Former President Trump is expected to focus on rising prices and what his campaign is calling a “crime wave” at a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania this weekend.
Trump plans to address a crowd in Walks Valley, Pennsylvania, on Saturday and describe how the Harris-Biden administration’s “dangerously liberal policies and radical Democratic Party” have “failed” the Keystone State, his campaign announced Monday.
pointing Republican Joint Economic Committee The typical Pennsylvania family was found to be paying $958 more per month due to rising prices, and the Trump campaign blamed President Biden and Vice President Harris for the state of the economy as “weak, failed and dangerously liberal.”
Republican presidential nominee Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden and Harris for the stubborn inflation that has plagued the country for much of the Biden administration. Inflation has hovered around 3% for more than a year, spiked again in March but is now back on a downward trend, favoring the president.
Former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania is also expected to target Harris, who has been dubbed the “border czar” for her handling of the southern U.S. border and the influx of migrants into the U.S., her campaign said. The Trump campaign argued that Trump would “close the border and launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.”
“Pennsylvania Democrats are effectively holding up a sign welcoming illegal immigrants to our state, prioritizing ridiculous programs for illegal immigrants rather than focusing on easing the burden on Pennsylvanians,” the campaign wrote Monday.
The Trump campaign also claimed Pennsylvania residents are suffering a “crime wave” due to a “weak” Harris-Biden administration.
The data was released on Monday But a survey by the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association found that overall crime, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, all decreased in Philadelphia in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
More data from the Pennsylvania UCR program Indicate a crime Cases across the state are also down compared to last year.
The former president’s visit to Pennsylvania follows a tour of the key battleground state last week by Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Harris has energized the party’s base and surged in polling support against Trump since replacing President Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in late July. Thousands attended her rally last week, which her campaign has touted as a counterweight to Trump, who has long relied on crowd size as a measure of support.
Harris’ campaign on Sunday criticized Trump for not showing up in battleground states in recent weeks.
“Trump hasn’t campaigned in battleground states in over a week… is he down?” the Harris campaign said in a post by X, responding to the former president’s accusations that they used artificial intelligence to falsely portray “massive” crowds at battleground state rallies last week.
The enthusiasm for Harris is also showing up in the polls, where the vice president is narrowing the lead Trump held when he faced Biden. A Decision Desk poll tally on Monday showed Harris leading Trump by 0.4 percentage points, while a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted over the weekend found her leading by 4 points in three battleground states: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The former president is scheduled to make his next campaign appearance on Wednesday in Asheville, North Carolina, as per his campaign schedule.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for further comment.
