The differing styles of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were on full display during dueling rallies Friday night in Milwaukee, the largest city in one of the nation’s most important swing states.
The two held nightly rallies about six miles apart in Wisconsin’s largest city, with Harris generally sticking to script in a speech that lasted 24 minutes, while Trump delivered an iconic rally speech, deviating from the script and rambling on strange topics, including its audio. equipment, while addressing a wide range of issues for nearly 90 minutes.
Trump addressed a packed Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, spending time on core topics of his speeches like immigration as well as non-traditional topics that had little to do with the election of 2024.
At the start of his speech, Trump paid tribute to Milwaukee Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Greece. The Republican presidential candidate asked the crowd if he was more Greek than the athlete whose nickname is the “Greek Freak.”
“I would say that the Greek,” the term Trump used when referring to the NBA star, “is a very good player. Do you agree? And tell me who has the most Greek in him. The Greek, or me? I think we have pretty much the same thing.
Trump also touched on the themes that have come to define his rallies in recent weeks and his cobbled together closing message: he will crack down on illegal immigration and use tariffs as a weapon to punish foreign adversaries, and he continued to focus on baseless arguments. allegations that the 2020 election was stolen, including the idea that he won Wisconsin that year, which he did not.
“I actually won it twice,” Trump said. “But these are minor details.”
Meanwhile, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, Harris stuck to her usual underlying message, presenting herself as a leader who will work for Americans of all political stripes, against Trump, whom she described as “increasingly more unstable” and “consumed by grievances”.
“Either he will be there from day one, walking into this office, preparing his enemies list, or when I am elected, he will come on your behalf with my to-do list,” the vice-president said. president in her speech.
While Trump has stirred up further controversy with his Recent comments about former Republican Rep. Liz CheneyHarris again emphasized that she will listen to people who disagree with her.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I do not believe that those who disagree with me are enemies. He wants to put them in jail, I’m going to give them a seat at the table,” Harris said.
She benefited from support from anti-Trump Republicans on the campaign trail, and Harris has said she would like to appoint a Republican to her cabinet.
Harris also urged her supporters to “be intentional about building community.”
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech Tuesday from the Ellipse near the White House.
The Trump era, Harris said, “has been fueled by this idea that Americans should be pointing fingers at each other,” but added that “we all know that we all have a lot more in common than what meets the eye.” separates us.”
Trump also addressed his comments about Cheney, which ignited a firestorm earlier in the day. During an event with Tucker Carlson Thursday night, he explained that Cheney wouldn’t be such a “war hawk” if she had guns “pointed in her face.”
Democrats criticized Trump for what they saw as threats of violence against the former Republican congresswoman who has since become a prominent “Never Trump” voice, but Trump said he was simply making the point that Cheney would not support might as well have foreign conflicts if she had. fight in them. He blamed the media for the misunderstanding.
Cheney traveled to Wisconsin twice with Harris, appearing in counties where former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s last Republican foe, overperformed in Wisconsin’s presidential primary. Cheney has been a key supporter of the Harris campaign since announcing her support for the vice president in September.
The two events held in the same city also offered a split screen of the race’s celebrity effect.
Trump’s keynote speakers included widely elected Republican politicians and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate who has supported Trump and will likely play a health care role in his administration if Trump returns to the White House . Attendees at Trump’s rally chanted “Bobby, Bobby” as Kennedy made his introductory remarks.
Harris continued to showcase her star appeal, featuring musical artist Cardi B at her rally in Milwaukee. Reading most of her speech directly from her phone, the rapper said she didn’t intend to vote when President Joe Biden was running for re-election, but that changed when Harris became the nominee in August.
“Above all, she has no illusions,” she said, apparently attacking Trump. She later added: “Do we really trust this man with our economy?
Trump and his Republican allies have mocked and downplayed Harris’ support among stars in the entertainment world. His campaign, however, touted a regional celebrity during his Wisconsin swing, featuring legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre at a rally he held in Green Bay on Wednesday, while touting Favre’s support again during the Milwaukee stop.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called his rally at Madison Square Garden, an event that included crude and racist insults from several speakers, a “love fest.”
“He’s never done it before… as an athlete it’s hard to do it, you lose fans, who knows,” Trump said of Favre, who has been the subject of investigated for alleged welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi. “He could really tear this ball apart.”
Both candidates have spent significant time in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, a testament to the state’s importance in the 2024 election landscape.
It is one of a handful of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, that could decide the election.
The race has generally been considered a toss-up in the state, with several recent public polls showing it within the margin of error, making Wisconsin a must-see stop for both campaigns in the final days of the race.
“I’m thrilled to be back in this great state,” Trump said. “We have a country that is going to hell, but we are going to turn it around very quickly.”
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