Ian Explains: How Harris and Trump define freedom

Americans love their freedom. And depriving other Americans of said freedom (see: slavery, manifest destiny). But lately it's been the Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been focusing on freedom.

At a recent rally, she said this: "Across our nation, we have been witnessing a full-on assault on hard-won hard-fought freedoms and fundamental rights. The freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do."

In the past, Democrats have talked about how the government could protect the freedom to love or the freedom to unionize. Flash forward to 2024, Reagan would be proud. What explains this rhetorical jujitsu? Well, it makes for a handy political foil. Trump could become that threat that Americans need protecting from.

There is, of course, one little problem with this messaging: reality. Because, in reality, Harris fundamentally believes that policy can make people's lives better. Sure, she received some criticism in her debate against Trump for being light on policy, and her campaign waited until well into September to publish an “Issues” page on her website. But make no mistake, Kamala Harris wants to use the levers of big government to build more housing, pass new child tax credits, and modernize education.

So, the question for Kamala—and Donald—is whether enough voters can live with those contradictions. We'll find out when millions of them exercise their most fundamental freedom at the ballot box on November 5th.

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).

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