Harris and Trump launch new advertisements for presidential election sprint

WASHINGTON — Deputy Director Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump released new television ads on Tuesday as part of a multi-million dollar battle to gain the upper hand in this year’s revamped campaign.

Harris’ minute-long ad, which describes her as “fearless,” serves as a highlight of her political career dating back to her days as a California district attorney. The presumptive Democratic nominee, who is less well-known than Trump, is introducing herself to voters after landing at the top of the ticket when President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid a little over a week ago.

“This campaign is about who we’re fighting for,” Harris says in the ad, which will air during the Olympics, The Bachelorette, The Daily Show and other popular programs.

Her campaign says it’s the first ad in a $50 million campaign to lead up to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Trump is attempting to define Harris in his own way. The Republican candidate’s half-minute ad focuses on her work on immigration issues, calling her the “border czar” and blaming her for illegal border crossings into the United States. After showing headlines about crime and drugs, the video brands Harris as “Failed. Weak. Dangerous liberal.”

Border crossings reached record highs during the Biden administration, but have declined recently.

According to data from media tracking firm AdImpact, the Trump campaign has so far earmarked $12.2 million for television and digital advertising over the next two weeks.

The organization did not have updated figures for Harris’ campaign as of Tuesday morning.