2024 began as a referendum between two deeply disliked men, one of whom is an incumbent with a bad economy, and his predecessor who had a great economy until a global pandemic undid it. 2024 is ending with everyone remembering they hate Donald Trump and not knowing who Kamala Harris is. Trump can still win it, but he seems intent on reminding people they do not like him.

This week at the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump confronted hostile questions and pushed back. The reporters, increasing enemies to anyone not on the left, do not matter. Trump, however, decided to double down on Harris not being a black American. After the event, at a rally, he put on a screen that Harris claimed to be the first Indian American in the Senate. So?

Harris’s mother is an Indian immigrant. Harris’ father descends from a family of slave owners in Jamaica. But all of that is a distraction. Trump loves to get distracted by distractions. Those distractions play well to his base, but not to anyone else. Every second spent arguing over just how black Kamala Harris is is a wasted opportunity not focused on Harris’s record, her rush away from her former positions, the border situation she oversaw, the Afghan withdrawal, her coverup of Joe Biden’s mental decline, etc. There are less than 100 days until the election and Trump may just lack the discipline to focus.

The concern, of course, is that if Trump craters, he can also hand the House of Representatives to the Democrats and help the Democrats keep the Senate. Senate Democrats are increasingly vocal they want to abandon the filibuster, which would allow unchecked opportunities to progressively transform America. The election is bigger than Trump, but explaining that to Trump is an impossible task.

For a month, Trump showed remarkable discipline. As Joe Biden cratered after the debate and Democrats panicked, Trump kept his mouth shut. Democrats stewed. When Trump spoke during that time, he stayed focused. After getting shot, Trump even let the Democrats descend into crazy conspiracy land over whether or not he got shot. He let the madness play out on the left.

Then, he snapped out of the discipline. On impulse and pressure from his son, he picked J.D. Vance, perhaps the weakest possible pick for Vice President. Then he gave a long and rambling and undisciplined speech at the Republican National Committee that many Americans gave up on and tuned out. Once the Democrats turned to Harris, Trump was fully back to a campaign with no real message. Given the choice between a man they know they hate and a woman they don’t know, Americans will go with the unknown. So make Harris known and do it quickly.

Remarkably, Democrats have been able to define Vance faster than the GOP can define Harris. There is no use screaming about how unfair the media is. They always have been unfair and even in their unfairness, Trump was beating Biden.

Trump can still win. He just might still win. He has a path to victory that is still more expansive than Harris’ path. The polling, for now, is back where it was before the June debate. The vice presidential pick will fade in consequence. But there are less than 100 days. Every aspect of the campaign needs to be disciplined and polished, but the Republicans seem to have been completely surprised by a Harris swap that every Republican was predicting in February.

Harry Sisson is a progressive TikTok influencer. Until the moment Biden got out, Sisson insisted there was nothing wrong and everyone he knew would be voting for Biden. In the face of disaster, Sisson has insisted the light at the end of the tunnel was the sun, not a fast-approaching train. Too many Trump supporters are becoming like Sisson. Yes, Trump can win. But not everything he does is helpful. Doubling down on Harris’ race instead of her record is a boneheaded move the Harry Sissons of the right might savor but everyone else knows is a distraction with a ticking clock counting down to early voting.

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