Donald Trump, the past President, conducted a rally in northeastern Pennsylvania recently, and fascinatingly, switched between non-stop personal critiques and underlining economic shortcomings associated with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. It seemed like Trump was attempting to recalibrate his remarks to target the new Democratic front-runner, after Biden was replaced. During campaign engagements over the last week, Trump frequently moved away from discussing the policies he was expected to discuss and instead focused on familiar criticisms and insults.
Breaking away from his prearranged dialogue on the topic of Democrats causing inflation, Trump brazenly asked the attending crowd if they would take issue with him abandoning the teleprompter. He then went on to make unsuite notes about Biden and Harris. In a predictable pattern, Trump kept returning to disparaging comments, indicating a lack of innovative contents to convey.
Joseph Costello, a representative from the Harris campaign, responded to Trump’s remarks by drawing attention to its repetitive and predictable nature. He pointed out that every Trump rally seems to be just a duplication of the previous one, emphasizing the lack of novelty or value in Trump’s comments. Unfortunately, it seems like Trump tends to fall back to negative rhetoric because he struggles to promote his own agenda.
In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a rallying point for Trump, he placed his hopes on conservative white working-class voters; voters who would ideally be in favor of seeing the White House return to Republican control. However, given the coinciding events, where Democrats were preparing for their national convention in Chicago, his comments seemed ill-timed and ineffectual.
During the convention, Democrats were set to celebrate Harris as their new nominee, creating a positive atmosphere and revitalizing their coalition. The task of facing a renewed Democratic opponent seemed out of Trump’s depth. He tried to connect Harris with the economic difficulties caused by inflation, a part of the struggling Biden administration’s saga. Unfortunately, Trump’s facade was all too transparent.
Trump’s efforts to attribute economic downfalls to Harris, such as price gouging, and his amped-up likening of her new proposal to communist measures, came across as desperate attempts at character assassination. He also questioned why she hadn’t resolved the dilemma three and a half years ago when she was inaugurated alongside Biden, displaying a complete lack of understanding of her role at the time.
To further his criticisms, Trump connected high prices with Harris and stated his solution to the problem – signing an executive order directing cabinet secretaries and agency heads to bring prices down using capitalist methods, not communist ones. Assuming a heroic role, he predicted financial doom for the country and especially Pennsylvania if Harris gets elected, ceaselessly criticizing her past opposition to fracking, a common extraction process in the state.
Moreover, he insensitively alluded to Pennsylvania’s potential downfall due to Harris’s anti-fracking stance, choosing to ignore her reassessed position. She clarified that although she opposed fracking during the 2020 Presidential nomination process, she would not impose its ban if elected. Trump seemed to either ignore these changes in stance or dismiss them as insignificant.
Confusedly, Trump drifted from discussing serious issues such as the disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan and Harris’s economic plans to mocking Macron’s French accent. He also tried to bring light-heartedness into his otherwise negative remarks by commenting on Harris’s laugh, her abilities as a wordsmith, and even the names of the CNN anchors.
Trump attempted to critique her recent cover image on Time magazine, making irrelevant remarks about classic Hollywood icons and comparing Harris’s appeal to theirs. In a bizarre statement, he even claimed to be better-looking than her, which garnered amusing responses from the crowd. Mimicking a narcissistic tone, Trump criticized news reports’ portrayal of his style, claiming they say he rambles and that he is actually a smart guy.
Interestingly, Trump’s rally happened to be his fifth at the same location in Wilkes-Barre, the largest city in Luzerne County. He continues to focus on the same geographical region where he obtained victories in past elections, but which saw Biden’s rise in neighboring Lackawanna County. In response, Harris planned a tour starting in Pittsburgh, intending to compete head-on with Trump.
Biden’s candidature relinquishment has indeed caused some dissatisfaction among his strong supporters in Scranton. But many, like Diane Munley, acknowledge the impressive momentum that the Harris-led Democratic ticket currently has. Despite initial reluctance, she and others realize that the excitement was missing during Biden’s campaign, and Harris brings in that much-needed vitality.
In a display of enduring support, Robert A. Bridy, a regular laborer from Shamokin, Pennsylvania, attended the rally to extend his support for Trump. He remarked on the tightness of the battle in Pennsylvania and revealed that his union and a friend were persuading him to switch sides and vote for Harris and the Democrats. However, he has been a dedicated Trump supporter since 2016.
Bridy, despite Trump being a billionaire with real estate roots, perceives him as a ‘working class guy like us.’ He admires Trump for being a fighter and values his quick decision-making and execution qualities, especially on issues like border closure.
With the campaign heats up, the narrative continues to ebb and flow. Yet, one thing remains clear: no amount of disconnected musings, impersonations, and unfounded remarks can mask the reality of the issues voters face. Unfortunately, in the misguided rhetoric being thrown around, the actual concerns of the populace may be left unaddressed. Despite all, the contest for Pennsylvania’s favor and the larger election campaign continues in full swing. One can only hope that the focus shifts back to addressing real issues, rather than on personal disparagements.