Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump repeatedly veered Saturday from a message focused on the U.S. economy into rambling remarks, insults and personal attacks, including declaring he was more attractive than rival Kamala Harris.
At a rally in Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania, Trump appeared to struggle to adjust to his new opponent after Democrats replaced their nominee, and at his final campaign rally he veered between making his points on economic policy and hurling insults and imitations of President Biden.
Over the past week, during campaign appearances he has strayed from the policies he was expected to speak about and instead veered into a series of familiar attack lines and insults.
Trump continued his attacks on his rivals on Saturday, saying Biden “hates” Harris because she “defeated him” so she could run in the November election, in an apparent attempt to divide Democrats before the start of their National Convention on Monday.
“Joe Biden hates her (Kamala Harris), okay? He hates her. It doesn’t matter if I go off the teleprompter for a second. He hates her because she brought him down (…) I spent 100 million dollars campaigning against Biden. If I hadn’t debated him, he would still be running,” the tycoon added.
More handsome than Kamala Harris and attacks on the press
When she began reflecting on Harris’ recent image on the cover of Time magazine, she commented on the image’s resemblance to classic Hollywood icons Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor and then confronted a Wall Street Journal columnist who commented earlier this month on Harris’ beauty.
“I’m a lot better looking than her,” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I’m a better looking person than Kamala.”
Trump also lashed out at ABC, the US network where he will debate Harris on September 10, calling the network’s employees “horrible,” evil and dishonest people.
But ABC was not the only media outlet that Trump harshly criticized. He also criticized the work of journalists from other networks such as CBS, CNN or The New York Times. Of the latter, he said in a mocking tone that “they always put on the front page what Kamala Harris and her charming husband do.”
Democratic candidate with slight lead in Pennsylvania polls
The former president filled an 8,000-seat venue in this city of about 45,000 inhabitants in a state – Pennsylvania – that will be crucial to the presidential aspirations of Trump himself and Kamala Harris.
According to an average of 24 polls updated by the political outlet The Hill, Harris now has 48.2% of support in Pennsylvania, while Trump receives 47.4% in this “swing state” where an attack occurred last month.
Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, will also be touring Pennsylvania on Sunday, mindful of its electoral importance, before the Democratic National Convention begins from Monday to Thursday in Chicago, Illinois.
Trump’s Wilkes-Barre rally was held in a swath of a key state where he hopes conservative, white, working-class voters near Biden’s hometown of Scranton will boost the Republican’s chances of recapturing the White House.
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