Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, delivered radically different messages on the U.S. campaign trail on Monday as they sought to win over undecided voters in the two weeks before Election Day.
Vice President Harris, campaigning alongside former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, argued that Trump, the former president, was a threat to democracy.
As the election draws closer, Harris has been sharpening her attacks on Trump's fitness for office, often calling him "unstable" or "unhinged" and questioning his temperament.
"In many, many ways Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of him being president of the United States are brutally serious," Harris, 60, said at an event in Malvern in Pennsylvania, one of seven battleground states expected to decide the winner of the Nov 5 election.
Trump, 78, frequently rejects any notion that he is a threat to democracy, arguing that it is Democrats who are the real threat because of the criminal investigations he and his allies have faced for their attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Trump crisscrossed North Carolina on Monday to gin up support in the ultra-competitive state. At one stop in the hurricane-battered mountains, he urged supporters to go to the polls despite the hardships they were facing.
While Harris was suggesting Trump was unfit for office, the former president was questioning the Biden administration's competence.
Trump renewed his criticisms of the emergency management agency FEMA and sought to relate to working-class supporters by praising his nonstop efforts on his own behalf.
"I've done 52 days without a day off, which a lot of these people would respect," Trump said at a lectern backed by rubble from massive floods that hit the area last month.
With opinion polls showing a close race, the two candidates are picking up the pace, their frenzied campaign schedules underlining the importance of small pockets of voters that could put either candidate over the top.
At an event with Harris in Royal Oak, Michigan, Cheney sought to give Republicans who are on the fence permission to support the Democrat without worry of reprisal.
"I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, 'I can't be public.' They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence, but they'll do the right thing," Cheney said. "And I would just remind people, if you're at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody."
Cheney and her father Dick Cheney, who was vice president under President George W. Bush and is still vilified by many Democrats for his bullish defense of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, are staunch conservatives and two of the most prominent Republicans to have endorsed Harris.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump called Liz Cheney "dumb as a rock" and a "war hawk." He accused her of wanting to go to war with "every Muslim country known to mankind" just like her father, who he called "the man that ridiculously pushed Bush to go to war in the Middle East."
Trump's visit to North Carolina on Monday coincided with concerns among his Republican allies that crippling damage from storm Helene will depress turnout in the battleground state's conservative mountain regions.
"Obviously, we want them to vote but we want them to live and survive and be happy and healthy, because this is really a tragedy," Trump said at a campaign stop in Swannanoa, population 5,300, after touring areas destroyed by the storm.
He said many Americans felt left behind by their federal government and renewed unsubstantiated claims that the response from the Biden administration has been slow, accusations the White House has rejected as misinformation.
The area hit hardest by Helene is deeply Republican. Trump won about 62% of the vote in 2020 in the 25 counties declared to be a disaster area after Helene, while Biden won about 51% in the remainder of the state, according to a Reuters analysis.
He said many Americans felt left behind by their federal government and renewed unsubstantiated claims that the response from the Biden administration has been slow, accusations the White House has rejected as misinformation.
Previously, Trump has falsely suggested officials were slow-walking aid to Republican pockets of the state. Democrats have said Trump's criticisms have made it harder for aid agencies to do their jobs.
Asked about an incident in which FEMA had to pause some operations after its employees received threats, Trump brushed the matter off.
"If FEMA were doing well, they'd be saying, 'Good job,'" Trump countered.
© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.
29 Comments
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plasticmonkey
Think about the absurdity of that argumentation.
dagon
Besides the usual casual misogyny and inflation of his own meager intellect, I think it may not be the best strategy for Harris to tack right and align with Cheney,
The clear and present danger for her is Jill Stein and the progressive left vote like in 2016 and the Gaza protest vote.
She is not doing her support in those areas any good by aligning with Cheney and other neocons.
Peter Neil
trump, in yet another brain freeze moment, received his “french fry certification pin” standing in front of a devastated area. really.
stormcrow
It's still impossible to believe that a man who's infatuated with the size of Arnold Palmer's schlong and lies about Haitian refugees eating dogs and cats might return again to the Oval Office.
bass4funk
Agreed.
Depends
Well, they both wanted this alliance, it was dumb from the start, just like Harris should have went with Shapiro, but no….
Her grave just gets deeper b the day.
marc laden
Yes yes yes ....... Harris got Liz as she has 51% of republican votes in her hands.... wowowoooo.... As democrat lefti... I am fully satisfied ... after swallowing the pills of left media....
With this I declared that Kamala already won the election..... Now I can sleep well...
Thank you left media.. As Trump still he is making potato chips in the Mc Donald.. He did not know Kamala already won the election... Thank you MSNBC and Washington post ans left media 90% are left media. 10 % right wing
If there any news outlet independent media to see the reality and read truth in US politics?? The answer is no.. Kamala has 1 billion dollars to propagate any lie shew wants..
The moral is do own research on social media to find the truth. Never trust any established media including this. As this is a 100% left media...
Blacklabel
Not only “might” but will return to the White House.
Because there are more important things than those mentioned and the only alternative is a way worse, less likable, far left version of Biden.
Blacklabel
dems must win Pennsylvania.
hey where was Joe Biden born again? Wasn’t it good old Scranton Joe?
hey isn’t Josh Shapiro a popular governor of a state? What state was that?
but Liz and Dick Cheney and an unpopular candidate from California will get it done in Pennsylvania? While we have Elon Musk there?
i think by now Kamala knows she lost and just using campaign money to pay celebrities she wanted to meet or hear perform a concert for her.
ulysses
Well said sir, no one like JD, women love him!!!
So do cats of Springfield, they finally have a savior!!!
ulysses
We will build a White House for donald in prison sir,!!!
Yes sir, Arnold Palmer and his assets are very important!!!
Bob Fosse
Ooookaaaay. I think that anyone who thinks that is probably not the best person to listen to about politics.
Blacklabel
so these “celebrities” are showing up for free?
Cards fan
Do you think Antonio Brown showed up for free? Or maybe Trump is paying for his CTE treatment.
Blacklabel
Yes Antonio Brown showed up for free.
As a guest of the team at a football game of the team he used to play for. It’s quite common for ex football players to attend football games.
Did Stevie just happen to be there at his ex church and just happen to bring an entire band?
Blacklabel
No, as a person with common sense who knows a popular ex Steelers player can show up at a Steelers game anytime they want.
Cards fan
Pretty sad when many of Trump's biggest supporters are all CTE patients.
Do you think Ted Nugent performed for free?
itsonlyrocknroll
Harris campaign has achieved a sensational fund raising operation. Over 1 billion dollars.
Yet, with such resources struggles to even maintain polling parity.
Interviews have to be edited to remove inadvertently word salad gibberish.
It is pointless yet understandable that Kamala Harris apologists resort to sometime ever more outlandish drivil to find excuses.
Replies to straight forward questions are met with deranged Trump abuse.
Jimizo
The established media certainly isn’t perfect but the results from the types ‘doing their own research’ and finding ‘truth’ is certainly no improvement.
A lot of these types still believe the 2020 election was stolen. Not the sharpest.
Unserious people. Ridiculous if we are being unkind.
Anyway, this looks like it’s going to be very close. Advantage Trump as it stands.
Blacklabel
when did he perform at a Trump campaign event?
was Chachi there too? You guys are hilariously unfocused with 2 weeks to go.
Nothing is working so Harris campaign surrogates file a 35 year old lawsuit now? Right after Obama fails at scolding Black men?
Cards fan
Uhh, I dunno, I seem to recall him and Hulk Hogan performing at the RNC.
Yes. So unfocused. Reeeee
What are you talking about? 35 year old lawsuit nonsense? lmao
bass4funk
I think given what we know now since then with all the documents, whistleblowers and testimonies, a lot of things were not what we thought to be, so I think people are a lot more in tuned and cautiously more focused on how the polls are counted and thanks the Lara Trump, they employed over 200K poll staffers alongside Democrat staffers to ensure we have free and fair elections without any shenanigans.
We are all serious, even the Amish are voting for Trump, you just cannot get more serious than that, because the Amish never get political, EVER!
I agree.
Jimizo
Not the most eloquent or coherent speaker.
Maybe she should talk about Hannibal Lector and well endowed deceased golfers.
God knows what kind of salad you’d get from that.
Blacklabel
thats a delusion then because no one else saw him but you,
but Kamala pays well to get otherwise non supporters to show up to her event. Had you ever heard Lizzo or Usher or Stevie endorsing her before the recent paid events?
Wasabi
if trump win the US will lose all international credibility (again). The first time could be excused but not a second time. Now you know exactly what kind of human he is.
Cards fan
Prove it.
Blacklabel
Because TayTay and Beyoncé and Jay Z have not shown up.
A listers don’t play for free for a losing politician.
Cards fan
That's not proof. Keep trying. lmao
Blacklabel
Quevo said don’t criticize him, he “got that bag” for his Kamala appearance.
for non American white people here, that means he was paid.
Blacklabel
Doesn’t really matter they paid or not. Odd that TayTay did one post and that’s it, not a peep from Beyoncé or Jay.
Kamala hanging with celebrities in private spaces where everyone already voting for her. Now Barack and Michelle to draw a small crowd next.
Trump is out there everyday with the people, acting and speaking like a common man.
it’s “resonating” and is authentic and genuine. Which is why he is winning and will win.
nobody was undecided or voting for fry guy just until they heard who Lizzo or Stevie or Diddy/Usher said they are voting for lol
Peter Neil
only a couple more weeks until we move to next step - republicans unleashing their plan to steal the election.
lincolnman
You're welcome. Best Trump McD memes;
Trump participating in the new Make-A-Wish program for elderly dementia patients...
Someone let the manager know there's a Super-sized rat in the kitchen...
Welcome to McDonalds - I got fired from my last job so I’m working the Drive-Through window...
McDonalds replaces Hamburgler with another well-known felon...
The over-the-top faux bluster from our MAGA-friends here just shows their clear desperation and hand-wringing...
They've seen the complete mental breakdown over the past month...
"Exhausted?" That's his campaign admitting he's "3 fries short of a Happy Meal"...