Kamala Harris surprised her rally on Wednesday when she defended Donald Trump after her running mate Tim Walz bragged that he could “outdo” anyone — a claim he made less than a month after a failed assassination attempt on the former president.
Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, stopped an attendee who shouted “lock him up” about Trump, her Republican rival, at the event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
She had given her standard speech, detailing her background as a prosecutor, claiming that it gave her the skills to deal with men like Trump. Then her supporter made a comment about the former president.
Harris stood up for Trump.
“Wait a minute,” she said. “You know what, the courts are going to handle that part of it. What we’re going to do is beat him in November.”
Tim Walz and Kamala Harris at their rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Trump faces several state and federal charges related to his business dealings, his handling of confidential documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
The former president made the slogan “lock her up” famous during the 2016 campaign, when he encouraged his supporters to shout the chant about his then-rival Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, Walz bragged about his shooting skills as he addressed the crowd. After speaking about his support for the Second Amendment, the Minnesota governor noted that he was an excellent shot.
“When I was in Congress, I was the best trap shooter three years in a row. I can outshoot them. I can outshoot these guys,” Walz said.
He made his comments after Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 and Taylor Swift canceled a series of concerts in Austria due to threats.
Trump was nearly hit by a bullet from the AR-15. He hit his right ear.
Wisconsin was full of politicians on Wednesday.
Harris and Walz were there as part of their tour of the hard-pressed states. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was in the same city to counter their message with his own.
The surge in political activity came as a new poll showed Harris essentially tied with Trump in Wisconsin. The Marquette poll showed Trump leading 50-49 among registered voters, but Harris led 50-49 among likely voters.
During her rally, Harris mainly introduced Walz as her running mate and attacked Trump for his conservative policies.
According to the campaign, there were 12,000 people in the crowd.
Indie band Bon Iver entertained the crowd before the politicians took the stage, closing their set with “Battle Cry of Freedom,” which was set during the Civil War in support of the Union and abolitionism.
Singer Justin Vernon called it “a beautiful, old patriotic song that’s been floating around in my head for the past few months.”
After the meeting, the band went with Harris and Walz to The Local Store, a store for locally produced goods.
Vernon wore a Harris-Walz camouflage hat. Walz’s daughter, Hope, was also there and wore the hat.
Harris bought raw honey and curds. Walz bought a reusable water bottle and a record – Break Me Open by S. Carey from Eau Claire. He is the drummer and vocalist for Bon Iver.
Supporters at the Harris-Walz rally in Wisconsin – the campaign said there were 12,000 people in the crowd
A group of Girl Scouts greeted Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as they arrived in Wisconsin
Meanwhile, Walz refused to answer questions about “allegations of stolen heroics” during the trip.
Minnesota’s governor was accused of deserting his National Guard unit after learning it was being deployed to Iraq.
Walz ignored questions from reporters traveling with him and Harris on the subject.
He served in the Army National Guard for more than twenty years, which was one of the reasons he approached Harris, as he has no military experience whatsoever.
Harris even bragged about Walz’s track record during the meeting.
“To his veterans, he is Sergeant Major Walz,” she said.
The timing of his retirement from the military became clear during his campaign for governor in 2018.
Retired Minnesota National Guard Sergeant Major Thomas Behrends accused Walz of “embellishing” his record and abandoning his unit when he left the Guard to run for Congress.
Walz rejected the allegations, calling them a “political attack from both sides.”
“After serving for 20 years in 2001, I re-enlisted to serve our country for another four years after 9/11. I retired the year before my battalion deployed to Iraq to run for Congress,” he wrote at the time.
Walz, 60, enlisted in the Guard at age 17. He became the high score soldier who would serve in Congress.
Kamala Harris stopped by The Local Store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Trump’s running mate JD Vance also campaigned in Wisconsin on Wednesday
Vance criticized Walz for the report.
Vance, who served in the U.S. Marines in Iraq, said it was “disgraceful” when Walz retired in 2005, just as his battalion was preparing for war.
“I mean, your job as a senior ensar in a unit is to keep your people safe. That’s not a job you can just walk away from,” Vance told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview aboard his campaign plane.
“So if he abandoned his troops before they went to Iraq or wherever … absolutely outrageous.”