Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took their fight for Pennsylvania to opposite ends of the state Monday, with Harris speaking in the northwest corner in Erie and Trump in the southeastern suburbs of Philadelphia.
Democrat Harris and Republican Trump have been making regular appearances in what is the country's largest battleground state — it was Harris' 10th visit to Pennsylvania this campaign season, and just last week Trump made stops in both Scranton and Reading.
Harris at an evening campaign rally homed in on Trump’s comments over the weekend suggesting that the U.S. military could potentially be used to deal with “the enemy from within."
She argued that the comments made in a Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” interview are the latest example of threatening rhetoric from the former president that should concern Americans about what a potential second Trump term could look like.
“He considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country,” Harris said after playing a clip of the comment on the jumbo screen in the Erie arena. “This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous."
She added that Trump is increasingly displaying “unstable and unhinged” behavior.
Trump made the comment in response to a question about “outside agitators” potentially disrupting Election Day, pivoting to what he said is a foe closer to home.
“I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within,” Trump said. He added: “We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the big — and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”
Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, defended Trump’s comments during a campaign stop in Minneapolis earlier Monday.
“Is it a justifiable use of those assets if they’re rioting and looting and burning cities down to the ground? Of course it is. Right?” Vance told reporters. “I think the question is, is it a justifiable use of assets, depends on what’s actually happening.”
Trump beat Hillary Clinton by more than 40,000 votes in Pennsylvania on his way to winning the presidency in 2016. But Joe Biden, a Scranton native, beat Trump by about 80,000 votes in the state four years ago.
Harris' called Erie a “pivot” area for her campaign, a Democratic-majority city of about 94,000 people bordered by suburbs and rural areas with significant numbers of Republicans. Erie County is often cited as one of the state's reliable bellwether regions, where the electorate has a decidedly moderate voting record. Trump visited Erie on Sept. 29.
Harris also talked up early voting during her rally. Mail-in voting is well underway in the state where some 7 million people are likely to cast votes in the presidential race.
“If you have already received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait,” Harris urged her supporters. “Fill it out and return it today or tomorrow. But please get it out.”
Beforehand, she stopped by a newly opened coffee shop and record store in Erie as she continues to press her case for Black men’s support.
The visit to LegendErie Records and Coffee House, a Black-owned small business, came after her campaign unveiled a plan earlier Monday to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances.
Harris announced a plan on Monday to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm.
Harris' plan includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men.
Harris already has said she supports legalizing marijuana and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.” She also is calling for better regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets.
The vice president's “opportunity agenda for Black men” is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or Trump.
The vice president unveiled the plan as she visited Erie, Pennsylvania, where she stopped by LegendErie Records and Coffee House, a Black-owned small business, for a conversation with Black men from the area.
As her campaign has done with the “Hombres” group, Harris’ team plans to organize gender-specific gatherings. Those include “Black Men Huddle Up” events in battleground states featuring African American male celebrities for things like watch parties for NFL and NCAA football games. The campaign says it also plans new testimonial ads in battleground states that feature local Black male voices.
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign and a former Louisiana congressman who is Black, said Harris wants to build an economy "where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.”
Black Americans strongly supported Joe Biden when he beat Trump in 2020. Harris advisers say they are less worried about losing large percentages of Black male support to the former president than that some will choose not to turn out at all.
Trump, too, has stepped up efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters of both genders. He has held roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in swing states and will sit for a townhall sponsored by Spanish-language Univision this week. He also has sought to openly stoke racial divisions, repeatedly suggesting that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans.
Harris' new round of proposals includes a promise that, if elected, she will help distribute 1 million loans of up to $20,000 that can be fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others who have strong ideas to start businesses. The loans would come via new partnerships between the Small Business Administration and community leaders and banks “with a proven commitment to their communities,” her campaign says.
The vice president also wants to offer federal incentives to encourage more African American men to train to be teachers, citing statistics that Black males made up only a bit more than 1% of the nation's public school teaching ranks in 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey.
Harris also is pledging to expand existing federal programs that forgive some educational loans for public service to further encourage more Black male teachers. She also wants to use organizations like the National Urban League, local governments and the private sector to expand apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities.
The vice president's advisers have been urging her to talk more about cryptocurrency as a way to appeal to male voters. Her campaign said that as president, Harris will back a regulatory framework meant to better protect investors in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which are popular with Black men.
Harris also promised to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, mental health challenges and other health issues that disproportionately affect Black men.
A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas. There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.
Trump backs oil drilling
Meanwhile, Trump spoke at a town hall Monday in suburban Oaks. Responding to a man who said his dream of homeownership feels out of reach, Trump said regulations make it too expensive to build in some places. He repeated his pledge to increase U.S. oil drilling, which he said would drive down costs, though domestic production is already at record highs.
“We’re going to drill baby drill, we’re going to have so much energy and we’re going to bring prices down,” Trump said.
He also claimed that government data from crime statistics to jobless numbers is “fake," alleging the numbers are manipulated to help the incumbent Democrats.
Trump cut short his remarks after twice being interrupted by medical emergencies, turning the town hall into a concert instead. After the second incident, Trump spoke for a few more minutes and then called for music. He then stood onstage — at times swaying along — as music played.
Trump rallygoer Tom Bonanno said he believed there was greater enthusiasm for Trump this year than in the former president's two previous campaigns.
”I’m feeling a shift because the economy affects everyone," Bonanno said. "It’s not just going to be on, you’re feeling joy or happiness or whatever they’re running on. It’s about the economy once again.”
Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes, the most of any swing state, have generated the most attention by far from the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. Including Monday’s scheduled events, they will have made 46 stops in the state, according to Associated Press tracking of the campaigns’ public events.
Michigan, with 33 visits, and Wisconsin, with 29, are the next most-visited states, illustrating how both campaigns are focusing on winning states that had been part of the Democrats’ so-called “blue wall” until Trump emerged as the Republican standard-bearer.
Democrats have won three straight elections for Pennsylvania governor, and both current U.S. senators are Democrats, but the state's legislature is closely divided.
Cindy Sunday, 67, of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, said she has been disappointed that the Biden administration undid some of Trump’s policies on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I don’t care that people say ‘he says things that are off color, and this and that.’ Get over that," said Sunday, who went to Trump's rally in Oaks. "There are so many more serious things in life to be upset about. I just don’t go for that.”
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
30 Comments
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lincolnman
And we'll get to watch the Trump implosion in real-time continue, as he stumbles, bumbles, slurs, and gaffes his way to Nov....but it's not clear he can make it, given his mental decline...
Nikki Haley has to have her phone stuck in her ear waiting for the emergency phone call...
Peter Neil
TobleroneToday 07:18 am JST
what, did trump poop in his pants again?
itsonlyrocknroll
Underworld
Economists opinion are completely detached, devolved from political monetary fiscal realities.
Economists take no responsibility for political/economic outcomes consequences, for a failure to comprehend the Government of Chinas motives for over production, cynical subsidies, the enforced use of slave labour.
Please read the Whitehouse link posted to gain the full picture.
There is a clear and valid logical reason to protect hard working American families jobs.
Above and beyond your opinion on Donald Trump.
lincolnman
She's really getting under his skin - she knows what buttons to push to make him go ballistic...
"The Trump campaign lambasted Kamala Harris after the 2024 Democratic presidential wannabe laid into the former president at a rally on Sunday, calling out Trump as “weak and unstable.”
Appearing in Greenville, North Carolina, Harris sneered at Trump on a number of topics, including his **60 Minutes interview debacle, his failure to appear with Harris at a second debate, and his failure to release medical records**—the latter of which has been a major talking point for Harris over the weekend.
“It makes you wonder—why does his staff want him to hide away?” Harris said. “One must question—are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-campaign-not-impressed-kamala-014253464.html
MAGA-Ketchup Alert! Duck!
ROFL...
lincolnman
And one more example of a spiraling, failing campaign...
"Thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters reportedly found themselves stranded Saturday night after the former president’s rally in Coachella, California.
Attendees were bussed roughly five miles from parking to the venue at Calhoun Ranch, where Trump delivered a rambling 80-minute speech in scorching desert heat, during which several attendees required emergency medical attention.
During his speech, Trump made several wild remarks against the state and its residents. He vowed to withhold aid from California if Governor Gavin Newsom didn’t comply with his demands to upend water conservation in the state.
Once the day’s speeches were over, rallygoers found themselves stranded in the dark without enough buses to carry them back to their cars, according to The Independent.
“This isn’t normal,” said one attendee, in a video on X shared by the account BlueDream.
“Apparently the buses are no longer coming, or at least, there used to be like 20 buses when we were being brought here, but now there’s only like three buses operating, and it’s an absolute …” the speaker sighed as he walked past the large crowd waiting by the road. “It’s just chaos. Absolute chaos. All of us are stranded here. Everyone’s stranded here.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-coachella-rally-went-well-132134719.html
So Trump stranded his supporters in the desert heat - to the extent some needed ambulances, subjected the rest to insults and lies, then stranded again those that didn't leave half-way through...
At least he held his tongue and didn't call them "unwashed basement dwellers"...
Trump is self-combusting...
bass4funk
Here we go again, two disgruntled people complaining, funny how in the crowd the majority of people were clapping and in good spirits and the left repeat the same people again and again.
John
A large number of both Democrat and Republican politicians are in AIPEC's pocket. Down me if you think that's bad.
lincolnman
ROFL...calls his fellow MAGA-fans "leftists"....
Clear example of how MAGA-world is crumbling into orange dust...
itsonlyrocknroll
Kamala Harris tribulation woes bear little or no relation to the success of Tumps campaign.
All Harris/Walz mumbling stumbling, are connected to politically self inflicted wonka word salad gaffs.
These Harris/Walz campaign unforced errors focus on a refusal to clearly answer one simple question.
How would Kamala Harris policy portfolio differ from Joe Biden four years in office?
Trump pounces as Harris reluctant to draw contrasts with Biden
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/09/kamala-harris-biden-differences/75587056007/
While Harris has campaigned on "not going back" and "turning the page" from the era of Trump, the Trump campaign has reminded Americans that their anxieties about the economy and migration at the southern border came while Harris was working directly alongside Biden.
bass4funk
Liberal plants, yes
Where? Quick, fudge the growing numbers. Lol
itsonlyrocknroll
Form Harris own mouth....Its is totally bizarre
Kamala Harris SPILLS On Her Approval Of Biden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD0XxCY9XP8
Kamala Harris is unable to answer basic questions on ‘60 Minutes’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If_5aAFBIDg
EvilBuddha
There is a Youtube channel of a black Trump supporter that I follow. A really intelligent guy.
https://youtube.com/@hunitdaysofsummer
He talks the most sense about what minorities and people of color such as himself should be careful about when the mainstream liberal media denounces Trump with words like 'racist'. Some of his analysis is spot on, and that also explains why support for Trump is rising slowly among Black and Hispanic males.
itsonlyrocknroll
It is the US voters, the hard pressed families that have to make ends meet, pay the mortgage, Underworld
These "economists" evaluations, opinions, predictions, estimations, assumptions are not to be mistaken for actual policies.
There is no suggestion of actual political accountability here.
No mandate, no liability, no obligation to take responsibility.
Blacklabel
You don’t empower people by giving them free stuff.
or by making up special programs just for them 3 weeks before an election to try to buy their vote.
or by sending out half white Obama to demand a vote for someone like Kamala.
Blacklabel
30% don’t? Uh oh.
Blacklabel
not “to vote”.
to vote FOR Kamala.
huge and important difference.
you didn’t include ME in the joy and vibes cause you were winning by 11 million and abortion ROFL
now that you are losing, you care about sickle cell and want to help me open….a weed shop? Can I have my own liquor brand too? /s
burgers and beers
Doom is spreading among many Democrats according to CNN.
Bad Haircut
It's failing Kamala. You're haemorrhaging Black male voters because more and more of them see right through your empty promises and laughably fake accents, and just want to get on with living happy productive lives with a stable job and family life. You've been in power as VP for the last 4 years and have achieved absolutely nothing of value, and the polls are reflecting this. Even your own party hacks see the writing on the wall.
YOU'RE FINISHED.
TaiwanIsNotChina
538 still predicting a Harris victory and not much changed in a week.
bass4funk
https://www.realclearpolling.com/betting-odds/2024/president
Blacklabel
Speaking of Fox News, Kamala is so desperate she gonna tape an interview with one of their most liberal friendly guys too.
no effect on Obama’s comments is also fine too. That’s also a failure as his comments were obviously made….to have an effect.
Blacklabel
3 weeks. Tick tock.
ok1517
bass, with all due respect - but you definitely have a "libs-phobia"!
While Trump is talking about 200%, 300% tariffs (which will be paid by the end-consumer) POTUS Biden and VP Harris want to and will help (not only but also) the middle class. Creating new jobs, helping people to open their own businesses and so on.
While Trump wants to take America back (as late as the seventeen-hundreds) VP Harris has a clear picture for moving to the future.
While Trump is good at inciting, instigating, dividing and so on VP Harris wants to and will be a POTUS for all Americans.
While Trump is spreading hate speech, most of the time uttering incoherently, spreading fake stuff VP Harris' and Walz's speeches (most of the time not using a prompter) make sense, are fluent, convincing.
While Trump's campaigns show such a huge diversity (NOT!!!), VP Harris' show the whole spectrum of the US.
But I know - I'm just posting liberal-woke stuff - in your opinion.
Toblerone
Obama’s recent pitch to black men has angered a lot of them. Scolding them for having thoughts and opinions of their own has backfired.
burgers and beers
*"are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America?"*
I dunno, but since Harris campaign is talking about "weak", my US friends said most people just can't imagine Kamala standing up to /confronting leaders such as Xi or Putin on the world stage or being effective in controlling the US border.
bass4funk
Says the people where TRUMP LIVES 24/7 in their heads
If Harris wants to help, why she didn’t do that over the last 4 years?
He didn’t while he was President the last time, small businesses loved him, that’s huge and important for a stable economy. Libs want to and have been punishing success.
Harris didn’t bring anyone together 48% of Liberals feel the country is not going in the right direction and that’s now under Harris
Libs have been attacking Trump non-stop since 2015 I think it’s safe to say who’s been the aggressors here
Then you never watched a Trump rally. Why is Trump resonating with Black and Latino men more than Kamala?
No, just got the facts wrong as usual.
itsonlyrocknroll
Finally the Harris henhouse will face a "Fox" possible political predatory adversarial mauling.
Kamala Harris will sit down with Bret Baier for her first Fox News interview
https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-fox-news-interview-41d02466eddf3be38126008470335803
The Fox News interview is slated to air at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Baier is Fox News’ chief political anchor
Some dude
Finally the Harris henhouse will face a "Fox" possible political predatory adversarial mauling.
If anyone here is old enough to remember the early episodes of The Simpsons, I can see this turning into the "Homer Badman" interview skit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8uM0zOBuSw
burgers and beers
Good to know. Democrats can then relax and take a break from the Trump derangement syndrome hysterics. Positive joy vibes all around finally.
Some dude
I dunno, but since Harris campaign is talking about "weak", my US friends said most people just can't imagine Kamala standing up to /confronting leaders such as Xi or Putin on the world stage or being effective in controlling the US border.
Why would that bother you? Your comments make it incredibly that clear that you want to see the western world kowtowing to Putin and his ilk.