Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night described former President Donald Trump as “increasingly unstable and unhinged,” citing comments he made Sunday about using the military against domestic critics.
Harris held a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania – the Pennsylvania county that often predicts the winner of the presidential race nationally.
As she drew thousands to the Erie Insurance Arena, the Democratic nominee acknowledged she was the underdog as the race tightened nationally and in key swing states.
Then she tried a new tactic: She literally showed footage of Trump’s comments at her rallies.
“Please roll the clip,” she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night described former President Donald Trump as “increasingly unstable and unhinged,” citing comments he made Sunday about using the military against domestic critics.
Trump’s face appeared on the two jumbotrons at the hockey and basketball stadium in downtown Erie.
The montage included several clips from his rallies and then the controversial comments he made to Fox’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.
“I think the bigger problem is the people on the inside, we have some very bad people, sick people, radical left lunatics,” Trump had said. “And it should be easily handled by the National Guard, if necessary, or by the military if it’s really necessary.”
“You heard his words. You heard his words coming from him. He’s talking about the enemy in Pennsylvania. He’s talking about the enemy in our country, Pennsylvania,” Harris said.
“He talks about considering anyone who doesn’t support him or won’t submit to his will as an enemy of our country,” she continued, drawing scattered boos. “He says he would use the military to go after them. Think about this?’
Harris said “we know who he would target” based on similar comments he has made in the past.
‘Journalists whose stories he doesn’t like. Election officials who refuse to cheat by gathering extra votes or finding extra votes for him. Judges who insist on following the law rather than submitting to its will,” Harris said. “This is one of the reasons why I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk to America and dangerous.”
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Erie, Pennsylvania. Erie County has predicted the winner of Pennsylvania and the national election for the past two cycles
“Donald Trump is becoming increasingly unstable and unhinged and he is after unchecked power – that is what he is looking for – he wants to send the military after American citizens,” Harris said again.
She also blasted Trump for overturning Roe v. Wade, saying he “worked to prevent women from making their own health care decisions.”
As Democratic nominee Trump smacked Trump around a little harder at Monday night’s rally, she finished off rallygoers chanting “lock him up!” chanted.
Trump’s faithful chanted “lock her up” when he ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016, insisting she deserved prison time for using a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
“Wait a minute!” Harris told the Erie audience. “Because this is the case, the courts will deal with that. We’ll sort out November,” she encouraged.
It is likely that the loser of Pennsylvania will also lose the 2024 election.
Harris’ warm-up act Monday was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who drew cheers from the crowd when he appeared on stage wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers hat paired with his signature hoodie and gym shorts.
Fetterman said he knew why there was such a crowd in Erie Monday night.
“Do you know why?” he asked. “Because you choose the president.”
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman showed up to the Erie rally wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers snow hat, called former President Donald Trump a “clown” and mocked J.D. Vance for not wanting to eat at Sheetz
“That’s what happened in 2020: Joe Biden showed up and he smoked the clown and sent him home,” Fetterman said.
He added that in 2022 you “sent that fool back to New Jersey,” a reference to Fetterman’s Republican Senate rival, TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“And you’re all showing up for Bob Casey and you’re going to send that weirdo back to Connecticut,” Fetterman said, referring to Casey’s Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, who spent most of his career in New England.
Fetterman also went after Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, claiming to the crowd that “he doesn’t want to go to Sheetz.”
Sheetz is a gas station chain known for its made-to-order dishes.
“What’s going on with these people?” Fetterman said in dismay. “Erie, I love you, thank you Erie,” he said then, before trudging offstage.