Vice President Kamala Harris is being called out by Axios for 'flip-flopping' on the border wall, which she previously claimed is “medieval,” a “waste of taxpayer money” and “un-American.”
In a piece highlighted by the Trump campaign on Tuesday, Axios ran a story on what the outlet claims is the Democratic presidential nominee's latest policy reversal, which comes after she changed her tune on Medicare for All and fracking.
Harris is embracing a more hawkish immigration policy as Donald Trump's campaign spends tens of millions of dollars attacking her about the border. […]
Driving the news: In her speech to the Democratic National Convention last week, Harris said she would sign the recent bipartisan border security bill — which Trump had ordered his allies to kill, fearing it would help Democrats in the November elections.
- That bill, negotiated by senators such as James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), requires hundreds of millions of dollars of unspent funds to be used to continue building a wall on the border.
- "It requires the Trump border wall," Lankford told Axios. "It is in the bill itself that it sets the standards that were set during the Trump administration: Here's where it will be built. Here's how it has to be built, the height, the type, everything during the Trump construction."
- Harris' campaign says the border deal is a whole lot more than continuation of wall funding — and a tiny fraction of what Trump has proposed.
Lankford's office estimated the legislation would spend $650 million on a wall, down from the $18 billion Trump requested in 2018.
Social media users are also highlighting how she used images of the border wall under Trump in a recent campaign ad.
🤔 What is that in this ad?
— Mike Howell (@MHowellTweets) August 23, 2024
Looks like the @realDonaldTrump BORDER WALL to me! https://t.co/QeNVJNjOcD pic.twitter.com/QFugDm7bjc
In a statement, the Trump campaign called the claim that she flip-flopped on the issue "preposterous and false."
“How much longer will the mainstream media allow Kamala Harris to hide and use staff to speak on her behalf?" said Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavittt. "It’s DAY 37 of ZERO interviews and Kamala’s anonymous campaign sources are now claiming she supports President Trump’s border wall -- this is a preposterous and false claim. Kamala’s RECORD proves she is pro-open border. She called the wall "un-American," a "waste of taxpayer money," "medieval," and said it isn't going to "stop" illegal immigration. As a senator, Kamala tried to block President Trump's construction of the border wall. As Border Czar, Kamala Harris halted construction of the border wall. Kamala’s ACTIONS speak much louder than the WORDS of the anonymous staff she is cowering behind.”
🎯 Spot-on!
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) August 27, 2024
Kamala Harris hasn’t flip-flopped on anything. She’s still the same Berkeley liberal who believes in open borders and selling out American workers! https://t.co/C4ck7PDRaL
Kamala Harris is a fake.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 27, 2024
If she wants to build the border wall, she could start right now! https://t.co/EXyBzk1DpR
Another walk-back by an anonymous aide.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 27, 2024
Here’s Kamala calling the border wall a "vanity project" because "by definition," illegal immigration is "not an emergency."pic.twitter.com/9XK4xaKcNr https://t.co/lSDypNaSrp
"I'm not gonna vote for a [border] wall under any circumstances."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 27, 2024
— Kamala Harris pic.twitter.com/1fMD8g1T3V
Editor's Note: This post has been updated to reflect the Trump campaign's response.
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