Harris said “I” 83 times in her speech to the Democratic Council – compared to Trump’s 262 times
Top line
Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned herself far less often in her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday than former President Donald Trump did at the Republican National Convention last month. However, Harris’ speech was much shorter than Trump’s, and the word “I” was used about equally by both, taking length into account.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate for 2024, Kamala Harris, speaks on the fourth and … (+)
Key data
– Trump used the word 262 times in his 12,242-word speech on July 18. Harris, on the other hand, said “I” 83 times in her 3,535-word speech on Thursday. However, the candidates used the word with almost equal frequency (2.35% of Harris’ words were “I,” compared to 2.14% for Trump).
– Although both candidates said “I” about equally often in their convention speeches, Democrats accused Trump of being self-centered and egocentric because of his frequent use of the pronoun.
– Former President Bill Clinton accused Trump in his speech Tuesday of using his platform primarily to “talk about himself – his vengeance, his vendetta, his grievances, his conspiracy theories” and urged the audience: “Next time you hear him, don’t count the lies – count the I’s.”
In his July speech accepting his party’s nomination, Trump broke his own record from 2016: He spoke for nearly 90 minutes at the Republican National Convention in July, while Harris’ speech lasted about 40 minutes.
Although both candidates said “I” with roughly equal frequency in their convention speeches, Democrats accused Trump of being self-centered and egocentric because of his frequent use of the pronoun.
Former President Bill Clinton, in his speech Tuesday, accused Trump of using his platform primarily to “talk about himself – his vengeance, his vendetta, his grievances, his conspiracy theories” and urged the audience, “the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies – count the ‘I’s.”
What other words were frequently used by the candidates?
Trump mentioned “immigration” or the “border” – central themes of his campaign – a total of 22 times, compared to Harris only eight. Trump also mentioned inflation 14 times, compared to Harris not once. Trump used “economy” six times, compared to Harris three, and “labor” or “jobs” 15 times, compared to Harris only twice (not counting phrases like “great job”). Meanwhile, Harris used the word “abortion” four times, compared to Trump not at all – showing how Harris’ campaign is focused on abortion rights. And both Trump and Harris mentioned “democracy” twice.
tangent
Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio), gave a significantly longer speech than his opponent, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who spoke on Wednesday. Vance used the word “I” 79 times in his 3,589-word speech, while Walz said “I” 33 times in his 1,651-word speech.
Important background
Harris spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, accepting her party’s nomination after a historic turn in the race when President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy on July 21 following an intra-party revolt in the wake of his June 27 debate performance. Harris began her speech by emphasizing her family and professional background, which explains her frequent use of the word “I.” However, she spent much of her speech criticizing Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling and his role in the failure of a bipartisan border agreement in the Senate earlier this year. As the convention began, three former presidents, several celebrities and social media personalities took the stage throughout the week to fully support Harris, thank Biden for his service and criticize Trump.
Contra
Before Trump’s speech at the RNC, his campaign said he would focus on unity following the assassination attempt on him a few days earlier. He did not stick to the planned theme and instead attacked his political opponents, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), whom he called “crazy,” and repeated his false claims that Democrats were guilty of “election fraud.” Trump also spent a significant portion of his speech at the RNC recounting his record as president and the assassination attempt on him at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a few days earlier, in which he was shot in the ear, one bystander was killed, and two others were injured. In some of his mentions of “I,” Trump said of illegal immigrants, “I’ve taken thousands and thousands away in my four years.” He also said, “I’ve cut taxes way down… I’m going to get rid of the electric vehicle requirement on day one… I got rid of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the worst trade deal ever.”
More information
Kamala Harris criticizes Trump in her speech to the DNC over January 6 – and abortion (Forbes)
Everything you need to know about Kamala Harris before her DNC speech (Forbes)
Here’s where and when you can see Kamala Harris at the DNC tonight – and what to expect (Forbes)
Trump vs. Harris 2024 polls: Harris leads by 3 points at halftime of DNC election (Forbes)
