Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd largely comprised of oil and gas workers at a rally in rural Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh, former President Donald Trump railed against the “fake news” and “Comrade Kamala” Harris and reiterated his arguments that drug dealers should get the death penalty and those who burn the American flag should get a mandatory one-year sentence in jail.
In a freewheeling Friday afternoon event where the crowd frequently erupted into chants of “USA,” Trump said he was running for president to save the country.
“We’re a failing nation. I think we have a chance to make America greater than ever before. If we don’t do it this time, you’re never going to have another crack at it,” he said. “November 5 is the single most important day in the history of our country. Our country is going bad.”
Talking about a variety of subjects he often brings up at his rallies, Trump charged that Vice President Kamala Harris allowed violent criminals from foreign countries to illegally enter the United States and surrendered “the country’s energy independence.”
“Our country is going to fail,” he said. “These people are stupid who are running our country. They don’t have any common sense. If you look at Kamala and if you look at what she’s done to every place she’s touched, it’s turned to s***.”
Trump defended his use of foul language at his rallies by saying there’s some words that can’t be duplicated.
Referencing that he won more votes in Pennsylvania in 2020, when he actually lost the state, compared with 2016, when he won it, he said of this year’s election in one of the key batleground states: “We win this state, we win the whole thing.”
“We want a vote that’s too big to rig,” he said, before directing his supporters to the website, Swampthevote.com.
At one point during the rally, a man stormed the press area as Trump spoke; he was subdued by a Taser used by law enforcement.
As police led the man away, Trump quipped: "Is there anywhere that’s more fun to be than a Trump rally?"
Midway through the rally, Trump ran a one-minute video montage of Harris sound bites, where she said “I am a radical” and that she supported a fracking ban and revising the food pyramid to reduce red meat consumption. The crowd responded with boos.
“She will destroy the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Trump said afterwards, adding that he’s looking forward to debating her next month.
"This November we are going to tell Harris we’ve had enough. You’ve done a terrible job. You’re fired," he said, recounting his famous line from "The Apprentice" to raucous cheers. "Get out. Get out."