CNN
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Kamala Harris is responding to Democratic panic over her White House prospects by ramping up her attacks on Donald Trump.
Adding a sense of urgency to the campaign with 21 days left, the vice president warned on Monday that the former president is “unstable,” “unfettered” and seeking “unchecked power.”
“Look at his rallies. Listen to his words. He’s telling us who he is and what he’s going to do if elected president.” Harris spoke to a large crowd in Pennsylvania after a weekend in which President Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric reached chilling new levels and hinted at the extreme nature of the president-elect’s chances. semester.
Meanwhile, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz went further, saying the former president’s thoughts on using the military against domestic enemies he labeled as “enemies from within” could amount to treason. he suggested.
Harris and her team have also actively questioned Trump’s mental sanity and ability to serve another term, a Republican candidate who has been leveling similar charges against President Joe Biden for months. The situation was reversed.
In another effort to allay concerns about her apparent slowing momentum, Harris asked whether Trump was making inroads with key Democratic bases or whether they were simply not showing up to vote. announced a major new effort to appeal to black male voters amid fears that
And in a new ad campaign in the battleground state of Arizona, Ms. Harris is appealing to Republicans who have been alienated by the former president’s actions but who have yet to make tough decisions that, for many, cross party lines. I made a new attempt to get it. To that end, Ms. Harris also set aside her previous reluctance toward unscripted events and held her first formal meeting with Fox News, creating a contrast with Mr. Trump, who rarely leaves the conservative media bubble. He announced that he would be available for an interview.
Harris’ new effort, which will set the pace in the final stages of the election, comes as both candidates are campaigning on opposite sides of Pennsylvania. According to the latest polls, there’s a good chance the Commonwealth’s 19 electors will decide the winner of the White House, making the race as close as it is in other battleground states.
Harris is entering a critical period in her political career. Over the next three weeks, her actions under the most intense pressure will be closely watched by remaining voters who have not yet made up their minds and may be looking for a reason to choose her. She also needs to energize wavering or uncommitted Democratic-leaning voters who may not show up to vote on Election Day.
More broadly, the vice president faces one of the most difficult political tasks in decades after taking over from Biden as the Democratic nominee months before the election. Despite being part of an unpopular government, she has shown that there is little she won’t do to regain power while trying to convince disaffected voters that she is the replacement candidate. They are trying to overthrow Trump.
But Ms. Harris’ efforts to strike a deal with former President Donald Trump in their second debate came after Ms. Harris’ strong performance in their first showdown in September gave her campaign momentum. This is complicated by her refusal to meet with him.
In a new part of her stump speech, Harris addressed a raucous crowd in Erie, echoing President Trump’s comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the National Guard and regular troops could be directed against “the enemy from within.” A tape was played featuring the
“You heard what he said,” Harris said. “He’s talking about enemies within the state of Pennsylvania…He considers anyone who doesn’t support him or won’t do his will to be an enemy of our country.” Trump is increasingly unstable, less free, and seeking unbridled power.”
Just before Harris’ speech, her running mate delivered the Democratic candidate’s clearest assessment yet of the potential threat to basic political freedoms if Trump wins a second term. revealed. Walz, the Minnesota governor, said the idea that the president could use military force against Americans is “sick to my stomach.”
And the Army National Guard veteran highlighted comments by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, reported in Bob Woodward’s new book War, that Trump is “a fascist through and through.” Waltz added: “Understand that and don’t be afraid to say it at all, because that’s just who he is. That’s just who he is.”
However, President Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, defended Trump’s comments. “If they’re rioting and looting and burning down cities, is that a legitimate use? Of course it is, right?” the Ohio senator said in Minneapolis. “I think the question is whether that’s a legitimate use of the property. It really depends on what’s going on.”
Why former Secretary of Defense fears President Trump will use military force against American citizens
The intensification of Democratic rhetoric against President Trump comes as Democrats struggle to understand what it means for former President Trump to win a close election and secure a second term that is likely to be even less restrained than his first. This is because we are starting to consider it. Former President Barack Obama set the tone when he personally strolled through Pennsylvania last week.
In an interview with Roland Martin, Harris suggested that Trump may have something to hide. “He won’t argue with me again. I produced my medical records, he won’t produce his medical records. And why is his staff doing things like that? And that may be because they think he’s simply unprepared, unfit, unstable, and shouldn’t have that level of transparency with the American people. I can’t.”
Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff questioned the 78-year-old former president’s mental and physical state. Like his wife, he pointed out that Trump withdrew from the “60 Minutes” interview, saying, “It’s clear when you look at him and when you listen to him, you see him deteriorating right before your eyes.” ” he said.
She added: “He’s just a degraded version of an already terrible person, and he’s only going to get worse.”
At the rally in Erie, Harris put on an energetic show that appeared to try to allay Democratic fears that the momentum built since taking over from Biden in July has not translated into a clear lead over the former president. was unveiled.
“We will win. We will win,” she insisted with a beaming smile.
Erie County, in far northwestern Pennsylvania, is a microcosm of the broader strategic national battle facing Harris and Trump over the next three weeks. Biden won the county by a 1 percentage point margin in 2020, but former President Biden led the county by nearly 2,000 votes in 2016 en route to the White House. Erie is a Democratic stronghold, but the race between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump will be intense among moderate voters in the suburbs, with Mr. Trump likely to try to make significant gains in rural and rural areas.
The twice-impeached former president attended a town hall event in Oaks, northeast Philadelphia, with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a star in the conservative media world.
The event highlighted issues such as the cost of living and housing that the Trump campaign sees as key to the election. One of the most important questions facing undecided voters in the coming days is whether the pressures on many American households (e.g., rising food prices) are due to President Trump’s extremism and democracy. The question is whether it outweighs concerns about the threat to
Harris wasn’t the only candidate covering key races Monday. (She announced plans to increase access to finance for Black men who want to start businesses, and a health initiative to increase testing for conditions that disproportionately impact communities). Mr. Trump sought to win over young voters, many of whom are less likely to vote, but who might join his coalition.
He appeared on the Nerk Boyz podcast “Full Send,” which has more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube, and spoke authoritatively about the UFC martial arts star in an exchange that displayed the authenticity that many voters prefer. He also appeared to confirm an appearance on Joe Rogan’s wildly popular podcast, as he and Harris explore non-traditional media sources to reach Americans who often don’t vote. This is the latest example of this.
