Former President Trump launched a fiery attack on Vice President Harris on Wednesday at his first rally since President Biden announced he would not seek reelection, a move that has helped Harris become a leading contender for the Democratic nomination in November.
Trump spoke to supporters in North Carolina three days after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race as pressure mounted to step down from the Democratic Party. The former president criticized Harris on immigration and inflation, and sought to portray her as a “radical leftist lunatic.”
“As you know, three days ago we officially defeated the worst president in the history of our country, crook Joe Biden. He lost so badly in the polls that he resigned. He was down in every poll, down so much that he resigned,” Trump said.
“So now we have a new victim to defeat: lying Kamala Harris… the most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history,” he added.
Trump repeatedly mispronounced Harris’ name, described her as “more liberal” than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called her a “border czar” for her work on tackling the root causes of migration from Central America and called it a “joke” for her trip to Europe days before Russia invaded Ukraine.
He accused her of lying to the public to “cover up Biden’s mental health” and said she was “untrustworthy” and “unfit” to lead. Trump mocked Harris’ recent move to spotlight her record as a prosecutor, comparing it to his own legal troubles, which include civil judgments and criminal charges.
The former president highlighted a series of positions Harris took during the 2020 campaign, including supporting Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill and supporting a ban on fracking.
Throughout the rally, Trump called Harris a “crazy person,” a “very bad person” and a “lunatic.”
“I had to be nice. They say what happened when I got shot, I was nice,” Trump told the crowd. “And when you’re dealing with these people, these are very dangerous people, you can’t be too nice. So if that’s OK, I’m not going to be nice. Is that OK?”
A Harris campaign spokeswoman called Trump’s speech “crazy, bizarre and rambling.”
“But the American people will not be fooled or distracted. The choice this November will be between Trump’s Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide and grant himself unchecked and unchecked power, or Vice President Harris who will fight to protect freedom and ensure that every American has a fair chance,” Harris spokesman Amar Musa said in a statement.
Trump and his allies have made little secret of their desire to keep Biden in the race, especially after his dismal performance in the June 27 debate. Polls show Trump consistently ahead in most of the key states that will decide the outcome in November.
Since Biden dropped out and Harris quickly consolidated her support among Democrats, several polls have shown a tight race between Trump and Harris.
According to the Marist poll, Trump has 46% support nationwide, Harris 45%, and about 9% of respondents are undecided. Including third-party candidates, Harris and Trump are tied.
A CNN poll found Trump leading Harris, 49% to 46% in a head-to-head matchup, a tighter race than the poll found for Trump vs. Biden.
Trump’s pollsters also predicted Harris would rise in the polls as she emerged as the Democratic nominee, but argued that the fundamentals of the race remained the same.
Harris has generated considerable enthusiasm since winning Biden’s endorsement and securing enough delegate support to become a viable Democratic candidate. Her campaign raised more than $100 million in about 48 hours, thousands of volunteers signed up to support the effort, and the campaign drew more than 3,000 attendees to a rally in Milwaukee on Monday, which the campaign touted as its largest crowd of the cycle.
