Why is the bar so low for Donald Trump, and so high for Kamala Harris?

By Jacob Paul (with Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall)

Jon and Lewis discuss Donald Trump's political personality and how this separates him from Kamala Harris.

Read time: 3 minutes

In brief…

• Donald Trump’s strange comments and incoherent ramblings don’t appear to be damaging his position in the polls.
• Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is often held to a higher standard and scrutinised more closely for her mistakes.
• The News Agents say this is due to something particular about Trump’s political personality.

Why is the bar so low for Donald Trump…and so high for Harris?

Donald Trump has said and done a lot of outrageous things over the years, and this hasn’t changed a bit during his third presidential campaign.

It seems no matter what he does, be it claiming Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs, to dancing awkwardly on stage for 30 long minutes, no damage has been done to his electoral chances.

But when Kamala Harris slips up, or even gives the slightest hint of awkwardness, why is it often framed as  a disaster?

Does the media bear responsibility for amplifying her mistakes?

Or does it say something more unique about Trump and how he is seen by the American public?

'The laws of political gravity do not apply to Donald Trump'

Can Trump get away with anything?

Let’s put aside the criminal convictions, federal charges and investigations hanging over the former president’s head.

You may think that these alone would be enough to swing the polls in Kamala Harris’ favour.

But they remain incredibly close, and don’t seem to have shifted much even after some of the stranger media appearances from the MAGA politician.

That is despite the fact his “speech is full of non sequiturs that don't go anywhere, his sentences don't go anywhere”, Lewis says.

This was a similar issue to the one Joe Biden, whose appalling performance in the first presidential debate eventually led to his withdrawal from the race.

Lewis says: “He is just like Biden in lots of ways. He does it more bombastically, for sure, and the decline with Biden was more rapid.

“But Trump's always been like that. Does he get treated the same way? Is his age as much of an issue? No.

“There is just something particular about his political personality. He doesn't attempt to hide it.“

Jon agrees that Trump is treated differently to other politicians.

He says: “The laws of political gravity do not apply to Donald Trump in the way that they do to every other political candidate.”

“The American public have known Donald Trump for 20-30 years. The huckster, the Playboy, the property magnate, loose morals, fast women.

“So when Trump boasts about not paying taxes people think ‘good old Donald, I wish I could get away with doing that.’

Is Harris treated unfairly?

Lewis says Harris does not always get the credit she deserves.

He says: “I do think Harris and the way that she's talked about, particularly by certain commentators and journalists, is underestimated.

”I think she is far more impressive than she often gets credit for. I think she demonstrated that in the Fox News interview that she did this week.”

Critics have previously accused Harris of being “a terribly shy, timorous beast in her own cocoon and media biosphere”, Jon points out.

Jon and Lewis say her outing on the right-wing broadcaster put this myth to bed.

Early on in her presidential campaign, she was also accused of looking “weak” and “bad” for waiting weeks before doing a solo interview. 

She has since appeared in plenty of interviews, such as on the pop-culture podcast Call Me Daddy. Now, there are rumours she will appear on the Joe Rogan podcast too.

However, the impact of any potential slip ups in her media performances will only be revealed when America votes for its next president on 5 November.

Listen to the full discussion on The News Agents.

The News Agents and LBC will be teaming up again to bring you the very latest coverage of the US Election on 5 November. Make sure you join us!

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