Beyond Party Lines: The Tango From DNC to Trump 2024
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Former presidential hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard (D-I-Hawaii) have aligned with the Republican Party and 45th President Donald J. Trump’s MAGA movement ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Now part of Mr. Trump’s transition team, they cite the Biden-Harris administration’s alleged economic mismanagement — record-high national debt exceeding $33 trillion and peak inflation at 9.1% in June 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — as well as concerns over foreign policy and an immigration crisis, including border security and mass-parole programs scrutinized for purportedly incentivizing illegal migration, as key reasons for their shift.
Critics from non-leftist constituencies claim liberal media suppression plays an instrumental role in swaying public opinion and skewing the popular vote toward Democratic candidates, contributing to what has been dubbed the “censorship industrial complex.” They argue that the rise of “wokeness” and “cancel culture,” and the pervasive nature of these trends, is damaging American patriotism and driving a cultural divide in the U.S. Influential voices like Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi have expressed similar views, while elite figures such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have fully endorsed the Trump-Vance ticket in the 2024 presidential election.
Although neither explicitly identifies as Republican, both Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard cite foreign policy missteps, particularly the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in the Doha Accord. They argue the withdrawal marked a dangerous compromise in U.S. hegemony, leaving Afghanistan in chaos as the Taliban swiftly seized Kabul. The terrorist faction has since imposed draconian restrictions on women and incited violence across the region, underscoring what they see as the Biden administration’s mishandling of critical global engagements. However, supporters of the exit contend that ending the protracted war was necessary to refocus American resources on domestic issues, which, experts argue, may appear contradictory as the Biden-Harris camp has since embroiled the U.S. in multiple military interventions and supplied warheads to key allies.
During a United Nations General Assembly address on Monday, actress Meryl Streep highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, stating that women now have fewer rights than stray animals under Taliban rule. Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard also distanced themselves from the Democratic Party due to the Biden administration’s managing of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, 2024. They reproach the $55 billion in military aid provided to Ukraine thus far and align with the Trump-Vance camp’s plan to halt U.S. funding and pursue an end to the unrelenting Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
The regional war remains divisive for both parties, with Ukraine pressing the U.S. for long-range artillery like the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), capable of hitting targets up to 500 miles. A recent Foreign Policy report spotlighted Russia’s alleged development of similar weapons with China, intensifying nuclear fears. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear force against Western nations if Ukraine acquires the requested missiles capable of reaching distant targets. While Democrats dismiss these threats as “standard Kremlin nonsense,” GOP-aligned critics RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard denounce the administration’s silence on escalating tensions.
“This [Biden-Harris] administration has us facing multiple wars on various fronts and regions,” said Ms. Gabbard at the National Guard Association Conference in Detroit on Aug. 26 after endorsing Donald Trump. “We are closer to nuclear war than ever before.”
Ms. Gabbard views Mr. Trump’s return to the White House as pivotal in preventing further foreign policy errors. The Hawaiian veteran argues that these purported missteps under the current administration exacerbate global instability and lead to an alarming increase in civilian casualties.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, has consistently upheld strong pro-military and tough-on-crime positions, supporting President Biden’s controversial Iraq War drone strikes. In 2014, she faced backlash from progressives for defending the death penalty. Her current campaign opposes an arms embargo on Israel. Analysts warn that the U.S.’s $158 billion in aid to Israel since 1948, amid accusations from human rights groups, risks exacerbating tensions with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its totalitarian regime under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Robert C. O’Brien identified Iran as a key source of turmoil in the Middle East in “The Return of Peace Through Strength” in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs. This concern is heightened by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements claiming that the airstrikes aimed at slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah are just the beginning of Israel’s offensive, as hostilities escalate in Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen.
During her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran, deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. As a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), she controversially supported some of Mr. Trump’s early policies, challenging the liberal stance of her then-party. In 2019, she was the only House member to cast a “present” vote during President Trump’s impeachment over allegedly withholding aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigating Joe Biden. However, Ms. Gabbard later clarified that her position was a response to the divisive process rather than a defense of Mr. Trump.
Ms. Gabbard eventually suspended her 2020 presidential campaign in March 2020, while Vice President Harris withdrew earlier in Dec. 2019 due to harsh financial difficulties. A CNN report described Ms. Harris’s exit as “the culmination of disjointed messaging and severe money issues.”
Since late July, Ms. Harris’s campaign has raised over $615 million, with $36 million coming in within 24 hours after she announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Some critics have described this financial surge as “suspicious,” suggesting it’s a performative means to obscure her past struggles to raise funding.
Ms. Gabbard’s criticisms of Ms. Harris have sharpened since President Biden’s unexpected exit from the race. In a Sept. 24 New York Post interview, she accused the vice president of relying on “rehearsed lines” and failing to address the challenges of everyday Americans. Mr. Kennedy has similarly advanced his critique of the administration’s foreign policy, aligning with Mr. Trump on several issues, including a call for direct negotiations with Moscow to defuse the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Europe’s since World War II. Despite liberals, including a State Department spokesperson, dismissing Mr. Putin’s nuclear threats as “standard Kremlin nonsense,” the duo maintains that the risks of nuclear war are now at their highest. Mr. Kennedy, once critical of Donald Trump’s political stance, disclosed during an Arizona rally on Aug. 23 that his support for the MAGA campaign solidified following the July 13 assassination attempt on Mr. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where gunfire narrowly missed the former president, grazing his ear. Having lost his father and uncle to epoch-defining assassinations, Mr. Kennedy expressed his growing camaraderie with Mr. Trump, sharing how this pivotal moment coupled with the subsequent discussions they had over the former president’s vision for America’s future influenced his endorsement.
During the rally, RFK Jr. echoed the importance of First Amendment rights, accusing mainstream media of suppressing non-liberal viewpoints and limiting discourse on key issues, particularly censoring content related to his fringe health and wellness advocacy. He stated, “If President Trump is elected and honors his word, the vast burden of chronic disease that now demoralizes and bankrupts the country will disappear.”
In May, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, The Daily Wire, and The Federalist filed a lawsuit accusing the Biden-Harris administration of funneling $330 million through the Global Engagement Center (GEC) to suppress conservative viewpoints via partnerships with Big Tech and social media platforms. The plaintiffs argue that these actions violated First Amendment rights by skewing public discourse and stifling dissent. Notably, platforms like Facebook were accused of restricting centrist and right-leaning content, intensifying concerns about censorship.
“Governments capable of silencing their opponents can commit any atrocity,” Mr. Kennedy warned at the Desert Diamond Arena, underscoring the potential dangers of censorship leading to totalitarianism. Largely, proponents of free speech stress that understanding the historical evolution of major publications is key to recognizing media bias, especially as these outlets influence the popular vote due to their vast national and global reach.
The New York Times (NYT), originally a conservative newspaper, has leaned toward endorsing Democratic presidential candidates since 1960. Its endorsements significantly influence American elections, with 64.3% of the candidates it supported winning the presidency, based on data from the American Presidency Project. Notably, out of the twelve Republicans the NYT endorsed, eleven won the presidency, including the first six GOP candidates, underscoring its diametric impact on voter turnout. In 2016, the NYT issued an unprecedented “anti-endorsement” of Donald Trump, fueling claims of bias. Additionally, the NYT’s controversial coverage of the Iraq War has been rebuked, leading many to question the objectivity of its political reporting, as some perceive it to reflect partisan leanings.
Similarly, The Washington Post (WaPo), another influential player in shaping public opinion, has undergone a shift from its conservative roots during the Watergate era to a more liberal stance in recent years. This shift has been documented by media watchdog organizations, including analyses from sources like the Pew Research Center and Columbia Journalism Review, reflecting broader trends in media alignment and political polarization. Critics argue that this realignment substantiates claims of left-leaning bias, particularly in the context of recent media suppression and censorship debates.
Traditionally nonpartisan outlets, such as Reuters and The Associated Press, have also been increasingly perceived as leaning left, especially since Donald Trump’s foray into politics. This perception, according to experts, contributes to growing public skepticism of impartial journalism. Various studies have pointed out how media coverage of Mr. Trump, in particular, has amplified these claims, with research from outlets like NYT showing a predominance of negative coverage of the former president, complicating the public’s trust in mainstream news sources.
On the topic of immigration, another hot-button issue dominating the campaign trail, Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Gabbard have voiced strong criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris’s policies along with her advocacy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, characterizing them as detrimental and counterproductive. The GOP backers oppose her proposal to raise the corporate tax rate to 35%, a significant increase from the 21% set by former President Trump in 2017. The May 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicated a 4% rise in unemployment and a drop in labor participation to 62.5%, with many of the 272,000 new jobs reportedly filled by unauthorized immigrants, reinforcing Ms. Gabbard’s alignment with Mr. Trump’s stance on stricter border security.
Critics, including House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, have attributed rising national debt and inflation to “Bidenomics.” Mr. Arrington points to a cost-of-living crisis, with families paying approximately $17,000 more annually for basic goods. According to a Pew Research Center poll (Aug. 2024), Mr. Trump holds a substantial lead over Ms. Harris on immigration, with 82% of MAGA supporters identifying it as a critical topic compared to 39% of Harris-Walz supporters.
As Election Day approaches, voters navigate a polarized political landscape shaped by competing media narratives. The 2024 presidential race holds momentous implications for America’s economic trajectory and international relations agenda, with immigration, inflation, and foreign policy central to the debate. Culture wars — “wokeness” on the Left and retaliatory traditionalist movements on the Right — underscore deep ideological fractures. High-profile defections, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard entering the Trump-Vance ticket, spotlight growing dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership, despite conflicting portrayals in mainstream media.
According to The Washington Post, Ms. Harris must secure the Rust Belt to reach 270 electoral votes, while Mr. Trump could prevail by winning the Sun Belt and flipping a Rust Belt state. The possibility of an Electoral College tie raises the stakes, intensifying the focus on battleground states where Ms. Harris currently leads narrowly, since the outpouring of endorsements in her favor from liberal elites.
While this onslaught of liberal endorsements buoy Ms. Harris, the Trump-Kennedy-Gabbard alliance presents a stark alternative, rallying centrists and conservatives around the “Make America Great (and Healthy) Again” platform. They emphasize restoring national sovereignty, reducing U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts, and preserving free speech, deregulation, and traditional values. This contrasts sharply with Vice President Harris’s campaign, which focuses on progressive domestic policies and global cooperation — policies that critics argue could undermine patriotic values. Despite defamation campaigns, indictments, and two assassination attempts, Mr. Trump continues to defy political odds, positioning himself as a historic contender for a second term.
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