MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin and guest Molly Jong-Fast said Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz have “reframed” the definition of “freedom” during their campaign.
Since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on July 21, Harris has had a major surge in support from lawmakers, donors and other political figures. On “Deadline: White House,” Mohyeldin and Jong-Fast discussed how Harris and Walz have redefined “freedom,” which was previously “monopolistically owned by Republicans.”
“The framing of freedom had almost been monopolistically owned by Republicans, right? It was always them. But I think there’s been a remarkable shift both to the vice president’s credit and certainly to Tim Walz’s credit,” Mohyeldin said.
“Because they have reframed the word freedom in a way that they are the protectors of our freedom, protecting the government from interfering in a women’s right to choose and her body, the freedom to vote for who you want to vote for, the freedom to love who you want to love without government interference,” Mohyeldin continued. “A truly remarkable shift in the span of just a couple of weeks.”
Jong-Fast echoed Mohyeldin’s statements as she noted how Harris has done a “good at making things clear” within a short amount of time.
“This stuff was there for the taking, but I don’t think Democrats had really figured out how to take it until Harris-Walz. They’ve done a really good job,” Jong-Fast said. “You hear her – I mean stylistically she is so good at making things clear in a way that – with a very short amount of time, and she makes it clear to listeners exactly what she’s talking about. Then she pulls it back to Trump and Trumpism and Project 2025 in a way that is really, really deft and smartly done.”
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“Walz has a totally different style but is also quite good at making this about – when he says people should mind their own damn business, right?” Jong-Fast said. “Because Republicans for a long time could say they didn’t want the government in your business. Now all of these Republican policies are, you know, women not having – you know, Republican politicians in doctors’ offices. That stuff is not what anyone wants. So I do think it’s really refreshing and sorta of amazing to see them do [this].”
Despite the movement within her party, Harris has been called out multiple times for her gaffes during unscripted interviews. However, online supporters of the vice president have turned some of her notable lines, such as falling out of a coconut tree and being “unburdened by what has been,” into viral memes since she became the presidential nominee.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
