Donald Trump touched on a number of key policy issues during a rally on Wednesday as he was forced to shift his focus from his attack on Joe Biden to his approach to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The former president sought to shock Southern conservatives by claiming Harris supports “executing” babies as he criticized the Democrats’ 2024 agenda during his rally in the crucial state of North Carolina on Wednesday.
In his first meeting since Harris became his likely general election opponent, he discussed the border crisis and the US-Israel relationship.
But at the top of Trump’s list of attacks was Harris’ record on abortion, even though the issue is seen by female voters in swing states as something that could be his undoing.
“She wants to do abortions in the eighth and ninth months, she’s fine with that,” Trump said of Harris, whom he called a “crazy” amid cheers from a crowd of 10,000 people gathered at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.
He continued: ‘Up to the birth and even after the birth, the execution of a baby. Because that is not abortion, that is the execution of a baby.’
Donald Trump shifted his focus from ‘Crooked Joe Biden’ to ‘Lyin’, crazed Kamala Harris’ at the first rally after the vice president became his likely 2024 opponent. Pictured: Trump speaks to fans at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday
The Supreme Court’s six conservative justices — including three appointed by Trump — ruled in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the power to legislate on abortion to the states.
President Joe Biden announced in a one-page letter posted on social media on Sunday that he was ending his re-election campaign after weeks of pressure following a disastrous debate with Trump.
He then sent a follow-up message about X expressing his support for Harris to put him at the top of the Democratic ticket in November.
Earlier this week, Harris secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party nomination at the convention in Chicago next month.
In the 2024 campaign, Democrats are focusing on the abortion debate, hoping to win women’s votes in states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania that are primarily concerned with women’s health care.
But Trump also lashed out at the “lying” Kamala Harris on other issues during his speech on Wednesday, including her failure to address the migration crisis after Biden appointed her to address a surge in border crossings at the southern border.
“If ‘border czar’ Harris takes charge, every week will bring an endless stream of illegal alien rapists, bloodthirsty murderers and child molesters who will prey on our sons and daughters — that’s what’s going to happen. Everybody knows that,” Trump claimed.
Vice President Kamala Harris is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee
President Joe Biden addressed the nation Wednesday night in a speech discussing his decision to withdraw from his reelection race and endorse his No. 1 candidate for the spot. His remarks began just 10 minutes after Trump ended his rally in Charlotte, North Carolina
He also pledged to end all of Biden’s border policies on day one of a second term, similar to what the president did in 2021 when he rolled back all of Trump’s immigration policies that stopped border crossings.
“Joe Biden made (Harris) the border czar and that’s when things got really bad,” Trump said. “She launched a colossal illegal invasion of our country. She said, ‘Come on in.’ Remember that?”
“On my very first day back in the White House, I will end every single open border policy of the Biden-Harris administration,” he vowed. “And we will close the border, and we will stop Kamala Harris’ invasion immediately. It will happen immediately.”
The former president also outlined what he believed could be a solution to the nation’s defense shortcomings: firing American generals and putting NASCAR drivers and football coaches in charge of the military.
“I’ve always said, bring these guys in, I have a lot of friends in this world (NASCAR),” Trump said.
“I said, let me use these guys to help guide our army a little bit.”
“If you can win that many races, that’s OK. You guide,” he continued. “The same goes for coaches, you take some of the best football coaches, you put them at a table. ‘What do you like, coach?’ Because in its own way, it’s not that different.”
He challenged NASCAR stars Roger Penske and Richard Childress, both of whom were in the audience.
Childress was brought on stage to introduce Trump at the rally in Charlotte on Wednesday.
He became emotional as he spoke about Trump’s tribute and meeting the 13 Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.