(Phoenix) Kamala Harris attacked Donald Trump on his favorite topic Friday, saying the former Republican president has “no interest or desire” to take action to improve the U.S. immigration system.
At a campaign rally in Arizona, the only key state in the country that shares a border with Mexico, the Democrat tried to counter the billionaire’s favorite argument in the campaign for the White House.
“Donald Trump does not want to solve this problem, let’s be clear,” she said at a rally in Glendale, recalling that the speaker ordered Republican lawmakers not to vote on a bill on the subject in the spring.
“We know our immigration system is broken, and we know what needs to be done to fix it: comprehensive reform,” she added. “That includes strong border security and an earned path to citizenship.”
Of all the key states the candidate is ploughing through this week, Arizona is one of the tightest. Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by just 10,500 votes in 2020, and immigration is a key issue for voters.
The vice president has been fiercely attacked over the record of the Biden administration, under which massive migrant arrivals took place before drastic restrictions were imposed in June.
If he returns to power, Mr. Trump promises “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants, the feasibility of which is questioned by many experts.
“Crucial issues”
Mme Harris continues to ride the wave of enthusiasm that has carried her since Joe Biden’s shock withdrawal: 15,000 people came to cheer her on in Arizona.
With her candidacy, Democrats have regained hope that they can win Arizona and Nevada, where she will travel on Saturday. These two “Sun Belt” states were reclassified this week from “leaning Republican” to “uncertain” by the independent website Cook Political Report.
But the vice president again reminded her supporters that she is running an outsider campaign.
PHOTO CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz at a rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on August 7
“This is not 2016, and this is not 2020, you know, this time the stakes are even higher,” she insisted, denouncing the plans of Republicans who want to “ban abortion in every state.”
Accompanied by her running mate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota chosen for his frankness and his ability to seduce rural America, she posed as a fighter for the “middle classes”.
She also attacked Donald Trump on climate change, in a state where Phoenix, the capital, endured 31 consecutive days above 43 degrees last year.
“In Arizona, […] you know this crisis is real. He calls it a hoax,” she recalled.
Trump annoyed
The crowds gathered this week by the new Democratic ticket – more than 10,000 people for each event – have vexed Mr Trump, who on Thursday challenged the “enthusiasm” surrounding Mrme Harris.
The 78-year-old businessman is at a rally on Friday evening in Montana, a state already won over to the Republican cause.
This will be his first rally this week, and none have been announced for the next one. The lighter schedule has raised questions, as Mr.me Harris has caught up with him in the polls.
Despite the change in Democratic candidate, the billionaire said Thursday that he had not “reviewed” his strategy.
Joe Biden is keeping a low profile, likely ensuring that the spotlight remains on his vice president.
She appeared at his side last week during the return of American journalist Evan Gershkovich and other detainees released as part of a large prisoner exchange with Russia.
The president and his number 2 will make their first joint campaign trip next Thursday since the announcement of his withdrawal, to the state of Maryland, near Washington.
The duo will discuss “progress” made “to reduce costs for the American people,” according to the White House, while inflation remains a weak point for Mme Harris.
The next big step for the candidate: the Democratic Party’s major convention, from August 19 to 22 in Chicago, where she will have to try to maintain the good momentum she is enjoying over time.
Then at least one televised debate is scheduled against Donald Trump, on September 10 on ABC. The Republican billionaire, anxious to regain the upper hand, has proposed two others, which have not been confirmed at this stage.