By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
It was more of a greatest-hits repeat of Donald Trump's campaign rallies.
In a press conference more like a chaotic rally than a presidential address, former President Donald Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Thursday afternoon. His speech featured targeted yet rambling attacks on Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris.
"She's a radical left person at a level that nobody's seen," Trump said. "She picked a radical left man that is — he's got things done that, he has positions that are just—it's not even possible to believe that they exist."
Harris announced Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday. The two will face off against Trump and his pick for vice president, Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance. Walz successfully labeled Vance and the GOP as “weird” before Harris picked him for the number two spot on the Democratic ticket.
"He doesn't want to have borders, he doesn't want to have walls. He doesn't want to have any form of safety for our country," Trump said.
The Republican nominee also painted a dire picture of the nation’s future, forecasting an economic collapse akin to the Great Depression and an imminent world war. “We have leadership that has no clue,” Trump proclaimed.
Trump also criticized Walz's history of support for LGBTQ+ people, labeling the Minnesota governor and Harris as “radical left” and “heavy into the transgender world.” Trump claimed.
The former president’s rhetoric around immigration was equally alarming. Trump falsely claimed that 20 million people had crossed the U.S. border illegally under the Biden administration.
“Whether it’s 15 or 20, it’s numbers that nobody’s ever heard before,” he asserted. However, his claim contrasts with recent data from NBC News, which reported that border crossings fell to their lowest monthly number of Biden’s presidency in June, with just over 84,000 migrants apprehended.
Another of Trump's incomprehensible attacks on transgender people, unrelated to the conversation he was having with reporters contended, “I mean, transgender, the transgender became such a big thing, but they do all of these things, but they always say, we’re going to give you a tax increase.,”
Trump also announced proposed debate dates with major networks despite backing out from a previously scheduled ABC debate on September 10. “We have agreed with Fox on a date of Sept. 4… and NBC on Sept. 10, and ABC on Sept. 25,” he said. The networks have yet to confirm these dates, and Harris previously challenged Trump to keep his commitment to the ABC debate on Sept. 10.
The Harris campaign did not hesitate to call out Trump’s performance. In a sharply worded press release, it described his appearance as a “public meltdown.” The statement read: “Donald Trump took a break from taking a break to put on some pants and host a p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ public meltdown.”
Highlighting Trump’s inaccuracies and omissions, the Harris campaign pointed out numerous falsehoods, including his exaggerated crowd sizes and dodging a question about Florida’s abortion referendum. The campaign also highlighted his falsehoods about key issues such as immigration, gun control, and Social Security.
Trump’s repeated unfounded claims of election fraud also resurfaced as he discussed President Joe Biden’s recent decision to step aside and allow Harris to run for president. “They took the presidency away from Joe Biden,” the election denier said.
Harris’s campaign staff clapped back, writing,“The facts were hard to track and harder to find in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago meltdown this afternoon. He lied. He attacked the media. He made excuses for why he’s off the campaign trail.”
“We’re here to help because his staff clearly isn’t,” the statement said.
