Vice President Kamala Harris described former President Donald Trump as ‘increasingly unstable and unhinged’ Monday night, pointing to 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.
While attracting thousands to the Erie Insurance Arena, the Democratic nominee acknowledged that she was the ‘underdog’ as the race has tightened nationally and in key swing states.
That’s when she tried a new tactic – literally showing footage of Trump’s comments at her rallies.
‘Please roll the clip,’ she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris described former President Donald Trump as ‘increasingly unstable and unhinged’ Monday night, pointing to comments he made Sunday about using the military against domestic critics
On the two jumbotrons at the downtown Erie hockey and basketball stadium Trump’s face appeared.
The montage included several snippets from his rallies and then the controversial comments he made Sunday to Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.
‘I think the bigger problem are the people from within, we have some very bad people, sick people, radical left lunatics,’ Trump had said. ‘And it should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.’
‘You heard his words. You heard his words coming from him. He’s talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania. He’s talking about the enemy within our country, Pennsylvania,’ Harris said.
‘He’s talking about – that he considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will, an enemy of our country,’ she continued, cuing scattered boos. ‘It’s a serious issue. He’s saying that he would use the military to go after them. Think about this?’
Harris said ‘we know who he would target’ from similar comments he’s made in the past.
‘Journalists whose stories he doesn’t like. Election officials who refuse to cheat by fielding extra votes or finding extra votes for him. Judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will,’ Harris said. ‘This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous.’
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Erie, Pennsylvania. Erie County has predicted the winner of Pennsylvania and the national election the last two cycles
‘Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged and he is out for unchecked power – that’s what he’s looking for- he wants to send the military after American citizens,’ Harris said again.
She also blasted Trump over the demise of Roe v. Wade, saying he ‘worked to prevent women from making their own healthcare decisions.’
While the Democratic nominee slapped Trump around a little harder at the Monday night rally, she put a stop to rally attendees chanting ‘lock him up!’
Trump’s faithful would chant ‘lock her up’ when he was running against Hillary Clinton in 2016, pushing that she deserved prison over using a private email server while serving as secretary of State.
‘So hold on, hold on!’ Harris told the Erie crowd. ‘Because see here’s the thing, the courts will handle that. Let’s handle November, shall we? We’ll handle November. We’ll handle November,’ she encouraged.
It’s likely that the loser of Pennsylvania, will also lose the 2024 election.
Harris’ warm-up act Monday was Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who got cheers from the crowd when he showed up onstage wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers hat – pairing it with his trademark hoodie and gym shorts.
‘Erie woooo!’ Fetterman said. ‘My God have you showed up.’
Fetterman said he knew why there was such a crowd out in Erie Monday night.
‘Hey and you know the national media’s here. Do you know why?’ he asked. ‘Because you pick the president.’
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman showed up to the Erie rally wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers snowcap, 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 weirdo back to New Jersey,’ a reference to Fetterman’s Republican Senate rival, TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz.
‘And you’re all going to show up for Bob Casey and you’re going to send that weirdo back to Connecticut,’ Fetterman said, alluding to Casey’s Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, who spent most of his career based 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 that’s known for its made-to-order food.
‘What’s wrong with these people?’ Fetterman said with dismay. ‘Erie I love you, thank you Erie,’ he then said, before lumbering offstage.