By Erica L. Green
On Monday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, a full campaign rally resonated with the echo of former President Donald Trump’s remarks. However, the spotlight was on Vice President Kamala Harris, who strategically employed Trump’s rhetoric to underscore the threats she believes he presents if reelected to the presidency.
Harris didn’t hold back as she characterized her Republican adversary as an authoritarian fixated on his own authority, highlighting recent rallies and media appearances where Trump has declared that his Democratic critics are the “enemy from within,” posing a greater risk than foreign adversaries like Russia and China, and suggesting they “should be jailed.”
“After everything we’ve witnessed, we know who Donald Trump is,” Harris asserted. “He is a person who will do anything to seize power for himself.”
In a memorable moment, she informed the audience of 6,000 that they could see a real example of his “worldview and intentions.”
“Please — show the clip,” she urged, as the audience reacted with groans and gasps when Trump’s image filled the screens.
“He’s referring to the enemy within our nation, Pennsylvania,” Harris remarked to an animated crowd. “He views anyone who opposes him, or who won’t submit to his demands, as an enemy of our country.”
Harris’ appearance in Erie County, a pivotal location vital for a statewide win in a region that could determine the 2024 outcome, marked her first as the Democratic presidential candidate since President Joe Biden discontinued his reelection efforts in her favor. Trump secured the county in 2016 but narrowly lost it to Biden in 2020.
In the initial segment of her speech, Harris focused on her policy agenda aimed at fostering an “opportunity economy,” addressing price gouging, and expanding Medicare to encompass home health services for the elderly and infirm. She maintained her position as the underdog and contended that the importance of this election surpasses that of 2016 and 2020, citing a Supreme Court ruling that significantly broadened presidential power.
Describing Erie as a “pivot county,” she urged everyone present to vote early, as the state’s early voting has already begun. “The election is upon us,” she declared.
However, it was the latter part of her address where Harris intensified her critiques of Trump. She has increasingly adopted the unconventional tactic of highlighting her rival’s rallies. During their previous debate, she first encouraged audiences to witness his rallies as she spotlighted his violent rhetoric and erratic actions. On Monday, she issued her most foreboding caution yet, detailing how he has assailed officials who fail to procure additional votes for him in elections, judges whose rulings he opposes, and media members whose reporting he disapproves.
“This is why I firmly believe that a second term for Trump would pose a significant risk for America and be perilous,” she continued. “Donald Trump is becoming increasingly unstable and unhinged.”
On Monday, Harris’ campaign also unveiled a new advertisement titled “Enemy Within,” which draws on Trump’s recent remarks and features two of his former national security advisers, Olivia Troye and Kevin Carroll.
“I distinctly remember the day he suggested we shoot individuals in the streets,” Troye recalls in the promotional clip.
“A second term would be far worse,” Carroll comments.
The advertisement resembles one that the campaign initiated in battleground states earlier this month, where prominent national security experts issued stark warnings regarding Trump’s suitability for office.
On Monday night, the Democratic ticket’s critiques were two-pronged. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Harris’ running mate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, adopted perhaps his most passionate tone yet against Trump. Walz referred to his military service as he condemned Trump’s remarks, expressing that the idea of deploying the military against American citizens left him “sick to his stomach.”
Walz encouraged the audience to recognize that Trump’s proposals were far from normal.
“The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, stated, ‘No one has ever been more dangerous to this nation than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist at his core,’” Walz noted, referencing comments from the former officials highlighted in the advertisement.
“Let that sink in, and don’t hesitate to voice it, as that’s precisely who he is.”
Last month, Trump held a rally in Erie County, where he denounced Harris, telling the audience that she ought to be “impeached and prosecuted” for her management of the southern border and proposed that “one really violent day” could resolve crime in urban America.
As Election Day approaches, Harris has been provoking Trump regarding his mental fitness, with these attacks escalating in response to his rambling speeches at rallies.
Harris, who has urged Trump to agree to a second debate, has insisted that he is avoiding normal campaign activities, including a “60 Minutes” interview. This past weekend, she released her medical records, which confirmed her to be in “excellent health,” and used another rally to question why Trump has not disclosed his.
“It raises the question, why does his team want him to stay out of view?” she remarked during a rally in North Carolina on Sunday. “One must ask, are they concerned that the public will see he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s truly happening?”
Yet during the rally, Harris also set a limit when it came to her adversary. After quoting him as wanting to “terminate the Constitution,” the audience began chanting, “Lock him up.”
“Here’s the thing: The courts will address that,” she replied. “Let’s focus on November, shall we?”
