At a Minnesota rally, Trump intensifies attacks on Kamala Harris while mocking Joe Biden’s exit from the race.
ST. CLOUD, Minnesota – On July 27, during a 90-minute rally in Minnesota, former president Donald Trump signaled the end of his brief appeal for national unity, doubling down on his combative rhetoric. Despite having survived an assassination attempt just two weeks ago, Trump made clear that he hadn’t softened; in fact, he suggested, he had only gotten angrier at what he perceives as the incompetence of the current administration.
With President Joe Biden’s sudden exit from the race, Trump has shifted focus to Kamala Harris, the new presumptive Democratic nominee. He wasted no time ramping up his rhetoric, calling her “evil,” “unhinged,” and “sick,” while attempting to paint her as an extreme liberal out of touch with mainstream Americans. Trump even mocked her laugh and demeanor in an effort to undermine her appeal.
During his speech, Trump seized on Harris’s past remarks on criminal justice reform, accusing her of supporting soft-on-crime policies. He attempted to use her 2020 statements about rethinking public safety and defunding the police as ammunition against her, despite Harris’s later clarification that she supported “rethinking” police funding but not eliminating the police force.
Trump’s focus on law and order continues to be central to his campaign, resonating with moderates and independents, especially in battleground states like Minnesota. His appeal to working-class voters, including union workers, remains a key part of his strategy.
In addition to his attacks on Harris, Trump made time to mock Biden’s exit from the race, suggesting he had predicted Biden’s withdrawal. Even as he shifted targets, Trump revived his criticisms of Biden, mimicking his gait and speech but quickly dismissing him from the race.
Harris’s campaign responded sharply, calling out Trump’s focus on the 2020 election and his false claims of widespread voter fraud. Harris’s spokeswoman, Sarafina Chitika, accused Trump of being “unhinged” and “bitter,” further criticizing his refusal to debate her.
The rally, which was also attended by Trump’s vice-presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance, marked another step in the campaign’s ongoing strategy to portray Harris as an extreme liberal, with Vance claiming that the media has unfairly praised her, much like they did with Biden. The intensified rhetoric signals that the race will become increasingly heated as the election draws nearer.
