US Elections 2024: Publicly available political donations data in the United States has shown that Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump donated to opponent Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris in the past.
Trump gave a total of $6,000 to Harris in 2011 and 2013, when she was California Attorney General, data showed. Notably, Trump has also donated to other Democrats over the years, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, as per a USA Today report.
Florida Democratic Party leader Jared Moskowitz posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), calling Trump's previous donation a "wise investment".
The "past connection" between Trump and Harris has re-emerged in social media political discourse after it was first brought to light during the billionaire's 2016 US elections campaign opposite Hillary Clinton and during his 2020 campaign when Harris was named as Vice President (VP) to Biden.
Notably, Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, also donated $2,000 to Harris in 2014, the USA Today report added.
"Though Donald Trump has a history of derisive comments about Harris since taking office, political contribution data, reviewed by USA TODAY on the California Secretary of State website shows he gave $5,000 to Harris during her first bid for attorney general in 2011 and $1,000 in 2013 during her reelection. Ivanka Trump contributed $2,000 in 2014 for Harris' reelection campaign," the publication's fact check report stated.
Defending his donations, Trump during his 2016 campaign had said: “It’s interesting: I was looking at the ones I’m running against. I’ve contributed to most of them. Can you believe it? I’ve given to Democrats. I’ve given to Hillary. I’ve given to everybody! Because that was my job. I gotta give to them. Because when I want something, I get it. When I call, they kiss my (expletive).”
Biden's move throws Democrats into fresh turmoil ahead of the US' November 5 election, but could also reenergize the demoralized party, with Harris swiftly confirming her goal to become America's first woman president and to "defeat Donald Trump."
Notably, this dramatic shift will likely wrong-foot Republicans, whose campaign was solely focused on Biden and will now instead feature 78-year-old Trump — now the oldest presidential nominee in US history, against a far younger opponent in Harris.
In a statement Sunday responding to the news, Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita lashed out against Harris, insisting she “will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden. They own each other’s records, and there is no distance between the two.”
Overall, the switch to Harris transforms what had been a highly unpopular and dragging Trump-Biden rematch into one of the most compelling presidential campaigns in modern American politics.
