OPINION:
Perhaps the most important test of a presidential candidate is the question of preparedness and whether the person will be ready to go on day one. Saying that the job of president of the United States is the hardest in the world isn’t hyperbole. It requires a skill set that few possess.
In this campaign, there are two different candidates. One in former President Donald Trump, who has faced the fire time and again and shown courage and resolve.
The other in Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been shielded from reality for nearly four years due to substantial personal shortcomings and an inability to prepare for difficult tasks.
Now, her campaign strategy is making it even more clear that Ms. Harris is ill-prepared to be the leader of the free world. Here is why:
Ms. Harris is unprepared to solve domestic problems. Most Americans can agree that the next president will have to immediately start digging America out of the holes dug by the Biden-Harris administration: for starters, to do something about inflation — something that her own economic policies created.
Ms. Harris cast the deciding vote on a climate change bill that the Democrats named the Inflation Reduction Act to purposefully mislead Americans. That is creating a problem, not solving one.
On the other hand, Mr. Trump delivered a vibrant economy that provided hope, growth and opportunity. He believes in low taxes and economic stability; Ms. Harris threatens large tax increases and trillions more in federal spending. Advocating these policies in the face of our dire economic situation should tell voters all they need to know about Ms. Harris. Biden-Harris regulatory steps have already dramatically driven up inflation and energy costs, yet another factor that has families struggling to make ends meet.
Ms. Harris is unprepared to solve foreign policy problems. Mr. Trump left office with the world relatively peaceful, but it didn’t take long for President Biden and Ms. Harris to wreak havoc worldwide. The disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan — costing 13 service members their lives — has been called one of the most embarrassing foreign policy blunders in American history.
It also had an enormous domino effect. When Russian dictator Vladimir Putin saw the incompetence and weakness emanating from the Biden-Harris government, he knew it was time to invade Ukraine — and he did.
As vice president, Ms. Harris has been marginalized by Mr. Biden and his advisers because they view her as a liability on the world stage — and on this front, they’re right.
Look no further than Ms. Harris’ pandering to Muslim American voters in Michigan instead of locking arms with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the people of Israel as they fight for survival against Iran and its proxies.
Ms. Harris is unprepared to secure the border. As border czar, Ms. Harris has presided over unprecedented illegal immigration and a fentanyl epidemic that our country will be dealing with for decades.
It didn’t have to be this way. Mr. Trump left the border in good shape. Upon taking office, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris reversed Mr. Trump’s successful border policies out of hatred for the man.
Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris put the security of Americans last just to appease their base. Ms. Harris has shown some of the worst judgment on this issue in recent memory.
Ms. Harris is unprepared for media interviews. Forget legitimate interviews with serious questions from skeptical media outlets doing their jobs; Ms. Harris can’t even come out of a softball interview unscathed.
Look no further than last week, when even her allies on “The View” couldn’t come up with questions easy enough for Ms. Harris to handle without causing a self-inflicted political wound.
When asked if she would do anything differently than Mr. Biden if she’s elected, Ms. Harris said she couldn’t think of anything. This tone-deaf answer is the best she could do, even though Mr. Biden’s inability to get reelected is why she was installed as Democratic nominee.
Moreover, it was a golden opportunity to create some space between her platform and Mr. Biden’s and her own failures on inflation, the border and foreign policy. But Ms. Harris wasn’t ready for prime time.
When “60 Minutes” journalist Bill Whitaker had to remind Ms. Harris that “we’re dealing with the real world here” when discussing how she would pass her socialist economic program amid congressional opposition, Ms. Harris appeared offended that he asked such an inconvenient question that required only a class in Politics 101 to answer adroitly.
Ms. Harris is unprepared to respond to emergencies. The same week that millions of Americans are dealing with the horrible aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and evacuating Florida to survive Hurricane Milton, Ms. Harris appeared on Stephen Colbert’s talk show to drink beer and answer some lightweight questions.
The gimmick was designed to position Ms. Harris as someone who can relate to working people, which no one should believe. Mr. Biden canceled his overseas trip last week because he didn’t think Ms. Harris could handle the emergency on her own.
Ms. Harris is unprepared to make good decisions. They say that if you want to judge a presidential nominee’s ability to make good decisions on major issues, look no further than the nominee’s first big decision in the role.
This decision, of course, is the choice of a running mate. Ms. Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as vice presidential nominee was a tragic mistake.
Mr. Walz has become a clear political liability for the campaign because of his inability to tell the truth. Mr. Walz not only lied about his military service but was also dishonest about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
On top of this, Ms. Harris chose Mr. Walz despite his radical left record as governor. Mr. Walz supports sanctuary cities and driver’s licenses and free health care for illegal immigrants. He let Minneapolis burn during the 2020 riots instead of providing strong leadership.
Make no mistake: Ms. Harris has a record as vice president, and she has repeatedly shown up unprepared.
Our country is facing crises both at home and abroad, and this is no time to hand the keys to the Oval Office to someone who isn’t up to the job. That’s why reelecting Donald Trump on Nov. 5 is essential.
• David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United and served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President.
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