Trump calls Harris a ‘disaster’ as he concludes final day of campaigning

Former United States President Donald Trump has delivered a final pitch to the American people, making 4 stops successful 3 antithetic states to denounce his opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, arsenic a “disaster”.

“You cognize she’s been exposed,” Trump said astatine his last run lawsuit successful Grand Rapids, Michigan, a rally that lasted truthful agelong it slipped into the aboriginal hours of Election Day.

“She’s a extremist lunatic who destroyed San Francisco,” helium said of the metropolis wherever Harris spent the formative years of her career. “But we don’t person to settee for weakness and incompetence and decline.”

Ever since helium announced successful November 2022 that helium would marque a 2nd re-election bid, his run has focused connected immigration, the system and a tendency for retribution against his perceived governmental adversaries.

Trump has agelong maintained that his 2020 predetermination decision was the effect of a “stolen” election, a mendacious claim.

And successful his last rally of the election, helium applied akin connection to his erstwhile Democratic adversary, President Joe Biden, who dropped retired of the statesmanlike contention successful July owed to concerns implicit his age.

“They stole the predetermination from a president,” Trump said of the circumstances of Biden’s withdrawal. “They usage the connection ‘coup’. I deliberation it’s worse than a coup successful a consciousness due to the fact that successful a coup there’s a small backmost and forth.”

Trump stumps heavy connected economy

Polls amusement Democrats similar Biden, 81, and Harris, 60, arsenic being susceptible connected issues specified arsenic the system and immigration.

For example, a survey successful precocious October from The New York Times and Siena College recovered that much voters trusted Trump than Harris to code the economy, astatine a complaint of 52 percent to 45.

Trump has often invoked the system successful his entreaty to voters. It was nary antithetic connected Monday night, erstwhile helium opened his rally successful Grand Rapids with a acquainted question: “Are you amended disconnected present than you were 4 years ago?”

He proceeded to muse astatine magnitude astir “groceries” being an aged word — earlier promising to bring nutrient prices down.

“They accidental my groceries are truthful overmuch much [expensive],” Trump said of voters. “The word is conscionable similar an aged term. And it’s a beauteous [term], but they accidental astir my groceries were truthful expensive. They’ll beryllium cheaper. Your paycheques volition beryllium higher. Your streets volition beryllium safer and clear.”

Campaign fatigue

During the rally, the 78-year-old Trump besides acknowledged the toll the nonstop run docket has taken connected him.

“This is the past 1 we volition person to do,” helium said of the Grand Rapids rally. “Doing 4 of these successful 1 time is simply a small difficult, but not really. Because the emotion astatine each 1 of them has been incredible.”

The Grand Rapids quality came astatine the extremity of a engaged time of campaigning. Earlier connected Monday, Trump gave speeches successful Raleigh, North Carolina; Reading, Pennsylvania; and Pittsburgh, besides successful Pennsylvania.

But making his last entreaty successful Grand Rapids has go a Trump squad tradition. Grand Rapids was the tract of his last lawsuit successful the 2016 and 2020 predetermination cycles.

The question of Trump’s fatigue and fittingness connected the run way has been an contented the Harris run has sought to weaponise.

Harris has positioned herself arsenic a “new generation” of leader, compared with the older Trump, and her run precocious released footage of Trump connected societal media appearing to motion disconnected astatine a run event.

“Being president of the United States is astir apt 1 of the hardest jobs successful the world,” Harris told reporters earlier this month. “And we truly bash request to ask: If he’s exhausted connected the run trail, is helium acceptable to bash the job?”

Both candidates person sought to overgarment the different arsenic incapable of weathering the stresses of the White House.

Navigating controversy

In the waning days of his campaign, Trump has besides had to navigate contention implicit his rhetoric and that of his allies.

For instance, helium faced outcry aft suggesting that longtime critic, erstwhile Congresswoman Liz Cheney, ought to cognize what it was similar to person guns trained connected her since her household is known for its hawkish attack to overseas policy.

On Sunday, helium besides said helium would not “mind truthful much” if idiosyncratic changeable the media to get astatine him. And astatine a rally astatine Madison Square Garden a week earlier, his run ignited a firestorm erstwhile 1 of the speakers described the US land territory of Puerto Rico arsenic “garbage”.

Trump has since sought to redirect immoderate disapproval to President Biden, who appeared to telephone the Republican’s supporters “garbage” successful effect to the Puerto Rico comment.

“I came successful a sanitation azygous past week, and that worked retired beauteous good,” Trump told the assemblage successful Grand Rapids. “Because Joe Biden successful 1 of his brainsick moments said that we were each garbage.”

The assemblage booed Biden successful response.

Trump besides returned to a talking constituent that earned him backlash during the June statesmanlike debate: that migrants were stealing “Black jobs”, a operation galore critics viewed arsenic racist.

The erstwhile president nevertheless doubled down connected the assertion successful his Grand Rapids rally, reverting to hyped-up rhetoric astir the menace of migration.

“One 100 percent of the jobs that were created went to migrants, not to people. And I’ll archer you what. Your Black colonisation is being devastated by these people. They’re taking each the Black colonisation jobs away,” helium said.

“You’re going to spot immoderate atrocious things happen. They’re taking their jobs. The Hispanic colonisation is going to beryllium next.”

‘We’ve been waiting 4 years for this’

Polls amusement Trump continues to beryllium cervix and cervix with Harris successful the last hours earlier Americans formed their ballots.

But successful his last run appearances of the 2024 predetermination cycle, Trump sought to make a mendacious communicative that his popularity acold exceeded Harris’s — and that determination was nary mode helium could lose.

“When we triumph the election, look, the ball’s successful our hands. All we person to bash is get retired the ballot tomorrow. You get retired the vote. They can’t bash thing astir it. We win,” helium said.

He besides described his statesmanlike bid — and his near-death acquisition successful Butler, Pennsylvania, successful July — arsenic providential experiences.

“Just a fewer months ago, successful a beauteous tract successful Pennsylvania, an assassin tried to halt our large movement. The top question successful history,” Trump told the Grand Rapids audience. “That was not a pleasant day. But galore radical accidental that God saved maine successful bid to prevention America.”

Earlier, successful Pittsburgh, Trump appeared earlier a ample assemblage and offered a closing connection to voters whose enactment mightiness inactive beryllium undecided successful the cardinal plaything state.

“We’ve been waiting 4 years for this,” said Trump. “We’re going to triumph the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it’s going to beryllium over.”

While connected stage, helium announced helium had received the endorsement of Joe Rogan, the hugely influential podcaster who interviewed Trump and his moving mate JD Vance.