Days after Vice President Kamala Harris took questions on her changing views on policy, her campaign sent out a memo criticizing Donald Trump on his “brazen flip flops,” including on marijuana reform, accusing the former president of “just making things up” ahead of the election.
Saturday morning, Trump signaled in a social media post he supports a ballot measure in Florida, where he lives, that would legalize marijuana recreationally. While calling for the state legislature to “prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go,” Trump said, “someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States.”
“We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana,” Trump added.
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA – AUGUST 29: Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena August 29, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. Harris has campaigned in southeast Georgia for the past two days. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
The Harris campaign is framing Trump’s support for the measure as another change in policy in a long line of “brazen flip-flops,” according to a memo on Saturday, first obtained by ABC News.
“As of this morning, Trump now suggests he is for legalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses,” Ian Sams, a longtime Harris communications aide who joined the campaign earlier this month after a stint at the White House Counsel’s Office, said in the memo.
Trump’s record on marijuana has varied. While in office, his Justice Department announced it would remove an Obama-era policy that limited federal prosecutions for some sales of marijuana in states where it is legal, only for Trump to walk that back months later. He also expressed support for a bipartisan bill in 2018 to protect states’ pro-marijuana laws, but in 2019 he used part of his salary to pay for a promotional campaign highlighting the negative effects of marijuana use.
In a statement to ABC News, a Trump campaign official maintained, “President Trump has been consistent in his support for leaving this issue to the states for years.”
The memo comes just two days after Harris sat for her first wide-ranging interview with CNN more than a month after launching her campaign for president after President Joe Biden announced he was abandoning his reelection bid.
Harris’ role as vice president naturally required her to adopt Biden’s agenda and platform, but since her ascension to the top of the ticket, how her policy views may differ from Biden’s — and that of her 2019 campaign — have yet to be clearly defined.
“My values have not changed,” Harris said repeatedly in a CNN interview Thursday when pressed about her about-face on certain policy positions–particularly compared to what she ran in the 2020 primary.
The Harris team’s argument is that her record in office reflects her evolution on certain issues, but that Trump’s does not.
“As soon as Trump starts catching heat for his unpopular agenda and record,” Sams said, referencing Project 2025, “he rushes out to claim he would actually do the opposite. It’s a desperate play from a candidate whose back is up against the wall running against Vice President Harris.”
“But it demands scrutiny,” Sams argued. “He was President for four years, and how he exercised his power on these issues is the best metric for how he will do so again if he gets the chance. What he says now is just desperate pandering from a scared man who is worried he will lose.”
ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.
As the 2020 presidential election draws near, the issue of marijuana legalization has once again taken center stage in the political arena. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has recently called out President Donald Trump for his inconsistent stance on marijuana, highlighting the need for clarity and consistency on this important issue.
Harris, a former prosecutor and California senator, has been a vocal advocate for marijuana legalization and criminal justice reform throughout her political career. In contrast, President Trump has sent mixed signals on the issue, at times expressing support for states’ rights to legalize marijuana while also appointing anti-marijuana advocates to key positions in his administration.
In a recent statement, Harris criticized Trump for his lack of leadership on the issue, stating that his inconsistent stance has created confusion and uncertainty for states that have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. She called on the president to provide clear guidance and support for states that have chosen to legalize marijuana, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive federal approach to drug policy.
Harris also pointed out the racial disparities in marijuana enforcement, noting that African Americans are disproportionately targeted and arrested for marijuana offenses compared to their white counterparts. She argued that legalization and regulation of marijuana could help address these disparities and create a more equitable criminal justice system.
The debate over marijuana legalization has gained momentum in recent years, with a growing number of states moving to legalize the drug for medical or recreational use. However, the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance has created legal and regulatory challenges for states that have chosen to legalize it.
Harris’s campaign has made marijuana legalization a key issue in her platform, advocating for federal decriminalization of the drug and expungement of past marijuana convictions. She has also called for reinvestment in communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and support for small businesses in the emerging cannabis industry.
As the 2020 election approaches, the issue of marijuana legalization is likely to remain a hot-button topic for candidates on both sides of the aisle. Harris’s criticism of Trump’s inconsistent stance on the issue highlights the need for clear and consistent leadership on drug policy, and underscores the importance of addressing racial disparities in marijuana enforcement.
Ultimately, the debate over marijuana legalization is about more than just access to a recreational drug – it is about criminal justice reform, racial equity, and states’ rights. Harris’s campaign is shining a spotlight on these important issues, and calling on President Trump to provide leadership and guidance on this critical issue facing our nation.
