WASHINGTON (AP) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump escalated his personal attacks on his Democratic rival Kamala Harris on Sunday, repeating an insult that she is mentally disabled, while saying she should be impeached and prosecuted.
Trump’s rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, addressed similar themes to a rally he called a somber speech a day earlier. He told a cheering crowd that Harris was responsible for an invasion on the US-Mexico border, and that she should be impeached and prosecuted for her actions.
Corrupt Joe Biden became mentally disabled, he added. Sad. But liar Kamala Harris, I honestly think she was born that way. There is something wrong with Kamala. And I don’t know what it is, but something is definitely missing. And, you know what? Everyone knows it.
With the election just over a month away, Trump is stepping up his use of personal and offensive attacks, even as some Republicans say he would be better off sticking to talking about important issues.
His suggestions that political enemies be pursued are especially notable for their departure from US law, which is supposed to protect the judicial system from political influence. In recent weeks he has threatened to prosecute Google for allegedly prioritizing good stories about Harris; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and anyone he believes is engaging in unscrupulous behavior related to the upcoming election.
Trump has long threatened legal action against his adversaries, including his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. This month he threatened to jail those involved in unscrupulous behavior in these elections, including poll workers, lawyers, political operatives, donors and voters, once again sowing doubt about the integrity of the elections, even though fraud It is very rare.
But he himself has many legal problems. In May he was found guilty of falsifying business documents in a bribery-for-silence case in New York, and his sentencing is scheduled for November 26. Three other cases are pending against him, including one dismissed by a federal judge following a Supreme Court ruling granting broad immunity to presidents. The Department of Justice has filed an appeal. The other cases are on hold.
If he wins the election, he could pardon himself or order the Justice Department to close federal investigations against him.
On Sunday he acknowledged that he could lose in November. If she wins, it won’t be very pleasant for me, but I don’t care, he stated.
The fact that he mocks the first black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to lead the ticket of one of the two major parties, calling her stupid, weak, dumb as a rock and lazy, is also a sign of what unpleasant and personal that may be the final stretch of the campaign.
Associated Press journalist Jill Colvin contributed from New York.
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