LITITZ, Pa. (AP) 鈥� gave a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before the presidential election, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he 鈥渟houldn't have left鈥� the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
In remarks Sunday that bore no resemblance to his standard speech in the campaign's closing stretch, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances about being prosecuted after trying to overturn his defeat four years ago. Trump intensified his verbal attacks against a 鈥済rossly incompetent鈥� national leadership and the American media, steering his Pennsylvania rally at one point on to the topic of violence against members of the press.
The GOP nominee for the White House noted the ballistic glass placed in front of him at events after a gunman's assassination attempt in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Trump talked about places where he saw openings in that protection.
鈥淚 have this piece of glass here,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut all we have really over here is the fake news. And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don鈥檛 mind that so much.鈥�
It was the second time in recent days that Trump has talked about guns being pointed at people he considers enemies after former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, wouldn't be willing to support foreign wars if she had 鈥渘ine barrels shooting at her.鈥�
His remarks also reflect that with less than 48 hours before Election Day, Trump continues to promote falsehoods about elections and argue that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a tight race.
Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged him to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday even if the race is too early to call. That's what Trump did four years ago, kicking off a process of fighting the election results that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
His campaign later sought to clarify his meaning in talking about the media.
鈥淧resident Trump was brilliantly talking about the two assassination attempts on his own life, including one that came within 1/4 of an inch from killing him, something that the Media constantly talks and jokes about,鈥� campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. 鈥淭he President鈥檚 statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else.鈥�
, meanwhile, told a Michigan church congregation on Sunday that God offers America a 鈥渄ivine plan strong enough to heal division,鈥�
The two major candidates offered starkly different tones with the campaign almost at an end, as Harris said voters can reject 鈥渃haos, fear and hate."
She was concentrating on Michigan, beginning the day with a few hundred parishioners at Detroit鈥檚 Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. It marked the fourth consecutive Sunday that Harris, who is Baptist, has spoken to a Black congregation, a reflection of how critical Black voters are across multiple battleground states.
鈥淚 see faith in action in remarkable ways,鈥� she said in remarks that quoted the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. 鈥淚 see a nation determined to turn the page on hate and division and chart a new way forward. As I travel, I see Americans from so-called red states and so-called blue states who are ready to bend the arc of history toward justice.鈥�
She never mentioned Trump, though she鈥檚 certain to return to her more conventional partisan speech in stops later Sunday. But Harris did tell her friendly audience that 鈥渢here are those who seek to deepen division, sow hate, spread fear and cause chaos.鈥� The election and 鈥渢his moment in our nation,鈥� she continued, 鈥渉as to be about so much more than partisan politics. It must be about the good work we can do together.鈥�
Harris finished her remarks in about 11 minutes 鈥� starting and ending during Trump's roughly 90-minute speech at a chilly outdoor rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump usually veers from subject to subject, a But outside the Lancaster airport, he went on long tangents and hardly mentioned his usual points on the economy, immigration and rote criticisms of Harris.
Trump also referred to John Bolton, his former national security adviser and now a strident critic, as a 鈥渄umb son of a b鈥�.鈥� And he repeated familiar and debunked theories about voter fraud, alleging that Democrats could only win by cheating. Public polls indicate a tight and competitive race across the battleground states that will determine the Electoral College outcome.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a crooked country," Trump said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e going to make it straight. We鈥檙e going to make it straight.鈥�
Harris pushed back at Trump's characterizations of U.S. elections, telling reporters after the church service that Trump's comments are 鈥渕eant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.鈥� Those 鈥済ood systems鈥� were in place in 2020, Harris said, and 鈥渉e lost.鈥�
The vice president said she trusts the upcoming vote tally and urged voters, 鈥渋n particular people who have not yet voted to not fall for this tactic, which I think includes, suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won't matter.鈥�
Separately, the vice president tacitly acknowledged the significant population of Arab Americans in Michigan, and that community's voters who are angry at the Biden administration for its continuation of the U.S. alliance with Israel amid the Netanyahu government's war against Hamas in Gaza.
鈥淚 have been very clear that the level of death of innocent Palestinians is unconscionable,鈥� Harris told reporters Sunday after the church service. 鈥淲e need to end the war, and we need to get the hostages out. And as president of the United States, I will do everything in my power to achieve that end.鈥�
Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he was sidestepping his usual approach with his conspiratorial speech. He repeatedly mentioned how he disregarded the advice of his aides, telling their side of the story in a mocking voice and insisting that he had to talk about election fraud.
Co-campaign manager Susie Wiles, long credited with bringing order to Trump's often-chaotic political operation, watched the former president silently from off stage.
Trump at one point suggested that he wouldn鈥檛 deliver this version of his speech again: 鈥淚 hope you鈥檝e enjoyed this,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ecause I鈥檓 only doing this one time.鈥�
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Superville reported from Detroit, Barrow from Washington and Cooper from Phoenix.
Jill Colvin, Darlene Superville, Bill Barrow And Jonathan J. Cooper, The Associated Press
