Trump paints Harris as an 'ultra liberal' radical in first rally since Biden's exit

In his first rally since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, Donald Trump cast his likely opponent as too liberal on border security, illegal immigration and a host of other issues.

“The most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history,” Trump said near the beginning of a 90-minute speech before a capacity crowd at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum.

Over and over, Trump — the former president who has won the Republican presidential nomination for the third consecutive time — labeled Vice President Harris as “ultra liberal,” a “radical-left lunatic” and “the most liberal elected politician in American history.”

President Joe Biden, 81, announced Sunday that he would not accept the Democratic nomination. He endorsed Harris, and Democrats have lined up behind her. Harris took in record fundraising hauls and some polls have shown a tighter race between Harris and Trump.

“He quit because he was losing so badly in the polls,” Trump said.

In an address from the White House on Wednesday — his first since dropping out of the race — Biden explained his rationale, saying his decision to drop out to preserve democracy. He sought to convey the importance of the 2024 election without campaigning, and he never mentioned Trump by name.

“The defense of democracy is more important than any title," Biden said. “Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. And that includes personal ambition.”

The Trump event in Charlotte was the Republican's first in North Carolina since he survived an assassination attempt this month in Pennsylvania. Nearly every speaker made reference to the incident, citing God’s hand in preventing Trump from more serious injury. Trump sustained an ear injury during the incident, which occurred at a rural, open-air rally.

After the incident, Trump and other Republicans signaled the experience would lead to a change in his temperament and calls for unity in the divided nation.

“I became nice,” Trump said. He then asked the crowd: “If you don’t mind, I’m not going to be nice.”

Trump, who typically gives his political opponents derogatory nicknames, called Harris “Lyin’ Kamala” over and over again.

The crowd loved it. Video criticizing Harris on immigration policies was playing before the speech as the crowd booed loudly.

About 10,000 Trump supporters filled Bojangles Coliseum, including Daune Galbraith, who arrived at 8 a.m. — 10 hours before Trump was scheduled to begin speaking — for her first Trump rally.

"He's for the people," said Galbraith, who lives in Greensboro and said she is excited to vote for Trump a third time. "He is going to take care of America. He is going to bring back the America I grew up loving."

'Wrong for America'

Trump defeated Hilary Clinton in 2016 before losing to Biden and Harris in 2020. With Harris’ ascension to the top of the ticket, Democrats hope to turn the election into a referendum on Trump — who has twice lost the popular vote — rather than a debate about the ability of Biden to do the job for another four years.

“She is fighting to protect our democracy,” Mark Jerrell, the vice chair of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, said during a press event Wednesday morning. “She's fighting to strengthen America's position in the world. The stakes of this election couldn't be higher.”

Despite the burst of enthusiasm for Harris, some Trump supporters believe he will have no problem winning in November.

“Because what has she done?” said Trump supporter Sheri McReynolds, who is from Wake Forest.

Several Republican officials, officeholders and candidates delivered short speeches, previewing the attacks on Harris over immigration, border security and liberal positions during her time as U.S. Senator.

“She's a San Francisco liberal who wants to turn the whole country into San Francisco," said U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, who is leading the Republican effort to keep the U.S. House of Representatives. "... She is wrong for America."

Congressional candidate Mark Harris delivered a prayer to begin the event around 4 p.m. North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who is running for U.S. House, spoke and earned his biggest cheer when he endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to ban non-citizens from voting in the state. The proposal would reaffirm an existing state constitutional provision.

U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, the Republican nominee for attorney general, and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley, the former North Carolina Republican Party chairman, also spoke. Each took shots at Harris, who has quickly united the Democratic Party with an immense fundraising haul, hitting her over immigration. Whatley said the November election is about "strength versus weakness."

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Trump ally who is typically a featured speaker at the former president's rallies, wasn’t part of the program. And when Trump encouraged the crowd to vote for North Carolina Republicans — listing them by name — Robinson, the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, wasn’t mentioned.

Michael Lonergan, a spokesman for Robinson's campaign, issued a statement after the event: "While Lt. Gov. Robinson wasn't able to attend tonight's rally with President Trump, the Lt. Governor has proudly campaigned with President Trump already this election and will be proud to campaign with him here again in the coming weeks and months."

Lonergan declined on elaborate on Robinson's whereabouts. Spokespeople for the lieutenant governor's office didn't immediately respond to a request for details about Robinson's official schedule.

Safer site

Police and Secret Service personnel were visible nearly everywhere outside and inside of the site, not surprising given the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania earlier in the month. The head of the Secret Service resigned this week under pressure from lawmakers.

“As you move to an indoor site, it opens up a number of different vulnerabilities that you don’t have,” former U.S. Secret Service agent Paul Eckloff told WRAL. “A farm field is a far more controlled environment with separate ingress and egress to protect the staff, press and VIP ease.”

But, he added, an indoor venue like the Bojangles Coliseum is “already designed for crowd control.”

Trump carried North Carolina twice — including by less than 1.5% in 2020 — and has been favored to do so again, even as Democrats have made frequent campaign stops across the state. Harris has visited the state seven times in 2024.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who won the state twice with Trump on the ballot, is among the top contenders to be Harris' vice-presidential choice. Trump picked U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to be his vice president. Trump didn’t mention Cooper or any other potential Democratic vice presidential candidates.

Instead, he focused his broadsides on Harris and, to a lesser degree, Biden. It was a typical Trump speech, veering off and on his teleprompter, infused with humor and hitting many familiar topics — protecting women’s sports from transgender competitors, crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, a riff on Hannibal Lecter, the fictional killer who eats his victims.

Trump said Harris “can’t ever be trusted” and that she “brazenly” lied about Biden’s mental capacity.

Perhaps trying to neutralize a political weakness, Trump defended his position on abortion — seen by Democrats as a potential liability for Trump, who appointed three Supreme Court justices that voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

He told the crowd that he supports abortion rights in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger but added that people need to “follow their heart” on the issue. Trump, as he has in the past, said the issue should stand with the states.