Harris goes to church and Trump considers shooting reporters

LITITZ, Pennsylvania – Kamala Harris told a Michigan church on Sunday that God offers America “a divine plan strong enough to heal divisions.” Donald Trump gave a blasphemous and conspiracy-filled speech in which he mused about shooting reporters and called Democrats “demonic.”

On the last Sunday of the campaign, the two main candidates adopted a completely different tone. Less than 48 hours in advance Election dayDemocratic Vice President Harris argued that Tuesday’s election gives voters a chance to reject “chaos, fear and hatred,” while Trump, the former GOP president, repeated lies about voter fraud in an attempt to undermine the integrity of the vote and suggested the country would fall apart without him in office. falls apart.

Harris focused her Sunday in Michigan, starting the day with several hundred parishioners at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit. It was the fourth straight Sunday that Harris, who is Baptist, addressed a black congregation, reflecting the critical attitude of black voters in many battleground states.

“I see faith at work in extraordinary ways,” she said in remarks in which she quoted the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. “I see a nation determined to turn the page on hatred and division and forge a new path forward. As I travel, I see Americans from so-called red and blue states who are ready to bend the arc of history toward justice.”

She never mentioned Trump, though she will certainly return to her more conventionally partisan speech during stops later Sunday. But Harris told her friendly audience that “there are those who seek to deepen division, sow hatred, spread fear and cause chaos.” The election and “this moment in our nation,” she continued, “must be about more than just partisan politics. It has to be about good work that we can do together.”

Harris completed her speech in about 11 minutes – starting and ending during Trump’s roughly 90-minute speech at a chilly outdoor rally at the airport in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Trump tends to move from topic to topic, a a discursive style he called “weaving”. But he spoke at length in Lancaster and made almost no mention of his usual remarks on the economy, immigration and routine criticism of Harris.

Instead, Trump again criticized voting procedures across the country and his own staff. He revived grievances over impeachment after trying to make up for a 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, suggesting at one point that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House.

He also stepped up attacks on “grossly incompetent” national leadership and the U.S. media, at one point musing about violence against members of the press.

He noticed ballistic glass placed in front of him during events after a gunman nearly murdered him at a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and talked about where he saw holes.

“I have this piece of glass here,” he said. “But all we really have here is fake news. To get me, someone would have to sift through fake news. And it doesn’t bother me too much.”

His campaign later aimed to clarify its meaning.

“President Trump brilliantly talked about two attempts on his life, including one that came within a quarter of an inch of killing him, which the media constantly talks about and jokes about,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “The President’s statement regarding the placement of protective glass has nothing to do with harming the media or anything else.”

Trump also referred to John Bolton, his former national security adviser and now fierce critic, as “the stupid son of Ab…”. He repeated well-known and debunked theories about voter fraud, arguing that Democrats can only win by cheating. Public polls show a tight and competitive race between him and Harris.

“It’s a fake country,” Trump said. “And we will fix it. We’ll fix it.”

Trump admitted he was moving away from his usual approach. He recalled many times how he disregarded the advice of his colleagues, telling them their version of events in a mocking voice.

Campaign co-manager Susie Wiles, who has long been credited with bringing order to Trump’s often chaotic political activities, silently watched the former president from the stage.

Trump at one point suggested he wouldn’t give that version of his speech again: “I hope you liked it,” he said, “because I’m only doing it once.”

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Superville reported from Detroit, Barrow from Washington and Cooper from Phoenix.