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Molly Butler / Media Matters

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Right-wing media attack Kamala Harris for supposedly “flip-flopping“ on support for the border wall

Written by Charis Hoard

Published

After announcing her intent, if elected, to revive a contentious bipartisan immigration bill that included border wall funding allocations, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is facing a smear campaign from right-wing media falsely alleging that she is making a “U-turn” and going “ultra MAGA to win an election” by “copying and pasting” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's policies. 

But the bill, which Senate Republicans tanked at Trump's behest, was a compromise between Republicans and Democrats; it allotted no new money for the border wall, but rather extended the timeline to use funds appropriated during Trump's administration.

  • Kamala Harris expressed her support for a contentious bipartisan bill which, among other things, would allocate funding for the border wall

    • During the Democratic National Convention, Harris announced her intent to revive a $118 billion bipartisan bill that included $20.2 billion for improving U.S. border security and $650 million funding for a wall at the southern border. Harris​​’ advisers noted that the bill didn’t allocate any new money for the wall building but rather, as Axios reported, “just extended the timeline to spend funds that had been appropriated during Trump's last year as president.” [Axios, 8/27/24; PBS.org, 2/6/24]
    • The bill was a compromise between Republicans and Democrats. When the bill was up for a vote last winter, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said it “doesn’t have everything in it I wanted, it doesn’t have everything in it my Democratic colleagues wanted.” So, as FactCheck.org noted, “Harris’ stated support for the failed Senate bill does not suggest she supports every part of the bill … it only shows a willingness to accept a bipartisan compromise.” [FactCheck.org, 8/30/24]
    • After the GOP killed the bill — heeding Trump’s order to kill any deal that wasn't “perfect”— Harris said the Republicans were “fanning a problem for the sake of their own political survival.” She also noted that the first bill offered from the Biden-Harris administration was an immigration bill, but it wasn't taken up in Congress because the GOP “would prefer to run on the problem in the next election than fix the problem right now. [Spectrum News, 2/1/24; NBC News, 2/4/24]

  • Right-wing media baselessly claimed that Harris was “copying and pasting” Trump-era policies by making a “U-turn” on the border wall

    • On Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, Fox News contributor Charles Hurt claimed that “the fact that [Harris] came up with this catchy phrase about a 'medieval vanity project' ... leads you to think that, well, that’s probably her longest-held belief on this issue.” Hurt also asserted that Harris’ perceived flip-flop on supporting the border wall “goes back to the larger problem, which is that nobody has any idea where Kamala Harris stands on anything.” [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 8/28/24]
    • Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt said: “She also called the wall a terrible idea and stupid and un-American. But now, all of a sudden, all of the money that Donald Trump worked for to build that wall, she wants to use the rest of that money to continue building the wall.” [Fox News, Fox and Friends, 8/28/24]
    • On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed that after Democrats had an issue with the border wall when Trump was in office, “we found out … the wall works, so now they want to build it.” [Fox News, Fox and Friends, 8/28/24]
    • Host Jesse Watters claimed that Harris is going “ultra MAGA to win an election” by supporting the border wall. Watters: “Have you heard Kamala pledge [to build the border wall]? I haven’t. Her handlers are just saying she’s going to build border wall. … Does Kamala Harris know what the Kamala Harris campaign is saying?” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 8/27/24]
    • An article published by One America News Network claimed that Harris made a “U-turn” during her DNC speech, claiming, “Prior to her remarks last week, Harris has continuously criticized the border wall plan a number of times.” [One America News Network, 8/27/24]
    • Washington Examiner posted an article titled “Kamala Harris wants to ‘Make America Great Again’ with her own border wall.” The piece claimed, “In what should only be described as a theft of intellectual property, Harris … had the sheer audacity to commit to resurrecting a previously failed immigration legislation from the Senate that required funding for Trump's famous border wall as part of her plan to help curb illegal immigration.” The piece also claimed, “Harris's recent tough talk on the border is a political ruse to deceive millions of voters in hopes of the vice president obtaining power.” [Washington Examiner, 7/28/24]
    • An article published by the Media Research Center claimed that Harris is “lifting another page from the Donald Trump campaign playbook” because she expressed her support for the immigration bill. The piece also recalled previous criticisms Harris has expressed of the border wall, such as when she referred to it as a “stupid use of money.” [Media Research Center, 8/28/24]
    • Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk claimed that Harris pulled “a dramatic about-face” after having “smeared” Republicans for their support of the border wall for years. Kirk also claimed, “Suddenly, 70 days out from the election, Kamala Harris decides she supports one and it's crickets from the media. The gaslighting is truly remarkable.” [Twitter/X, 8/28/24]
    • On Fox News’ Special Report, Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich alleged that the Harris campaign is “copying and pasting Trump policies. The question for someone like Harris is, you went from calling a wall on the border ‘a medieval device’ to now embracing millions of dollars to build more of it?” [Fox News, Special Report, 8/28/24]
    • The New York Post Editorial Board claimed, “Kamala's 180 on the border wall is the latest idea she stole from Trump.” The editorial wrote, “After years of slamming former President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the southern border, Harris is subtly co-opting his message to sell herself as a border hawk.” [New York Post, 8/27/24]
    • YourVoice America host Bill Mitchell claimed on X that Harris has gone through an “election year makeover” after previously being a “vocal critic” of the border wall, but “now seems to be all in for building barriers.” Mitchell added, “It’s like a political magic trick—now you see the wall, now you don’t. Is this just another case of Kamala saying what she thinks voters want to hear?” [Twitter/X, 9/1/24]