LITITZ, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump delivered a blasphemous, conspiracy-laden speech two days before the presidential election, talking about journalists being shot and suggesting he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after his defeat in 2020 against Democrat Joe. Biden.
In remarks Sunday that bore no resemblance to his usual speech during the final stretch of the campaign, the former president repeatedly questioned the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances about being sued after trying to overturn his defeat four years ago. Trump has stepped up his verbal attacks on “grossly incompetent” national leaders and the U.S. media, at one point turning his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to the theme of violence against members of the press.
The Republican White House candidate pointed to ballistic glass placed in front of him at events after a gunman’s attempted assassination in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump talked about where he saw openings in that protection.
“I have this piece of glass here,” he said. “But all we have here is fake news. And to catch me, someone would have to debunk the fake news. And it doesn’t bother me that much.
It was the second time in recent days that Trump has spoken about guns being pointed at people he considers enemies. He suggested that former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, would not be willing to support foreign wars if she had “nine barrels shooting at her.”
With less than 48 hours until Election Day, Trump continues to spread lies about the election and claim he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a close race .
Some of his allies, including former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged him to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday, even though the race is too early to call. That’s what Trump did four years ago, launching a process of fighting the election results that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
For much of this year, Trump ran a relatively disciplined campaign that focused on the issues and voters his aides said could bring him victory, even as he clung to false theories on electoral fraud and engaged in frequent, controversial digressions. But this discipline is crumbling more and more.
In recent weeks, Trump has joked about golfer Arnold Palmer’s genitals, continued to use gendered or sexist language in his efforts to win over women, and held a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden that included crude insults and racists who made headlines.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s co-campaign manager long credited with bringing order to his often chaotic political operations, watched the former president silently from the stage Sunday.
His campaign then sought to clarify his point by talking about the media.
“President Trump spoke brilliantly about two assassination attempts on his own life, including one that nearly killed him, something the media constantly talks about and jokes about,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said. in a press release. . “The president’s statement regarding the placement of protective glass has nothing to do with harm to the media, or anything else.”
Harris was campaigning Sunday in Michigan, where she told a predominantly black congregation in Detroit that God offers America a “divine plan strong enough to heal division.”
The two leading candidates struck very different tones as the campaign drew to a close, with Harris saying voters could reject “chaos, fear and hatred.”
Trump typically moves from one topic to the next, a discursive style he has called “weaving.” But outside Lancaster Airport, he walked long distances and barely made his usual points about the economy, immigration and his rote criticism of Harris.
Trump called John Bolton, his former national security adviser and now a vocal critic, a “stupid son of an ab…”. And he repeated familiar, debunked theories about voter fraud, alleging that Democrats could only win by cheating. Public polls indicate a close and competitive race in battleground states that will determine the Electoral College outcome.
“This is a crooked country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to set the record straight. We’re going to set the record straight.”
Harris objected to Trump’s characterizations of the U.S. election, telling reporters after the church service that Trump’s comments “are intended to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” were in place in 2020, Harris said, and “he lost.”
The vice president said she had confidence in the upcoming vote count and urged voters, “especially those who have not yet voted, not to fall for this tactic, which I think, includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won’t matter. »
“Trump’s disorderly ramblings and dangerous rhetoric confirm what those close to him have already told us: he is completely unfit to lead and would put our democracy and the rule of law at risk if given the chance,” said Alex Floyd, Democratic Party spokesperson. National Committee, said in a statement, referring to former Trump aides who have warned against his return to the White House, including retired military officers who have called him a fascist.
Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he was circumventing his usual approach with his conspiratorial rhetoric. He spoke repeatedly about disregarding his aides’ advice, repeating their comments in a mocking voice and insisting he had to talk about election fraud over their objections.
Trump suggested at one point that he would not deliver this version of his speech again: “I hope you enjoyed this,” he said, “because I only do it once.” »
Indeed, his next speech, hours later, at an airport in Kinston, North Carolina, drifted between prepared remarks and familiar stories. Trump praised David McCormick, the businessman running for Senate from Pennsylvania, appearing to briefly lose track of his location but quickly recovering.
“Where is David?” Is he nearby? » Trump said. “You know we just left him. He’s a great guy.
Some participants started leaving almost immediately. One of them was Whitney Riley, 60, who said she desperately wanted to stay but had another event. She noted that Trump started late.
“I could see it land. I got to see it open,” Riley said, wearing Trump’s iconic “Make America Great Again” hat and an American flag scarf. “And that will have to be enough.”
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Superville reported from Detroit, Barrow from Washington and Cooper from Phoenix.
