In a race contested by only a handful of states, Pennsylvania could decide the fate of the 2024 election. Polls show former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are virtually tied in the race for the state’s 19 delegates. Both Democrats and Republicans are pouring millions of dollars into getting their message across through ads, town halls and large rallies. Last night in Pittsburgh, Harris’ most powerful ally, former President Barack Obama, delivered his first major campaign speech of the season, a day after President Trump held two events in Pennsylvania. That was just 24 hours later. Their rhetorical styles could not be more different. But every former president has arrived at a similarly aggressive line of attack. “They don’t care about you.”
Trump spoke to a less than packed venue in Reading, Pennsylvania. He painted a dark and chaotic portrait of America. President Trump said immigrants “come from all over the world to your cities and small towns and change them forever, and I have to say we are destroying them.” President Trump has positioned himself as America’s savior and sounded quite authoritarian. “I will liberate Pennsylvania and all of our nation from a massive immigrant invasion of murderers, child predators, gang members, terrorists, drug traffickers, and thugs.” He called her predecessor Barack Hussein Obama and repeatedly attacked Harris’ intelligence, labeling her “not smart” and a “stupid person.” He rambled on for nearly 90 minutes, peppering her with derogatory words. “Kamala Harris is completely incompetent and untrustworthy. She is completely incapable of carrying out the duties of President of the United States,” Trump said.
He also zig-zagged even more than usual and made nonsensical, nonsensical statements. He talked about his “beautiful body” and love for corn. He talked about Howard Stern’s radio ratings and mentioned the forgotten Whoopi Goldberg comedy “Eddie” from the ’90s. President Trump said, “Politics can do strange things to people with dementia.” Long before he finished, people started trickling out of the arena.
But his supporters remained loyal to him and appeared to be no different towards anti-Harris. The 29-year-old, named Anthony Malcolm, was wearing a shirt that read: It’s okay to hate communists. “There’s nothing on the back of the ticket that would change that vote,” he told me. “I don’t like paying taxes. I don’t want to keep having my income taken away to pay for things I don’t even believe in,” said another participant, a 54-year-old woman named Sylvia Reedy. He was wearing a President Trump cowboy hat and a shirt that read: our people are angry. Immigration was the main issue motivating her. “I want everyone to get out of here,” she told me. “On the first day, I put him in office and I want everyone deported. They need to go.” Mr. Reedy himself immigrated legally from India in 1984 after 10 years of effort. . “This is the life I came to for freedom,” she said. “Now Kamala Harris is stopping it. She also happens to be from India. And she’s a disgrace, that’s who she is. To some Indians, it’s fake. She’s a fraud. I have nothing good to say about her.”
Not all Trump supporters live in Trump’s world of doom and gloom. A man named Al Setzer from Macungie, Pennsylvania, resented being labeled as a bigot. He told me about growing up in New York City. “I was sitting on a bus with people of all races from all over the world, you know what I mean?” In his youth, he was an anti-war liberal, but when Vietnam War protests began against soldiers, I opposed it because I felt it was disrespectful, and I became a Republican. The son of German immigrants, he was equally offended when Trump’s opponents compared him to Hitler.
“Deep down, I believe Mr. Trump is a good person,” he said. “If Trump was a charlatan, these people wouldn’t be here,” Setzer added, gesturing to the rally attendees. He told me how much he loved America. “I think we need to recognize the fact that we are in a great country.”
Last night, on the other side of the state, President Obama spoke to a packed gymnasium at the University of Pittsburgh. The 44th president remains the closest thing Democrats have to someone with Trump-level appeal. Before Sen. Bob Casey had even finished introducing Mr. Obama, attendees began tilting their heads and preparing their cellphone cameras, as if a celebrity were in the building. Many Democrats are looking forward to the chance to relive the energy of his 2008 campaign. (A banner in the crowd read: Yes, you can) President Obama played some of his old hits, called himself “a man of hope and change,” and reiterated his dying mantra: “Don’t boo, vote!” He seemed to enjoy courting Trump, as he did at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
“Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a tire in his life?” Obama asked. “Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?” he said later. (“It’s his!” shouted a member of the audience. “I almost said that, but I thought it would be better not to say it,” Mr. Obama replied, holding back a laugh.) He likened his remarks to Fidel Castro’s bombast. He mocked the Trump-branded Bible, which retails for $59.99. “He wants you to buy the Word of God, Donald Trump’s version!” President Obama joked. “His name is next to Matthew and Luke.” Throughout the nearly 40-minute speech, President Obama characterized President Trump as a charlatan. President Obama asked, “If Donald Trump doesn’t care that a mob might attack his vice president, do you think he cares about you?”
Mr. Obama was most effective when he used Mr. Trump’s own words for comedic effect, such as Mr. Trump’s “concept of planning” line during the September debate. “Honey, did you do the dishes? I have a concept of a plan to cook.” But when you disparage Mr. Trump, you also stoop to his level. Coming so close to making a joke about a 78-year-old man wearing diapers is a far cry from his wife’s positive maxim, “When they go low, we go high.”
Obama had a higher purpose in indicting Trump’s character. He hoped to show how Trump and Trumpism have led America away from its nobler self. “For President Trump, freedom is about moving things away,” Obama said. He pointed out that each political party has a completely different interpretation of the word freedom. “We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to decide on our own lives: how we worship, who we marry, what our families are like,” he said. spoke.
The crowd had a lot of fun listening to Hero make fun of the bullies. Most attendees seemed excited to have Obama back on the campaign trail.
Yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Dan Truss, a city bus driver in Allegheny County. He said he remembers lining up for hours to meet Obama during his first presidential campaign and was proud to be back with his members now. of her local transportation union. She said the Democratic Party’s support for labor unions is most important to her in this election. Further down was Deborah Marnick, wearing a shirt with a quote from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Out of concern for our democracy, I object.. Malnick said the court’s decision in Trump’s favor in the presidential immunity case was “shocking.” “Without democracy, there is nothing else,” she said. For her, this election was all about Trump, and it was existential.
At the snack bar, I met a 30-year-old man named Chris who was wearing a lime green sticker that said VOTE in Charli XCX Brat font. (“I had no idea what that was referring to,” he said with a laugh.) He told me that he initially registered to vote as a Republican because he was a staunchly pro-life He said it was because he grew up in a family. In 2016, he returned to the Democratic Party after developing a more nuanced view on abortion. Some rally attendees showed up to support the veterans. Some came to support the LGBTQ community. Many were championing women’s rights and the possibility of becoming the first female president.
With just over three weeks left until the election, both sides seem convinced that they fundamentally cannot trust the other with respect to the country or the election. At both events, speakers talked about the need to win by a large margin in November. “If enough of us make our voices heard, there will be no doubt about the election,” President Obama asserted. Mr. Trump had his own vision: I want it to be a real referendum.” Peace seemed not guaranteed.
