A 2019 Kamala Harris for President ad that points out that she "prosecuted sex predators" and that former President Donald Trump "is one" has resurfaced after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris as his successor.
The video, which refers to Harris as the "anti-Trump," was originally produced during Harris’ bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination, highlights her accomplishments as a prosecutor—and demonstrates that Trump is exactly the type of person she would have prosecuted for his sex crimes.
At the time, Harris posted the ad to her Twitter account with this caption:
"I prosecuted sex predators. Trump is one. I shut down for-profit scam colleges. He ran one. I held big banks accountable. He's owned by them. I'm not just prepared to take on Trump, I'm prepared to beat him."
The ad kicks off with an image of Trump while positioning Harris as the right alternative and includes the following message:
"Sick of this? How about this? [shows Harris]"
"He is a world leader in temper tantrums. She never loses her cool. She prosecuted sex predators. He is one."
It continues:
"She shut down for-profit colleges that swindled Americans — he was a for-profile college. He’s owned by the big banks — she’s the Attorney General who beat the biggest banks in America and forced them to pay homeowners $18 billion. He’s tearing us apart — she’ll bring us together.”
"This is Trump, and in every possible way, this is the anti-Trump. So if that’s what you’re looking for in your next president, there’s really only one Kamala."
You can see Harris' post and the ad below.
These points are especially relevant given that earlier this year Trump was held liable for sexual abuse in writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him.
Prior to the release of her 2019 book, What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal, Carroll wrote in New York Magazine that Trump had sexually assaulted her in the fall of 1995 or the spring of 1996 in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.
In May 2023, following a lengthy legal process, a jury ruled Trump was responsible for the sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. Trump's remarks regarding Carroll formed a central part of her original defamation lawsuit. That jury concluded that he defamed her by branding her a liar and dismissing the entire incident as a hoax.
Carroll would go on to sue Trump again. The judge overseeing this second case said its purpose was not to reopen the question of whether the assault during the 1990s took place, since that had already been decided. Instead, the jury was tasked to determine the appropriate consequences for Trump's persistent dissemination of false defamatory statements.
In the end, the jury granted Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, affirming that Trump's actions were malicious. They also awarded her $18.3 million for the emotional harm and harm to her reputation for a grand total of $83.3 million in total damages.
And in May, Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes following a trial that drew considerable attention to his prior sexcapades.
The jury in this case found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to illegally influence the 2016 election. His sentencing had been set for July 11 but has now been delayed to September in the wake of a Supreme Court decision granting him sweeping immunity protections.
People agreed Harris' ad is more relevant now than ever before.
A new survey conducted by The Associated Press reveals “early signs that Kamala Harris is consolidating support” for her party’s presidential nomination.
Over 700 pledged delegates have either told AP or publicly announced their intention to back the U.S. Vice President at the Democratic convention next month. This number represents more than one-third of the delegates needed to secure the nomination.
Harris' campaign reported raising over $50 million within 24 hours of her entering the 2024 presidential race, marking one of the most significant initial fundraising efforts ever. This impressive sum is part of an even larger amount raised through ActBlue, the Democrats' online donation platform.
By Monday morning, ActBlue had processed over $80 million in contributions since President Biden announced he would not seek re-election, according to a New York Times analysis of the platform’s ticker. The peak of online donations occurred on Sunday evening, reaching $11.5 million in a single hour.