Harris could be a new challenger to Netanyahu: The Politics Desk

Welcome to the online edition From the Political Deskis an evening newsletter bringing you the latest coverage and analysis from the election campaign, the White House and Congress from the NBC News political team.

In today’s edition, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell explores the new relationship between Vice President Kamala Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, plus how J.D. Vance is spending his first week on defense as President Donald Trump’s running mate.

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Harris could pose a new challenge for Netanyahu

Andrea Mitchell

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington in the hopes of advocating for his Gaza policy.

Instead, the nation found its attention focused on President Joe Biden’s decision to end his campaign and on the new Democratic frontrunner, Vice President Kamala Harris, who, at least until recently, has placed more emphasis on Israel’s way of waging the war and its devastating civilian toll than Biden.

And when the Israeli leader arrived for a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House he had sought for more than three years, the price was a second meeting to hear the grievances of the families of American hostages. They had already called his visit “political theater” and said he should remain in Israel and focus on bringing their loved ones home.

The crafty Israeli politician may have gone too far in trying to publicly sway the US presidential election. After maneuvering to get himself invited by the Republican Speaker of the House to address Congress (an unprecedented fourth time for a foreign head of state), he dropped by Mar-a-Lago on Friday and sat quietly for a televised photo-op while Trump called Harris a “far-left figure” and a “subversive,” adding that he didn’t see why Jews could vote for her.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish, and has spoken across the U.S. denouncing rising anti-Semitism. Netanyahu also broke with tradition this week when he did not object when far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir endorsed former President Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Harris had met Netanyahu only once before, during a visit to Israel as a senator in 2017, but in their first face-to-face encounter, she displayed her political toughness. After the meeting, Harris (who was not an Israeli visitor) spoke out and outlined the key points of the meeting. She appeared on television and expressed her commitment to defending Israel, but stressed the need to end the war because it was causing devastating damage to civilians. A senior Israeli official later spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, accusing Harris of overemphasizing the importance of ending the war.

But in the end, Netanyahu may have been outmaneuvered by a rare U.S. politician he barely knows, whose approach of balancing military objectives with rescuing the hostages is more in line with U.S. and Israeli public opinion than that of Israel’s more veteran leader.

Vance has spent his first week as the Republican candidate on the defensive.

Matt Dixon, Henry J. Gomez, Alan Smith, Garrett Haake

Senator J.D. Vance wasn’t enjoying much of a honeymoon period.

In the Ohio Republican’s first week of campaigning as Trump’s running mate, he has had to compete for attention with a top Democratic candidate replacement.

Much of the buzz around Vance has ranged from distracting to obnoxious. Progressives pounced on comments he made nearly three years ago about “childless, cat-loving women” — a criticism of Harris, a stepmother of two. Critics dwelled on polling data showing many voters still weren’t convinced by Vance. Others indulged in largely unfounded speculation that Trump already regretted picking him as his vice presidential pick.

Meanwhile, left-wing activists and online celebrities have been slamming Vance on social media, while largely ignoring Trump in the process. And Harris’ budding White House campaign has taken an especially sharp look at the No. 2 Republican candidate. A headline on a campaign news release on Friday attacked Vance’s anti-abortion views, calling him a “creepy bastard.”

The announcement of the vice presidential candidate and the nominating convention are the best opportunities for a presidential campaign to gain a lot of positive press and voter support. For example, in 2020, a poll conducted immediately after Biden selected Harris as his running mate showed that a majority of voters supported her selection, giving the campaign a boost.

But a New York Times/Siena poll of registered voters conducted after last week’s Republican National Convention found that 38% of respondents, a majority, had a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Vance. Early ratings of 2016 Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence were more positive, receiving a net favorable rating in a Gallup poll at the time.

A Republican strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment, said Vance was in danger of violating a basic requirement for a vice presidential nominee: “The first rule of being vice president is to do no harm.”

“You go from Double-A baseball to the major leagues,” the strategist added. “There’s an adjustment period. Some can handle it, some can’t.”

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