Washington:
White House rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris kicked off a frenzy in the final week of the campaign on Wednesday, with the Democrat having to distance herself from comments by President Joe Biden that appeared to label Trump supporters “garbage.” give
Harris traveled to North Carolina and then Pennsylvania, refocusing on two of the seven battleground states that could determine who wins the closest election in modern American history.
Trump, a Republican, will also be in North Carolina on Wednesday — in the town of Rocky Mount, about an hour’s drive from Harris’ rally — and then head to Wisconsin, where he will appear with American sports star Brett Favre. .
Trump is expected to reject the election results if he loses, with Republicans already seizing on isolated irregularities caught by election officials to blame widespread “fraud” on their own. Can raise claims.
On Wednesday, Harris had hoped to bask in the spotlight after a speech attended by tens of thousands of people outside the White House, where he warned that his opponent was unstable and bent on unbridled power. It is itchy.
Instead, she was deflecting questions about Biden’s apparent gaffe when the president reacted to a warm-up speaker at a Trump rally calling the island of Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” said in a colorful joke that threatened to alienate Latinos. Voters
“I just see garbage floating around,” Biden said, before the White House tried to clarify that he was referring to Trump’s rhetoric, not his own supporters. ‘
“Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people about who they vote for,” Biden’s vice president, Harris, said.
‘unstable, frenzied’
In Washington, Harris delivered a powerful closing argument speech in a symbolic setting.
He spoke at the same location where Trump incited a mob that attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a violent bid to keep him in power even though he lost to Biden in the 2020 election.
“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, full of grievances and out for unbridled power,” Harris said.
But the vice president also offered an optimistic vision of the future of the United States, with a bright White House behind him.
“Each of you has the power to turn the page, and begin writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told,” Harris told flag-waving supporters.
Claims of ‘fraud’
On Wednesday, Trump took to social media to repeat his claims of massive voter fraud, which appeared to set the stage for a repeat performance around the baseless claim that Biden Their 2020 loss was rigged.
He condemned the “massive level of fraud” in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, where he made similar comments Tuesday evening.
At the rally in Pennsylvania, Trump also took credit for eroding public trust in the American news media.
“I’m so proud of this. I exposed them as fakes. But with your help, one week from today, we’re going to beat Kamala Harris and the media,” he said.
Trump also engaged in damage control on Puerto Rico, saying, “Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more.”
He called Biden’s comments about his supporters “appalling” and cited them in a new plea for campaign donations on Wednesday.
“My Patriots are the best people in the country — I love you!” he said.
One person who will not be voting for Trump on Nov. 5 will be actor and former Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who endorsed Harris and his running mate Tim Walls.
Inflation and the health of the U.S. economy have been key issues in the election, and new government data on Wednesday showed solid economic growth despite a modest slowdown.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)