What Rahul did to Modi, Harris failed to do to Trump. Here’s why

In 2024, national elections in both India and the United States have been strikingly similar in both their key issues and campaign dynamics. However, what has been different is how the messages were perceived, and their outcomes.
In India, the INDIA bloc, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, skilfully deployed narratives centred on saving democracy, protecting the Constitution, raising doubts about EVMs, and safeguarding citizenship to challenge the formidable Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Meanwhile, in the US, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris struggled to leverage similar themes to mount an effective counter against Republican candidate Donald Trump. Though it was Harris who was the incumbent, the portrayal and attacks on Trump were to show him as part of the conniving establishment, greedy to grab total control.
Although the result in India didn’t bring about Modi’s defeat, Rahul Gandhi’s efforts certainly left the Narendra Modi-led NDA vulnerable, making it rely heavily on coalition partners. It also saw the Congress doubling its Lok Sabha tally to 99 seats. Meanwhile, in the US, Kamala Harris’s inability to pull off a ‘Rahul-like’ performance paved the way for Donald Trump’s historic return to the Oval Office.
In this very context, let’s explore how Rahul Gandhi succeeded while Harris fell short.
Before the 2024 polls, both India and the US faced rising inflation, deepening societal divisions, and questions about democracy’s future.
Rahul Gandhi capitalised on anti-incumbency sentiment in India, sharply criticising Modi for allegedly favouring billionaires like Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. Despite Congress’s own corporate ties in the past, Rahul Gandhi’s relentless focus on Modi’s connections with big business positioned him as a champion of the common man.
In the US, Kamala Harris struggled to take on Donald Trump’s friends like Elon Musk or other billionaires despite clear societal divides over corporate influence.
As Vice President, Kamala Harris’ criticisms were hampered by the Democrats’ “misrule” of four years, making it difficult to shift blame. In contrast, Rahul Gandhi stayed on the offensive.
While Rahul successfully took the narrative of the Constitution being in danger, the Harris campaign’s threat to American democracy from Trump didn’t wash with the voters.
In India, Rahul Gandhi championed the causes of caste discrimination, Dalit rights, and minority protection and made them key issues. He demanded a nation-wide caste-based census too, calling it essential for achieving social justice. Despite Congress’s past ignorance of the same, Rahul Gandhi positioned himself as a strong advocate for the marginalised, especially Muslims and Dalits.
Kamala Harris missed the chance to champion issues impacting minority groups in the US, unlike Rahul Gandhi, who highlighted caste issues.
Though Harris, as a woman of colour, had the platform to address systemic racism, she didn’t mobilise Black and Hispanic communities with the same passion, who had been discontent with the politics of Trump.
The Harris campaign’s failure was evident in how Latino men voted in support of Trump, showed the CNN exit poll.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rahul Gandhi’s relentless message was clear, ‘the Modi government served corporate elites’. By hammering this narrative, he effectively linked Modi to crony capitalism, ensuring it stuck with voters.
Kamala Harris tried a similar strategy against Trump, claiming he favoured the wealthy. However, her campaign lacked Rahul Gandhi’s focused intensity and emotional appeal.
Trump, despite being a billionaire, successfully portrayed himself as not being a part of Kamala’s allegations, deflecting Harris’ attacks more effectively than Modi did in India.
While the Democrats mixed up the issues, Trump was talking about things that mattered — the economy, jobs and immigration.
“The Democratic economic agenda got muffled in the noise about gender, abortion, and how horrible Trump is,” wrote satirist and columnist Kamlesh Singh.
Rahul Gandhi framed the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a battle between the common people and the political elite, positioning himself as an outsider despite Congress’ and his long ties to the establishment. His grassroots outreach, like the Bharat Jodo yatras and focus on rural issues, helped him re-invent his image, which was painted as that of an elite.
Kamala Harris, in contrast, struggled to distance herself from the establishment, and her position as the Vice President. Lacking a strong grassroots connection, she couldn’t counter the street-smart Trump’s portrayal of her as part of the elite. This allowed Donald Trump to maintain his outsider appeal despite his wealth, influence and past.
While Rahul Gandhi played the messiah card to perfection, Kamala Harris couldn’t shake off her advantage tag. Where Gandhi turned the establishment into his opponent, Harris found herself trapped within it.