Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed former President Donald Trump “hates this country” Saturday at a rally in Phoenix, saying that the former president’s recent comments comparing the country to a “garbage can” are unpatriotic.
Less than two weeks from Election Day, Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, slammed Trump for saying during a visit to Arizona this week that America is “like a garbage can for the world” because of illegal immigration.
“That is so pathetic and unpatriotic that it is almost unbelievable. He is literally trash talking this country now,” Walz said at a rally at Trevor G. Browne High School. “Donald Trump hates this country and everything he does is for Donald Trump.”
Trump and Harris are neck-and-neck in battleground Arizona, one of a handful of states on the Electoral College map that will determine the outcome of the presidential election. Public polls give Trump a slight edge ahead of Nov. 5. He lost the state by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020.
Walz took a swing through Arizona on Saturday to encourage voters to cast their ballots early. It is recommended that voters drop their early ballots in the mail by Tuesday to ensure they arrive by Election Day to be counted.
The Democratic vice presidential candidate spent the afternoon in Window Rock on the Navajo Nation before flying from nearby Gallup, New Mexico, to Phoenix for an evening rally. The gathering of several hundred supporters included comedian George Lopez and commentator Ana Navarro as special guests.
Walz landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday evening and walked off a campaign plane with U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., whom Harris had considered for her vice presidential running mate.
Walz waved, pointed to Kelly and said, “Look who I brought,” as he said hello to a group assembled to greet him at the airport. The greeters included Kelly’s wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and Mesa Mayor John Giles, who co-chairs a group of Republicans and independents supporting Harris in Arizona.
Walz used his rally speech to promote early voting and hammer Trump, especially on the recent claim by Trump’s former White House chief of staff that Trump praised Adolf Hitler behind closed doors.
“Donald doesn’t know his history very well. Be very clear to it, that was the sons of Minnesota and Arizona that were there to beat the hell out of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler,” Walz said.
The speech was interrupted three times by protesters. The first interrupted Kelly’s speech. Walz’s remarks were interrupted two separate times. One protester waved a Palestinian flag when Walz was onstage. The crowd booed and chanted the Harris campaign slogan “We are not going back” as the protesters were escorted out of the gymnasium.
Walz made a direct appeal to male voters, asking them to think about the women in their lives as they cast their votes. The Harris campaign has been losing ground among young men in Arizona, polls show, and has made an effort to appeal to them through surrogates such as billionaire businessman Mark Cuban.
“This election, their lives, those women you’re thinking about, their lives are literally on the line,” Walz said, noting that the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade was repealed by Supreme Court justices whom Trump appointed.
Walz addressed other issues, including price gouging, gun violence, Social Security and Medicare. He praised the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for voting against a Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The crowd booed at Walz’s mention of billionaire Elon Musk, who is supporting Trump and spending millions to help him get elected.
Walz said he feels bad for people who bought Tesla vehicles.
“Just put a bumper sticker over it that says you didn’t know he was this weird when you bought it,” Walz said.
Before Walz came onstage, Lopez and Navarro spoke at the rally, as did Kelly and Giffords. A pep band wearing black and orange “TGB” T-shirts and orange baseball caps played music for the crowd.
Lopez said that he’s known Harris for over a decade and that she is “the real deal.” He praised Walz, who was a high school teacher before he got into politics, and knocked Trump.
“My message is simple. We will put a teacher in the White House. We won’t put someone who thinks that the sound of windmills causes cancer,” Lopez said before introducing the governor to the crowd.
Navarro, a lifelong Republican who left the party during the Trump era, took aim at Trump’s “garbage can” comment and reminded the crowd that the former president had a contentious relationship with McCain before he died.
“I will never forgive Donald Trump for speaking against John McCain. John McCain was a hero. Donald Trump is a zero,” Navarro said.
Campaigning in Arizona: Tim Walz seeks support from Navajo voters, pledges Harris will work closely with tribes
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=671e4da30031483b95cdb12d7c53ff90&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2024%2F10%2F26%2Ftim-walz-returns-arizona-campaign-navajo-nation-phoenix%2F75835350007%2F&c=10203906919919799414&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-26 02:22:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
