Former President Trump’s allies are urging him to stick to policy attacks, rather than commentary on her character or physical traits, when facing former Vice President Kamala Harris.
It comes as some within the ex-president’s sphere have bashed Harris as a "DEI candidate" — a criticism that others within Trump’s circle worry could push away moderates and independent voters.
"I mean, it's certainly not the rhetoric that I would focus on. I would focus on her merit to do the job," Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, previously a top Trump 2020 campaign aide, told Fox News Digital.
"This woman just isn't ready to be commander-in-chief of the country. And in my opinion, that's what Republicans should focus on, as opposed to do what Democrats do, which is to call out someone based off of their skin color or gender. This is all about merit. And so I think DEI is the wrong hole to go down."
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Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who served in Trump’s Cabinet, said, "I think the tone of Trump is gonna be pointing out that she was even worse than Biden on policies, and her assigned tasks are ones that resulted in failure… I don’t think he’ll be on the personal attacks."
Trump, for his part, has signaled that border policy will be a cornerstone of his criticism of Harris. He’s holding a press call with reporters to discuss what he called "Failed Border Czar Kamala Harris’ Border Bloodbath."
Harris announced Sunday evening that she would seek the presidency after President Biden revealed he’s dropping out of the 2024 race.
It prompted some on the right to accuse her of only being chosen as Biden’s vice president because of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) principles, citing her low polling and pressure on Biden in 2020 to appoint a Black woman as his running mate.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., called Harris a "DEI vice president" in a post on X Monday.
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"Personal aspersions don't work in politically successful campaigns," another House Republican told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "So yeah, let’s knock that stuff off."
Trump ally Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital, "I hope that Americans aren't going to vote for people based on their race or color creed. I would think we're beyond that… She owns every bit of the Biden-Harris administration for the last three and a half years. And that's all you have to focus on."
The Trump campaign's 2024 national press secretary Karoline Leavitt ripped Harris in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying she "needs to answer for her own terrible weak-on-crime record in California."
"Kamala Harris is just as weak, failed and incompetent as Joe Biden — and she’s also dangerously liberal. Not only does Kamala need to defend her support of Joe Biden’s failed agenda over the past four years, she also needs to answer for her own terrible weak-on-crime record in California," Leavitt said. "A vote for Kamala is a vote for more crime, inflation, open borders, high gas prices, and war around the world, and our team will make sure every American knows it."
House GOP leaders urged their members to refrain from attacks on Harris’s personality and physical traits during a closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday morning, multiple GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital.
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Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., who as New York State GOP chair navigated tough elections and even tried to recruit Trump to run for governor, called those personal attacks "noise." He said, "It's really important to continue to talk about policy. This is an economic election. This is about the economy and the angst that, especially the middle class, has right now."
But not all Trump allies are in agreement — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of Trump’s top campaign surrogates, told Fox News Digital the day before, "I think everyone knows that."
"She wasn't chosen because she was truly highly ranked amongst Democratic voters throughout the country. She was chosen for a reason. And it seems to be that her, unfortunately, her gender and maybe her skin color was part of that," Greene said, adding that she also anticipated the Trump campaign attacking Harris on policy.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
