Trump and Harris offer closing messages on split screen in dueling Milwaukee rallies

The different styles of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were on full display during dueling rallies Friday night in Milwaukee, the largest city in one of the nation’s key swing states.

The two held late-night rallies about six miles apart in Wisconsin’s largest city, with Harris generally sticking to the script in a speech that lasted 24 minutes, while Trump gave a signature speech in which he went off script and rambled about strange subjects, including his sound. equipment while touching on a wide range of issues over nearly 90 minutes.

Trump spoke to a packed Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, where he spent time on staples of his stump speech like immigration as well as unconventional topics that had little to do with the 2024 election.

Early in his speech, Trump gave a shout-out to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Greece. The Republican presidential candidate wondered to the crowd if he was more Greek than the athlete, whose nickname is the “Greek Freak.”

“I would say the Greek,” the term Trump used when talking about the NBA star, “is a seriously good player. Do you agree? And tell me who has more Greek in him. The Greek or me? I think we have about the same.”

Trump also hit on the themes that have come to define his rallies in recent weeks and his cobbled-together closing message: He wants to crack down on illegal immigration and use tariffs as a weapon to punish foreign opponents, and he has continued to focus on baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, including the idea that he won Wisconsin that year, which he didn’t.

“I’ve actually won it twice,” Trump said. “But these are small details.”

Meanwhile, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, Harris stuck to her usual underlying message, painting herself as a leader who will work for Americans of all political stripes, versus Trump, whom she described as “increasingly unstable” and ” engulfed in complaint.”

“Either he’s going to be there on day one walking into that office, going over his enemies list, or when I’m elected, he’s going to walk in on your behalf with my to do list,” the vice president said in his speech.

As Trump has sparked new controversy with his latest comments about Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney, Harris reiterated that she would listen to people who disagree with her.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. He’s going to put them in jail, I’m giving them a seat at the table,” Harris said.

She has embraced the support of anti-Trump Republicans on the campaign trail, and Harris said she would like to appoint a Republican to her cabinet.

Harris also urged his supporters to “be conscious of building the community.”

The Trump era, Harris said, has “been driven by this idea that Americans should point fingers at each other,” but added that “we all know that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. “

Trump also brought up his comments about Cheney, which sparked a firestorm earlier in the day. During an event with Tucker Carlson Thursday night, he talked about how Cheney wouldn’t be such a “war hawk” if she had guns “trained in her face.”

Democrats hammered Trump for what they saw as threats of violence against the former Republican congresswoman, who has since become a prominent “Never Trump” voice, but Trump said he was simply making the point that Cheney would not be so supportive of for foreign conflicts if she had to fight in them. He blamed the media for the misunderstanding.

Cheney has been to Wisconsin twice with Harris, appearing in counties where former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s last Republican primary foe, outperformed in Wisconsin’s presidential primary. Cheney has been a key surrogate for the Harris campaign since she announced her support for the vice president in September.

The two events in the same city also offered a split screen of the race’s celebrity effect.

Trump’s inaugural speakers were largely chosen Republican politicians and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate who has supported Trump and is likely to play a health care role in his administration if Trump returns to the White House. Trump’s rally attendees chanted “Bobby, Bobby” as Kennedy made opening remarks.

Harris continued to showcase her star appeal, featuring musical artist Cardi B at her Milwaukee rally. Reading most of her speech directly from her phone, the rapper said she had no plans to vote when President Joe Biden ran for re-election, but that changed when Harris became the nominee in August.

“Most of all, she’s not delusional,” she said, apparently taking a jab at Trump. She later added: “Do we really trust this man with our finances?”

Trump and his Republican allies have mocked and downplayed Harris’ support from entertainment A-listers. However, his campaign has touted a regional celebrity during his Wisconsin swing, with legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre at a rally he held in Green Bay on Wednesday while also touting Favre’s endorsement again during the Milwaukee stop.

“He’s never done it before … as an athlete, it’s hard to do it, you lose some fans, who knows,” Trump said of Favre, who has been investigated for alleged welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi. “He could really rip that ball.”

Both candidates have spent significant time in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, a testament to the state’s importance to the 2024 election landscape.

It is among a handful of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, that are likely to decide the election.

The race has generally been seen as a game in the state, with several recent public opinion polls showing it within the margin of error, making Wisconsin a must-stop for both campaigns in the final days of the race.

“Thrilled to be back in this beautiful state,” Trump said. “We have a country going to hell, but we will turn it around very quickly.”