Former President Trump launched a blistering attack on Vice President Harris on Wednesday at his first rally since President Biden announced he would not seek reelection and Harris was named the likely Democratic nominee in November.
Trump spoke to supporters in North Carolina three days after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race amid growing pressure to drop out of the Democratic Party. Biden slammed Harris on immigration and inflation and tried to portray her as a “far-left lunatic.”
“As you know, three days ago we officially defeated the worst president in the history of this country, evil Joe Biden. He resigned because he was losing badly in the polls. He was low in every poll, way below average, so he resigned,” Trump said.
“So now we have a new victim to take down: the liar Kamala Harris … the most incompetent, far-left vice president in American history,” he added.
Trump repeatedly mispronounced Harris’ name, described her as more “liberal” than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), called her a “border czar” because of her mission to address the root causes of migration from Central America, and said it was a “travesty” that Harris went to Europe just days before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
Trump accused Harris of lying to the public “to hide Biden’s mental health” and suggested she was “untrustworthy” and “unfit to lead.” Trump mocked Harris’ recent emphasis on her record as a prosecutor, comparing it to her own legal problems, including civil judgments and criminal charges.
The former president highlighted a series of positions Harris took during the 2020 presidential campaign, including her support for Sanders’ Medicare for All bill; Ban on fracking.
During the rally, Trump called Harris “crazy,” “a very bad person” and “out of her mind.”
“I was supposed to be nice. They say something happened when I got shot. I was nice,” Trump told the crowd. “And when you’re dealing with these people, you can’t be too nice because they’re very dangerous people. So, if you don’t mind, I’m not going to be nice. Is that OK?”
Trump and his allies have made little secret of their desire for Biden to remain in the race, especially after his disastrous defeat in the June 27 debate, when polls showed Trump holding consistent leads in most battleground states that will determine the outcome of November’s election.
Since Biden left office and Harris quickly consolidated her support among Democrats, several polls have been conducted, all showing a close race between Trump and Harris.
Nationally, the Marist poll found Trump with 46% support and Harris with 45%, with about 9% of respondents undecided. When third-party candidates are included, Harris and Trump are tied.
The CNN poll shows Trump leading Harris 49 percent to 46 percent, making the race closer than surveys have shown in the Trump-Biden matchup.
Trump’s own pollsters predicted his approval rating was likely to rise as Ms Harris rose to the top of the Democratic field, but he insisted the fundamentals of the campaign had not changed.
Harris has been generating excitement since securing Biden’s endorsement and securing enough delegate support to become a front-runner for the Democratic nomination. Her campaign has raised more than $100 million in about 48 hours, thousands of volunteers have signed up to help, and the campaign drew more than 3,000 people to a rally in Milwaukee on Monday, billing it as its largest turnout of the election so far.
