Trump news: Latest updates on Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance
Former president’s quest to retake White House continues amid outcry over racist and misogynistic remarks
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Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail having returned to Pennsylvania for his first campaign rally in the swing state since he came within inches of being killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet on July 13.
The former president and Republican nominee spoke in Harrisburg, just hours after a confrontational interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago.
During the interview, Trump insulted his presumptive 2024 Democratic Party opponent, Kamala Harris, and falsely accused her of lying about her race — stating that she recently “became Black”. Harris, who is biracial, is Black and Indian-American.
At the evening rally, Trump remained largely tied to his prepared remarks and attacked Harris for supposedly wanting to “destroy” Pennsylvania’s economy.
His next big campaign event will be a joint appearance with his vice presidential pick, JD Vance. That will take place in Atlanta on Saturday, at the same venue Harris held a barnstorming first rally of her campaign earlier in the week.
We are temporarily pausing our Trump campaign blog.
Please join us in our main US election 2024 blog for full coverage of both campaigns as the race to the White House gathers pace.
Harris condemns ‘same old show of divisiveness’ after Trump questions her heritage at Black journalist event
Trump returns for indoor Pennsylvania rally for first time since assassination attempt in state
Karine Jean-Pierre slams Trump for ‘repulsive’ Kamala Harris ‘Black woman’ comment
Trump claims Kamala Harris only recently ‘became a Black woman’ in unhinged remarks to Black journalists
Watch: Buttigieg comments on Trump diminishing office of vice president
Watch live as Trump holds rally in battleground state of Pennsylvania
Warning: This livestream has not been independently fact-checked and may contain misinformation.
Watch live as Donald Trump holds a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday 31 July.
The Republican presidential nominee is holding the rally hours after a contentious interview at the country’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists in Chicago.
During the appearance, Mr Trump questioned whether his Democratic rival Kamala Harris is “Indian” or “Black”.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black, until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black,” he said, drawing a smattering of jeers from an audience of about 1,000 people.
Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, has long self-identified as both Black and Asian. She is the first Black person and Asian American person to serve as US vice president.
Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online, with some far-right accounts questioning her racial identity. Republican Party leaders have urged lawmakers to refrain from personal attacks and focus on her policy positions.
Trump attorney claims Harris doesn’t know where she comes from
After Trump’s controversial comments about Harris’s heritage earlier today, his attorney Alina Habba appeared to double down while speaking in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
“Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from,” she said.
Trump’s nephew slams former president for ‘lack of empathy’ and ‘insanity'
Second Gentleman slams Trump at Maine fundraiser
The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, slammed Trump during a fundraiser in Maine for the former president’s comments about his wife’s racial identity.
“A worse version of an already horrible person,” he said regarding Trump, according to The Washington Post.
“The insults, the BS, shows a lack of character—but it’s a distraction,” he added.
DNC blasts Trump for overseeing ‘loss of Pennsylvania jobs'
Donald Trump already oversaw the loss of Pennsylvania jobs and hurt working families when he was president – losing 275,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.
If Trump is reelected, he will betray working families once again.
Trump’s extreme Project 2025 playbook would force a typical middle-class family to pay an additional $2,500 a year, raising prices and taxes on working American families.
The Biden-Harris administration has made massive progress with their pro-working family agenda, and Vice President Harris’ vision for the nation will build on that progress, delivering for working families.
The Democrats have delivered historic infrastructure investments and generated good-paying jobs, all while fighting to bring down costs.
Pennsylvania voters remember Trump’s failures and know exactly how much is at stake in November.
That’s why they’ll reject Trump and Vance and their extreme Project 2025 agenda, and elect Kamala Harris to keep fighting for working families in the Oval Office.
Trump says he’s going back to site of assassination attempt as he slams Harris rally
Seemingly in reference to Harris’s Georgia rally, Trump said he didn’t need a “star” to pull a massive crowd in Harrisburg.
“It's a great crowd ... over 20,000 people couldn't get in and we didn't need anybody to get the people here. We didn't need a star,” Trump said.
“In about six minutes everyone was leaving they were pouring out we don't need that,” he claimed.
Trump went on to say that he would be returning to the site of his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump calls Harris ‘totally scripted'
Trump went on to say that Harris is “totally scripted” and that she’s “owned and controlled by the donors and the power brokers ... who rip off our government and make billions and billions of dollars.”
Trump campaign displays headlines focusing on Harris’s Indian heritage
Trump calls Biden a ‘phony’ of the ‘radical left'
Trump said in Harrisburg that Biden is “destroying our country. She's worse than he is. She is actually worse than he is because she's a real radical left. He's a phony radical left.”
He added that Biden “didn't believe this stuff. He didn't believe in open borders and she does, she wants to open your borders.”
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