Kamala Harris fights back: VP slams Donald Trump for not ‘walking the talk’ on the border and dares him to debate her

Kamala Harris delivered sharp words to Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, attended by Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo.

After statements from both, Harris took the stage to issue a direct and public challenge to the former president, then went on to rebut claims that she had failed to secure the southern border.

She then blamed Trump, challenging him to stand and act with her in a debate where everyone could see. She also accused him of being “all talk” in his attempt to make immigration a priority. She used a phrase made famous by the Migos rapper to emphasize the point.

Her comments — aside from highlighting her background as California’s attorney general — appeared to reference a recent ad from Trump’s team highlighting Harris’ questionable record on immigration.

Harris was labeled a failed “border czar” and criticized Trump’s reluctance to debate as “weird” — the latest anti-GOP mantra to be used in recent memory.

She also referred to the way Trump recently called her “crazy” and a “bum,” criticisms she said could be better delivered in person.

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I hope you will reconsider [meeting] “I was on the debate stage because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,” Harris, 59, said shortly after taking the stage.

She then indicated that she wanted to win in November and unite the country, while calling her conservative rival a fraud who “doesn’t care.”

She did this by leaning on her background as attorney general, reminding onlookers that she had served in a border state.

“I have gone after transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers who came into our country illegally,” the former California attorney general said.

“I have prosecuted them in case after case and I have won,” she continued.

‘Donald Trump, on the other hand, has talked a lot about securing our borders, but he does nothing about it.

“Or as my friend Quavo would say, he don’t walk the walk,” she quickly added, referencing the rapper’s 2018 hit.

To prove her point, Harris pointed to the potential pressure Trump put on his Republican allies in the Senate last January, when he ordered them to scrap any border legislation that wasn’t “perfect.”

The border is one of the vice president’s biggest vulnerabilities. Her team has argued that she was not responsible for border security, but for addressing the root causes of migration.

Harris was in Georgia to try to win the decisive state.

“I’m very clear about this. The path to the White House runs through this state. We did it in 2020, and we’re going to do it again in 2024,” she said.

She talked about her resume as a prosecutor, district attorney and attorney general of California.

“In those roles, I’ve taken on all kinds of perpetrators: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, con artists who broke the rules for their own gain. So listen, I know the type of Donald Trump,” she said.

“And I’ve dealt with people like him my whole career,” she added.

“Lock him up, lock him up,” the crowd demanded, stamping their feet on the stands.

And when Harris noted that Trump had withdrawn from their September debate, the crowd booed.

“So he doesn’t want to debate, but he and his running mate have a lot to say about me,” she said. “And besides, don’t you just think some of the things they do are weird?”

“Now Donald, I hope you’ll reconsider meeting me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say,” the audience’s cheers drowned her out.

“Lock him up,” the crowd shouted again.

According to the campaign, 10,000 people cheered on the vice president at the Georgia State Convocation Center.

The rally was Harris’ largest campaign event to date, marking her first appearance in Georgia since securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

Trump and Vance will hold a joint campaign rally in Atlanta on Saturday, August 3, the Trump campaign announced Tuesday.

It will take place at the same location as Harris’ meeting.

Before Harris’ speech, a group of leading Democrats from the state called the crowd to action, repeatedly reminding them that Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Megan Thee Stallion got the crowd pumped for Harris’ speech.

“We’re going to make history with the first woman president. The first black woman president. Let’s do this, baby,” she told the cheering crowd.

She sang “Girls in the Hood,” “Mamushi,” “Body” and “Savage” (many thanks to CNN’s DJ Judd for helping with the song IDs).

While performing her song “Body,” she told the audience, “Now I know the ladies in the audience love their bodies — and if you want to keep loving your bodies, you know who to vote for.”

Stacey Abrams, one of Harris’ most ardent defenders, received a standing ovation and chants of “Stacey” as she came out. Abrams, in turn, had the crowd chanting “Kamala, Kamala.”

She described Harris as someone who “breaks barriers” in the White House.

She noted that in Georgia, “we are changing America and we are going to change it again.”

But it was the two Democratic senators from Georgia, who gave the party control of the Senate, who admonished the crowd about Trump’s actions during the last presidential election.

Senator Jon Ossoff told the crowd, “Apparently Donald Trump is too afraid to debate Vice President Karris.”

He added that the candidate who is too afraid is the “candidate who loses.”

“Too scared,” the crowd shouted. “Too scared.”

Ossoff also spoke about Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia.

“Lock him up, lock him up,” the crowd shouted.

And Sen. Raphael Warnock stressed the state’s importance in the race for the White House.

“Everybody knows the road to the White House runs through Georgia,” he said.

He noted that others do know. “I heard a phone call, by the way. A guy from Florida called Georgia and said he needed 11,000 votes,” he said, referring to Trump’s call to the secretary of state in 2020.

The crowd burst into laughter and applause.

“Georgia — Donald Trump tried to steal your vote. Kamala Harris is trying to earn your vote,” Warnock said.

Georgia played a pivotal role in the last presidential election, and it is expected to be just as important in November. According to several polls released last week, it is a virtual toss-up between Harris and Trump.

Polls showed Joe Biden trailing Trump significantly in the state, but Harris is doing much better against the former president.

She is outperforming Biden among young people, black voters and Hispanic voters — key demographics that could tip the scales in swing states like Georgia and Arizona.

Biden won the state by just about 12,000 votes in 2020, a victory heavily disputed by Trump, who is currently embroiled in a lawsuit over election interference in the state.

Georgia takes center stage, with less than 100 days to go until the election.

Harris’ campaign said it has 24 offices in the state and 170 employees on the ground.

“In Georgia, we are running the largest Democratic presidential primary campaign ever in a state,” said Michael Tyler, campaign communications director.

While Harris is in the state, he plans to attack Trump for his ties to Project 2025 — a Heritage Foundation initiative that promotes conservative policies — and for his stance on abortion rights.

And while Harris focuses on Georgia, Trump will focus on breaking through the Democrats’ blue wall.

He is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, his first visit to the state since his assassination attempt in late June.

Harris had alternates in Pennsylvania on Monday to oppose Trump — Gov. Josh Shapiro of the state and Gov. Gretchen Whitmore of Michigan. Both Democrats have been mentioned as possible running mates for Harris.

Harris’ campaign has also enlisted Georgia as it considers who to choose as its runner-up.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who is reportedly a potential running mate, was in the state on Sunday.

Harris’ campaign is investigating him along with several other candidates, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Tim Walz of Minnesota.

She is expected to choose her vice presidential candidate on August 7.

“Not yet,” Harris told reporters Tuesday when asked if she had chosen her running mate.

Harris’ campaign said she held some 2,300 organizing events in key states this weekend, while several top Democrats on her potential vice presidential slate endorsed her.

With less than 100 days to go until Election Day, Harris’ campaign is touting her fundraising and infrastructure, saying she is well-positioned to defeat Trump in November.

The campaign has raised $200 million since Harris emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week.

More than 170,000 volunteers have signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone canvassing, canvassing and other activities to get more people out to vote.