Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has once again launched personal attacks against his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, denigrating her looks and claiming he is “much better looking than her.”
The former president made the remarks at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, referring to a recent Time Magazine cover featuring Vice President Harris.
“I look much better than her,” said the 78-year-old Trump after criticism Time The magazine’s illustrator was accused of being “too generous” with a portrait of 59-year-old Harris. This is not the first time he has raised the issue; it has also been raised at previous rallies.
“Time The magazine doesn’t have a picture of her. They have this incredible artist who draws her,” he said. “They did a lot of pictures that didn’t work, so they hired an artist.” Trump spoke for nearly two hours, touching briefly on Vice President Harris’ economic policies before going off script and calling himself “better looking.” The Hill reported.
Trump’s line of attack was one of many against Harris and her Democratic allies at Saturday’s rally.
Trump said last week he had the “right” to attack Harris personally because he “doesn’t have much respect for her,” while rejecting calls from allies to refocus his campaign on political issues ahead of his bid to retake the White House on Nov. 5.
During his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump also attacked President Joe Biden for withdrawing from the presidential campaign.
Pennsylvania is likely to play a decisive role in the November election, as 19 Electoral College votes are up for grabs here. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, but narrowly lost it to Biden in 2020.
“What happened to Biden? I ran against Biden and now I’m running against somebody else,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Who am I running against? Harris? I said, ‘Who the hell is Harris?'” Trump also made several jabs at Harris’ economic plan, which she unveiled on Friday.
“Yesterday, Kamala presented her so-called economic plan. She says she’s going to lower the cost of food and housing from day one. But day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago,” Trump said.
Trump, however, insisted he could lower prices, without giving any further details other than the general push to expand U.S. oil production.
“After causing catastrophic inflation, Comrade Kamala announced she will impose socialist price controls,” Trump said.
Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday, Trump questioned Harris’ participation, claiming she never received any votes as a presidential candidate.
Trump continued to claim that Harris “stole” President Biden’s presidential candidacy and said Biden was “angry” and he “hates” Harris, ABC News reported.
“Joe Biden hates them. That was the downfall of a president. That was a downfall,” Trump said.
Trump said he was looking forward to the debate with Harris on Sept. 10, saying, “It will be easier.” Trump has struggled to convey a unified message against Harris, even as Republicans argue they have strong arguments against her on economic and immigration issues.
While the former president focused on the issues at times, he mocked Harris’ laughter and her intelligence. Trump also faced fierce backlash after questioning her ethnic identity during an appearance last month.
In a statement after Trump’s rally, the Harris campaign team said: “Another rally, same old show.”
“Donald Trump can’t sell his dangerous Project 2025, which would raise taxes on working families by $3,900, repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away our freedoms, so he’s resorting to lies, name-calling and confused tirades,” said Joseph Costello, a campaign spokesman.
Published 18 August 2024, 09:15 IS
