Trump’s closing argument veers all over the place

Source: Politico | November 4, 2024 | Lisa Kashinsky

As Trump barrels toward the finish, supporters trickled out as his speech spilled over 90 minutes.

PITTSBURGH — Donald Trump’s closing message of his third presidential campaign, delivered here at his penultimate rally, was supposed to focus on the economy and immigration. It sort of did.

But Trump also dissed one of his campaign’s senior advisers, Susie Wiles, and appeared to preemptively blame his supporters if he loses the election. He revived talk of a migrant fighting league. He promoted anti-transgender rhetoric (later amplified by guest speaker Megyn Kelly, who was there to help sell Trump to female voters with whom he lags). And he called Jill Stein “one of my favorite politicians” and declared “love” for the Green Party as Democrats have warned third-party candidates could benefit Trump in this election.

He also attacked Democrats as “vicious” and accused them of trying to rig the race. And he more broadly sought to stoke fears about election fraud, at one point suggesting states are “agents” of the federal government while complaining how long it could take some of them to tabulate ballots.

“I think it’s too big to be rigged,” Trump said. But, he added, referring to Democrats, “they’ll try, and they are trying. You know that.”

Trump was also nostalgic as he barreled toward the end of his third campaign in nine years. He marveled at the size of his rally crowds over the years — “this is never going to happen again” — as he did earlier in the day, and again brought out some of his children, who were traveling with him.

“It’s sad,” he said. “We’ll never have this. But we’ll have other get togethers.”

……..

Trump, who was speaking as Kamala Harris was holding a competing rally roughly eight miles away at Carrie Blast Furnaces, mocked her event as “little” and “quite embarrassing.” He delighted in his “frisky” crowd inside the PPG Paints Arena, which he claimed he had sold out even though there were empty seats in the lower bowl and the upper level was completely draped off. Supporters trickled out as his speech spilled over 90 minutes.

Those who were left, he tried to chide into voting.

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