Pop quiz: how do you think Donald Trump views Kamala Harris, his rival during the 2024 presidential election?
Trump never held back when talking about her predecessor, Joe Biden. In fact, his insults like “Sleepy Joe” helped turn the public against Biden long before his disastrous debate performance. Because of this, you might assume that Trump dislikes Harris as much as he dislikes Biden.
However, on election night, Donald Trump said something to Kamala Harris that proved these assumptions wrong. Just what did he say that faithful night, and what does it mean about his politics? Keep reading to find out!
Donald Trump’s history of insulting political rivals
Donald Trump first achieved fame as a real estate developer before turning his attention to entertainment and, eventually, politics. Along the way, he also became a prolific user on Twitter, using the platform to create memorable insults for his perceived enemies. By the time he ran for president and won the 2016 election, Trump successfully brought his online trash talk into real life…for example, he dubbed North Korea’s lead Kim Jong-Un “Rocket Man” because of the country’s failed rocket launches.
He had multiple nicknames for Joe Biden, including “Sleepy Joe” (a jab at the foe’s perceived cognitive abilities) and “Joe Hidin’” (a swipe at Biden’s observation of correct social distancing protocols during the pandemic). Kamala Harris also earned her own array of strange nicknames, including Lyin’ Kamala and Laffin’ Kamala. As noted before, these insults have led most to the conclusion that President Trump seriously dislikes his one-time rival.
RELATED: The Biggest Secrets About Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris becomes Trump’s foe
For a while, Donald Trump didn’t seem to have strong feelings (one way or another) about Kamala Harris. As Joe Biden’s Vice President, she had relatively few media appearances, and Trump didn’t seem to take her very seriously as an opponent. That all changed, however, after Joe Biden’s terrible performance at his 2024 debate with Trump.
As the nation looked on, Biden seemed to embody Trump’s “Sleepy Joe” insult, appearing unenergized and sometimes seemingly unaware of what was going on. After this, Biden stepped down, making Harris the Democrat candidate for president. In the lead-up to the election, Trump went hard on his opponent…harder, than he ever had before. However, what nobody could predict is that he would completely change his mind about her by the time election night was over.
Harris swallows her pride on election night
Some presidential elections are more contentious than others. For example, Donald Trump infamously refused to concede that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, frequently claiming that the election was stolen from him. All of this culminated in the January 6th attack on the American Capitol by supporters who thought they would fix (by force, if necessary) attempts at keeping Trump away from a second term. Therefore, as it became obvious that Kamala Harris had lost the election, many couldn’t help but wonder exactly how well she was going to take all of this.
However, thanks to Chris Whipple, we now know exactly how she handled things. He’s the author of the book Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History, and he wrote about Harris’ mood when she decided to call Trump and concede. As reported by the Daily Mail, Whipple wrote that she “felt the weight of the crushing defeat” as she made the call.
He wasn’t all that surprised by her mood. Whipple was, however, shocked at Donald Trump’s response to her call.
RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About the Beef Between Kamala Harris and Kimberly Guilfoyle
Trump’s surprising response to her phone call
How do you think Donald Trump reacted to Kamala Harris conceding the election? After all his trash talk, you might expect Trump to gloat over his victory. After all, he got the last laugh on “Lyin’ Kamala,” so you might think he’d celebrate by rubbing it in her face.
However, that’s not what Chris Whipple observed that night. As recorded by the Daily Mail, Trump was reportedly “weirdly cordial and complimentary – bantering as though he were on the golf course. After all the political smack talk, Trump acknowledged that Harris was “a tough cookie” and told her “you were really great.” He even had praise for her husband, saying “that Doug – what a character! I love that guy!”
It’s the last reaction anyone expected from Donald Trump. But it might just help us understand the sometimes topsy-turvy reality of Trump’s life as a politician.
What does this say about Donald Trump’s politics?
Why was Donald Trump so vicious to Kamala Harris on the campaign trail and then so surprisingly magnanimous in victory? So far, the president hasn’t spoken about this matter, so we can only speculate. However, as nearly as we can tell, this story reveals that Trump’s experience as an entertainer helps him prevail in politics.
In other words, he understands that much of this is all a show for the masses…a way of giving them a good guy to root for and a bad guy to root against. At the end of the day, Trump doesn’t necessarily harbor personal illwill toward his opponents but instead channels the passions of his supporters enough that they show up and vote.
Honestly, it’s a lesson the Democrats could learn from. But only time will tell if they ever will or if Trump’s latest victory is a harbinger of Republican political domination for years to come.
RELATED: The Unknown Truth Of Joe Biden & Kamala Harris’s Relationship