At a packed campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Monday night, former President Donald J. Trump’s words rang out from the screen. But the event was for Vice President Kamala Harris, whose campaign used Trump’s own words to reinforce warnings about the dangers of the Trump presidency. He says he’ll pose for a photo if he wins a second term in the White House.
Harris pointed to Trump’s recent claims at rallies and media appearances that Democratic detractors are the “enemy from within” and more dangerous than the Democratic Party, calling his Republican opponents his own. pulled little punches in portraying him as a power-obsessed authoritarian. He argued that foreign adversaries like Russia and China “should be put behind bars.”
“Now, many years later, we know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “He is a man who will stop at nothing to make power his own.”
In a memorable moment, Mr. Harris told the audience of 6,000 people that they didn’t have to take her word for it, that she was an example of his “worldview and intentions.”
“Please — roll the clip,” she said as the crowd groaned and gasped as Trump’s face appeared on the screen.
“He’s talking about our own enemy, Pennsylvania,” Harris told the jeering crowd. “He says he considers anyone who doesn’t support him or doesn’t want to do his will to be an enemy of our country.”
Harris’ visit to Erie County, a bellwether county crucial to a statewide victory in a state where 2024 could be a turning point, suggests that President Biden will end his re-election bid and endorse Harris. This was the first visit by a Democratic presidential candidate since the election. . Trump won the county in 2016, but narrowly lost to Biden in 2020.
Harris used the first half of her stump speech to lay out policy proposals to tackle price gouging and build an “opportunity economy” that would expand Medicare to cover home health care for the elderly and sick. She continued to position herself as an underdog, arguing that the stakes in this election were higher than in 2016 or 2020 because of a Supreme Court ruling that significantly expanded presidential powers.
She called Erie an “important county” and urged the crowd to vote by November, as early voting has already begun in the state. “The election has begun,” she said.
However, it was during the second half of her speech that Harris stepped up her attacks on Trump. She has increasingly engaged in the unusual campaign strategy of drawing attention to her opponent’s rallies. At a debate last month, she called for caution against violent language and erratic behavior, and for the first time encouraged people to watch his rallies. On Monday, she issued her most ominous warning yet, criticizing officials who couldn’t find extra votes for her in elections, judges who handed down rulings she disagreed with, and coverage she didn’t like. Outlined how he attacked journalists.
“This is one of the reasons why I strongly believe that a second term for Trump is a great risk and danger to the United States,” he added. “Donald Trump is becoming increasingly volatile and volatile.”
Harris’ campaign also released a new ad called “The Enemy Within” on Monday, citing Trump’s recent comments and featuring two former national security advisers, Olivia Troye and Kevin Carroll. Announced.
“I remember the day he suggested we shoot people in the street,” Troy recalls in the ad.
“The second term is going to be even worse,” Carroll said.
The ads are similar to those launched this month in battleground states where top national security officials issued stark warnings about Trump’s suitability for the presidency.
On Monday night, the attack on the Democratic ticket was twofold. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, delivered perhaps the harshest tone ever against Trump. Walz cited his military service in criticizing Trump’s comments and said the idea of using the military against American citizens is “sick to my stomach.”
Walz urged the audience to understand that Trump’s proposal is not ordinary.
“Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said, ‘There is no one more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist through and through,'” Walz said, referring to the statement. From a former government official who appeared in the ad.
“Keep that in mind and don’t be afraid to say it at all, because that’s just who he is.”
Trump visited Erie County last month, slamming Harris, telling the crowd she should be “impeached and prosecuted” for her handling of the southern border, and calling it a “truly violent day” in the United States. He suggested that it would suppress crime. City.
Harris has been pushing for Trump to agree to a second debate, but has maintained that she is staying out of normal campaign activities, such as the “60 Minutes” interview. Over the weekend, she released her medical records, which showed she was “extremely healthy,” and another to question why Trump wouldn’t release them. I took advantage of the gathering.
“I wonder why these people are hiding from him,” he said at a rally in North Carolina on Sunday. “The question has to be asked: is he too weak to lead America?” Is it too unstable and people are afraid to see it?’ Is that what’s happening?
But during the rally, Harris also drew the line when it came to his opponent. After he was quoted as saying he wanted to “abolish the Constitution,” the crowd began chanting “lock him up!”
“Here’s the problem. The courts will handle it,” she said. “Shall we do it in November?”
Jazmine Ulloa contributed reporting from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
