killing of a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon supported by Tehran.
Meanwhile, they are also maintaining close contact with economic advisors. Dockworkers started striking on Tuesday, from ports in Maine to Texas, threatening the supply chain and potentially leading to shortages and price hikes if it continues for weeks.
Trump, on the other hand, criticized Kamala Harris for being “at a loss,” while claiming during his presidency, such accumulation of problems would not have occurred.
During a campaign event in Wisconsin, Trump said, “We’ve been talking about the third world war, I don’t want to make predictions, the whole world is mocking us, that’s why Israel was recently attacked because they no longer respect our country.”
Before meeting with aides on Tuesday to discuss hurricane response measures, Biden addressed reporters, seemingly realizing people are becoming increasingly frustrated with the federal government’s response to large-scale storms.
Biden stated, “I stay in touch with governors and other leaders in the affected areas, we must kickstart the post-disaster recovery work as soon as possible.” He is set to visit hurricane-damaged areas in North and South Carolina before heading to Georgia and Florida later this week. He said, “People are wondering if they can make it through, they are scared.”
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris will visit Georgia on Wednesday and travel to North Carolina in the coming days to assess the local disaster situation.
Tuesday’s vice presidential debate showcased how the two campaign teams react to new developments to strengthen their messages and intensify attacks on their opponents. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz pledged “steady leadership” under Kamala Harris, while Ohio Senator J.D. Vance promised, if Trump returns to the White House, to restore “peace through strength.”
Since announcing the end of his re-election campaign in July due to declining public support, President Biden has refrained from participating in campaign events.
Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania, mentioned that Biden’s absence highlights the Democrats’ belief that his campaigning for Kamala Harris would only bring more burden rather than leverage.
However, how President Biden handles the recent three emergencies as the incumbent may have a significant impact on undecided voters’ perception of Kamala Harris in the final days.
Borick said, “President Biden cannot help Kamala Harris in campaign speeches, but in a campaign event, to attract undecided voters in several states, you must go all out, how he handles these crises in the coming weeks might have a significant impact.”
Kamala Harris’s campaign team is well aware that multiple crises erupting simultaneously bring risks, especially considering the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of these crises. If the strike continues, disaster response is inadequate, or the Middle East conflict worsens, it could raise doubts about Biden’s leadership, leading to implications for his vice president.
Meanwhile, according to a campaign official who declined to be named, Kamala Harris’s campaign team’s aides believe that dangerous moments are an opportunity to show voters who holds this position and who can take it seriously.
On Tuesday, former President Trump offered prayers and expressed concern for those affected by Hurricane “Helene” in his speech in Waunakee, Wisconsin and social media posts, criticizing Kamala Harris for her response to the dockworker strike, while also mentioning the casting in Stanley Kubrick’s film “Full Metal Jacket.”
In a statement about the strike, Trump said, “The situation should not have escalated to this point, it wouldn’t have happened if I were president.”
During a break in recording interviews for the campaign on Tuesday, Harris’s aides deliberately arranged for the vice president to make a brief speech about the Iran attack on Israel, aiming to shape her image as calm under chaos and commanding the situation.
Cases of turbulence in the late stages of U.S. presidential elections are not uncommon, sometimes involving scandals, while other times, the incumbent president seeks to prove that he or his endorsed successor can stay calm in uncertain times.
George W. Bush pushed through a rescue program, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, to stabilize the teetering financial system when people worried about an economic collapse, but it did not help Republican John McCain in the overall economy and he eventually lost to Barack Obama.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign was paralyzed by the Iran hostage crisis. Shortly after his successor Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on January 20, 1981, the 52 hostages were released.
In the final days before the 1968 election, Lyndon Johnson announced the halt of bombing in North Vietnam, hoping to lead to peace talks, but South Vietnam indicated they would not negotiate, and Johnson’s vice president Hubert Humphrey narrowly lost to Republican candidate Richard Nixon.
Edward Frantz, a historian at the University of Indianapolis, said, “Incumbents often help themselves or their party candidates during the ‘October surprise,’ this practice has a long history, but under current circumstances, I’m not sure how many voters will be convinced by a candidate trying to demonstrate their capabilities in the late stages of the campaign.”
(This article was referenced from the Associated Press report)