Trump takes fight against Harris to North Carolina rally
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Former US president Donald Trump will hold his first campaign rally since V-P Kamala Harris emerged as his near-certain Democratic foe in the 2024 election.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - Donald Trump has so far watched from the sidelines as US Vice-President Kamala Harris galvanised and re-energised Democrats by stepping in as their likely presidential nominee. On July 24, Trump gets back in the game.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, will hold his first campaign rally since Ms Harris emerged as his near-certain Democratic foe
The Trump campaign has insisted that it is prepared for Ms Harris’ candidacy, arguing that she serves as a proxy for President Joe Biden on the economic and immigration policies that contributed to his sinking popularity with voters.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll released on July 23 showed the newly re-jigged race to be in a statistical dead heat.
The poll, taken in the two days since Mr Biden decided to stand down from re-election,
Mr Biden, who has gone back to Washington after isolating at his home in Delaware with Covid-19, will address the nation from the Oval Office on the night of July 24 to explain his reasons for dropping out of the race on July 21 after intense pressure from his party.
A person familiar with the matter said the legacy-defining speech was still being crafted on the night of July 23 when Mr Biden returned to the White House after his convalescence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he ended his re-election bid with a letter posted on social media.
On July 23, Trump took the unusual step of speaking to reporters on a conference call to underscore his campaign’s line of attack on the border, saying Ms Harris was partially responsible for a record flow of migrants.
Mr Biden put Ms Harris in charge of working with countries in Central America to help stem the tide of migration, but she was not made responsible for border security.
“She's a radical left person, and this country doesn't want a radical left person to destroy it,” Trump said on the call. “She wants open borders. She wants things that nobody wants.”
Ms Harris has not called for the removal of border controls.
Ms Harris on July 24 will head to Indianapolis to speak at an event hosted by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, which was founded at Howard University, the historically Black college that Ms Harris attended. She hopes to tap the sororities' multi-generational network of Black women to deliver strong voter turnout for Democrats in November.
Ms Harris held an energetic first rally as the likely nominee on July 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which hosted the Republican National Convention last week. She assailed Trump and said he would take the nation "backwards".
"Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?" she asked the crowd.
Ms Harris ticked through a list of liberal priorities, saying that if elected she would act to expand abortion access, make it easier for workers to join unions and address gun violence, drawing a sharp contrast with Trump.
Democrats will formally nominate their new ticket at August’s convention in Chicago after an Aug 7 virtual vote. Roy Cooper, North Carolina's Democratic governor, is considered to be on the shortlist to serve as Ms Harris’ running mate.
Ms Harris and her campaign have worked at a breakneck pace to consolidate support among Democrats in Congress and delegates across the country. Candidates who could have been potential rivals for the nomination have fallen in line and endorsed her.
Trump, coming off a triumphant week in which his party unified around his presidential bid after a failed assassination attempt two weekends ago, has had to watch as Mr Biden's sudden departure from the race dramatically shifted the narrative and sparked a surge of attention towards Ms Harris at his expense.
The Harris campaign said it has raised over US$100 million (S$134 million) since July 21. REUTERS
