LITITZ, Pa. — Donald Trump delivered a profane and conspiracy-filled speech two days before Tuesday’s presidential election, in which he talked about shooting reporters and suggested he “shouldn’t have left the White House” after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
In remarks Sunday that bore little resemblance to the speech he’s given at his recent rallies, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and rehashed old grievances after trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump intensified his verbal attacks on what he portrayed as a “demonic” Democratic Party and the U.S. media, at one point steering his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, toward the topic of violence against members of the press.
He noted the ballistic glass used to shield him at outdoor events after a gunman’s attempted assassination in July, pointing to gaps between the panels.
It was the second time in recent days that Trump has spoken about weapons being aimed at people he considers enemies. He suggested that former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, would not be willing to support foreign wars if she had “nine barrels of gunfire coming at her.”
When Trump was criticized for suggesting violence against the media, his campaign later downplayed his comments.
“The president’s statement about putting up protective glass has nothing to do with harming the media or anything else,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. Instead, he claimed that Trump implied that reporters “were in great danger themselves and should have had a protective glass shield as well. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their well-being, far more than his own!” Trump also dug up election lies, claiming that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a very close race.
“This is a corrupt country,” Trump railed to his audience in a chilly airport, harking back to the grievances that marked the early days of his campaign. “They want to put you in jail for trying to make things right. Think about it, think about it. They cheat on elections, and if you call them out on it, they want to put you in jail.”
Trump was indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 elections in both Washington and Georgia.
Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged Trump to prematurely declare victory Tuesday night after the polls closed, even though the race is too early to predict. That’s what Trump did four years ago, ushering in months of denial and lies that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
For much of this year, Trump has run a relatively disciplined campaign, emphasizing the issues his advisers believe will win him the race, even as he clings to spurious theories about voter fraud and frequently strays from the truth, provoking controversy. But that discipline is increasingly breaking down.
Trump has in recent weeks joked about golfer Arnold Palmer’s genitals, continued to use gendered and sexist language in his attempts to win over women, and hosted a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden with speakers who used crude and racist insults that still make headlines.
The darker, more profane tone of his campaign has come as the former president, a longtime fan of the male trappings of the WWE, has entered his rallies to the ominous tolling bell music once used by the wrestler known as “The Undertaker.”
Trump had nonetheless delivered a fairly consistent campaign speech most days, aided by a series of videos that kept him on script even as he moved from topic to topic in a discursive style he has dubbed “the weave.” But outside Lancaster Airport, he abandoned his planned remarks entirely, skipping his usual points on the economy, immigration and routine criticism of Harris.
Trump’s remarks in Pennsylvania were not planned, according to a person familiar with the matter, who noted that Trump is known for improvising. While it was unclear what prompted Trump, his campaign had released a memo earlier in the day criticizing new New York Times polls that again showed the race extremely close in the seven key swing states.
Trump had spoken by phone before taking the stage with two reporters who had discussed polls, including one who asked him if he thought there was any way he could lose.
Trump is frustrated that the campaign has been neck-and-neck until the end. He sees Harris as an unworthy opponent and can’t understand why he doesn’t dominate, said a Republican familiar with the dynamics of the campaign who, like others, was granted anonymity.
Another Republican blamed last-minute anxiety — and the fact that Trump has to trust a system he believes is rigged against him.
Still, several Trump allies cheered his speech, saying they were pleased that he was highlighting concerns about fraud in the final stretch of the race.
Harris pushed back against Trump’s characterizations of the U.S. election, telling reporters on Sunday that Trump’s comments “are meant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” were in place in 2020, Harris said, and “he lost.”
The vice president said she is confident about the upcoming vote count and urged voters, “particularly people who haven’t voted yet, not to fall for this tactic, which I think is suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote doesn’t matter.”
Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he sidestepped his usual approach with his conspiracy speech. He repeatedly spoke of ignoring his aides’ advice, recited their feedback in a mocking voice, and insisted that he had to talk about election fraud despite their objections.
In his next appearance a few hours later at an airport in Kinston, North Carolina, Trump returned to much of his usual script, alternating between prepared remarks and familiar stories.
At one point, he said, “Hopefully we’ll get rid of Mitch McConnell soon,” undermining the Republican Senate leader who had endorsed Trump earlier this year despite blaming him for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“Can you believe he endorsed me?” Trump added a minute later, laughing. “That must have been a painful day in his life.”
He took the stage for the third time Sunday night in Macon, Georgia, sticking more closely to his prepared remarks and focusing heavily on immigration.
Trump told supporters that in two days they would “save our country” and that they were “about to have the four best years in American history.”
“Just watch. It’s going to be so good. It’s going to be so much fun. It’s going to be a little bit uncomfortable at times, and maybe especially in the beginning,” he said. “But it’s going to be something.”
Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Darlene Superville in Detroit, Jeff Amy in Macon, Georgia, and Michelle L. Price and Bill Barrow in Washington contributed to this report.