During a visit to the southern border on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris called fentanyl a “scourge on our nation” and said that as president, her “top priority will be to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.” .
Harris promised to provide more resources to front-line law enforcement officials, including additional personnel and equipment that can detect fentanyl in vehicles. She said she would target the “global fentanyl supply chain” and vowed to “double the Justice Department’s resources to extradite and prosecute transnational criminal organizations and cartels.”
But her opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, characterized Ms. Harris’ position Sunday at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, saying no such attitude. Mr. Harris made false accusations that appeared to be intended to exploit fear and trauma against Mr. Harris. Voters in communities ravaged by fentanyl.
“She even wants to legalize fentanyl,” Trump said during his 109-minute speech. It was the second day in a row that Trump amplified similar false claims about Harris. He did so Saturday in Wisconsin.
The former president did not provide context for her remarks, but her campaign referenced an American Civil Liberties Union survey that Harris filled out during her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019.
A question asking whether Harris supported decriminalizing all drug possession for personal use at the federal level appeared to be checked “yes.” “It is long past time to change the outdated and discriminatory criminalization of cannabis,” Harris wrote, adding that she supports treating drug addiction as a public health issue, focusing on rehabilitation rather than incarceration. Ta.
Fentanyl was not discussed by Harris or in the survey.
The Harris campaign declined to comment on Trump’s latest attack, but when the ACLU survey was brought up in the past, campaign officials have pointed out that it did not reflect Trump’s proposals or actions.
Since Harris’ visit to the border, she has appeared to be fighting Trump on her own turf, calling for increased security and a crackdown on asylum, but Trump has become increasingly dark in her rhetoric. He directed a series of humiliating insults at Harris, drawing criticism from some Republicans, and accused the Biden-Harris administration of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants. “They are cold-blooded murderers,” he said.
Mr. Trump also devoted part of his speech to the problem of shoplifting in big cities, saying it was caused by lenient penalties for theft and other crimes and too many restrictions placed on police.
Then he proposed a surprising solution.
“We have to let the police do their job, and if they have to be very violent…” he said, trailing off as the crowd cheered.
“If I had a really violent day,” he said a moment later. He further added: “It’s been a tough hour, and I mean really tough, but the word will get out and it’ll be over soon.”
Mr. Trump also falsely implied that black voters might not support Ms. Harris. Harris’ poll lead with key voting blocs remains decisive, but not as strong as it was with President Biden during the 2020 election.
“They hate her,” he claimed. “They hate her.”
Erie County, the flag-waving flag for Pennsylvania, is a small flag-waving post. The county has supported the winner of the past four elections.
Both Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris have spent valuable time and money in Pennsylvania, where polls generally show the vice president with an edge.
Trump’s rally in Erie was his second trip to the western part of the state in six days. Next weekend, he plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where the July 13 rally was held and where he was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, held two events in the state on Saturday.
Harris campaigned in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, choosing the state for a major speech on the economy.
