Former President Donald Trump will be holding rallies in Tempe, Arizona, and Las Vegas on Thursday. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris will be holding a rally Thursday night in the Atlanta suburbs with former President Barack Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen.
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Here’s the latest:
Trump says he watched Harris’ Wednesday night town hall on CNN
Speaking during a Thursday morning interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump called the vice president’s performance “an embarrassment.”
“I watched her charade story last night on CNN,” Trump said during the friendly interview. “It was an embarrassment that she was running for president, representing a major party.”
The town hall with CNN was meant to replace a second debate between Trump and Harris. After one debate with Harris, the former president declined to participate in another debate and did not accept CNN’s invitation for a town hall.
Harris used the forum to lambast Trump before an audience of undecided voters in Pennsylvania. She agreed — twice — that Trump was a fascist, echoing the criticism of Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, and said if Trump is elected again, he would be “a president who admires dictators and is a fascist.”
Trump returned to the town hall later in the interview, saying Harris was “like a child almost.”
The RNC is rebuilding its legal operation after Trump allies’ failed effort to undo the 2020 race
The last time Donald Trump ran for president, the lawyers most directly involved in his efforts to overturn the election wound up sanctioned, criminally prosecuted or even sued for millions of dollars.
This time around, Republican party leaders are working to present a more organized, skilled legal operation even as Trump continues to deny he lost the 2020 election and sows doubt about the integrity of the upcoming one.
“It has been very important to make sure that in every aspect, we are going to have a fully professional operation,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley told The Associated Press.
As Republicans and Democrats fight in court over election rules, the Trump team finds itself under a particularly intense microscope given the aftermath of the 2020 race when meritless legal efforts challenging the results were repeatedly rejected by judges appointed by presidents of both political parties.
▶ Read more about the Republican legal operation
Republican former Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid
His endorsement on Thursday marks another cross-party backing for the Democratic presidential nominee, who’s campaigned this week with Liz Cheney, the GOP former Wyoming congresswoman.
Both Upton and Cheney were among the House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Upton, who represented West Michigan and served in Congress for 36 years, said in a statement that Trump is “unfit to serve as commander in chief again.” Upton said he has already cast his ballot for Harris.
“Time and time again respected senior national Republicans have urged our former president to focus on governing rather than personal attacks, mistruths, and continued false 2020 election claims,” said Upton. “Instead of heeding that advice, we see unhinged behavior not acceptable in most forums almost daily.”
