Harris Criticizes Trump as 'Same Old Show' Amid His Racial Attacks
Trump and Harris conducted simultaneous events in Pennsylvania and Texas on Wednesday night.
TroibNews 
A harsher, more recognizable version of former President Donald Trump reemerged on Wednesday, targeting Vice President Kamala Harris with crude personal attacks, exaggerated policy critiques, and a touch of racial animus reminiscent of his initial campaign.
During a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Trump centered his speech on “crazy Kamala’s policies.” He questioned her ability to handle Chinese President Xi Jinping, labeled her a “liberal from California,” and mocked media coverage of her, claiming “all of the sudden she’s the new Margaret Thatcher” and saying “they gave her a transformation like Houdini.”
Although Trump did not reiterate at the rally his previous suggestion that Harris only recently “became” Black, he posted on social media that Harris was a “stone cold phony.” His campaign appeared keen to further aggravate the situation.
Prior to Trump's speech, an old headline displayed on a screen read: “California’s Kamala Harris becomes the first Indian American US senator.” Alina Habba, Trump's attorney and surrogate, addressed the crowd: “Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from.” Meanwhile, in Arizona, his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, called Harris “a phony who caters to whatever audience is in front of her.”
Trump’s campaign had previously been marked by a more professional approach with fewer off-message moments compared to his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. However, following an assassination attempt, which, according to allies, left him “emotional” and “serene” and even “spiritual,” this new tone quickly dissipated, giving way to insults and personal attacks. This signaled a return to the racial insensitivity that characterized his first run for office.
Trump’s remarks coincided with a significant day in the campaign, as Harris was in Houston nearing a decision on her running mate, and Vance was at a rally in Glendale, Arizona. The rhetoric echoed his 2016 campaign, with some allies, like Laura Loomer, circulating Harris’ birth certificate on X, reminiscent of the birtherism that marked his earlier campaign.
Speaking in Texas while Trump concluded his remarks, Harris dismissed his comments as “divisiveness,” “disrespect,” and “the same old show” during her speech to the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in Houston.
“The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts,” Harris told the historically African American sorority. “We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.”
Since her Howard University days, Harris has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which is part of the “Divine Nine” group of historically Black sororities and fraternities.
Her comments sharply contrasted with the fiery responses from her allies. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre labeled Trump’s comments as “repulsive” and “insulting,” asserting “no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify.” U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a leading contender to be Harris’ running mate, termed Trump’s remarks as “the comments of a desperate, scared old man” who has “been having his butt kicked by an experienced prosecutor.”
“I think he’s worried, and she’s going to continue to do this, and she’s going to win the election in November,” Kelly stated to reporters outside the Capitol.
Earlier that Wednesday, during an interview at a convention of Black journalists in Chicago, Trump tried to appeal to Black voters by asserting that illegal immigrants were taking jobs from Black Americans. However, strategists from both parties believe he achieved the opposite effect, especially by suggesting Harris was unqualified for her role and “could be” a “DEI hire.”
“He’s hurt his chances with Black men because, although there was a percentage of them looking to vote for him, they’re hearing DEI, they’re hearing that Kamala was Indian before and now she’s Black. That’s going to be very offensive because a lot of folks in the Black community come from mixed backgrounds,” said Douglas Wilson, a Democratic strategist in North Carolina. "Today he lost a large portion of whatever support he had in the Black community.”
Other signs on Wednesday indicated Trump was channeling the darker elements of his 2016 campaign.
He called ABC News’ Rachel Scott’s questions “nasty,” a derogatory term he used for then-opponent Hillary Clinton. His campaign issued a statement criticizing the press, claiming “the media need to make a decision, and answer if their goal is to unite the Country or further divide us. Based on the unhinged and unprofessional commentary directed toward President Trump today by certain members of the media, many media elites clearly want to see us remain divided.”
Back in Harrisburg, Trump himself acknowledged a reversion had occurred.
Following the convention and the assassination attempt, he admitted he was “nice for about … three, four, five hours. And then I said, ‘these are bad people.’ We have to win this battle.”
Isabella Ramírez contributed to this report.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
During a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Trump centered his speech on “crazy Kamala’s policies.” He questioned her ability to handle Chinese President Xi Jinping, labeled her a “liberal from California,” and mocked media coverage of her, claiming “all of the sudden she’s the new Margaret Thatcher” and saying “they gave her a transformation like Houdini.”
Although Trump did not reiterate at the rally his previous suggestion that Harris only recently “became” Black, he posted on social media that Harris was a “stone cold phony.” His campaign appeared keen to further aggravate the situation.
Prior to Trump's speech, an old headline displayed on a screen read: “California’s Kamala Harris becomes the first Indian American US senator.” Alina Habba, Trump's attorney and surrogate, addressed the crowd: “Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from.” Meanwhile, in Arizona, his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, called Harris “a phony who caters to whatever audience is in front of her.”
Trump’s campaign had previously been marked by a more professional approach with fewer off-message moments compared to his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. However, following an assassination attempt, which, according to allies, left him “emotional” and “serene” and even “spiritual,” this new tone quickly dissipated, giving way to insults and personal attacks. This signaled a return to the racial insensitivity that characterized his first run for office.
Trump’s remarks coincided with a significant day in the campaign, as Harris was in Houston nearing a decision on her running mate, and Vance was at a rally in Glendale, Arizona. The rhetoric echoed his 2016 campaign, with some allies, like Laura Loomer, circulating Harris’ birth certificate on X, reminiscent of the birtherism that marked his earlier campaign.
Speaking in Texas while Trump concluded his remarks, Harris dismissed his comments as “divisiveness,” “disrespect,” and “the same old show” during her speech to the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in Houston.
“The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts,” Harris told the historically African American sorority. “We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.”
Since her Howard University days, Harris has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which is part of the “Divine Nine” group of historically Black sororities and fraternities.
Her comments sharply contrasted with the fiery responses from her allies. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre labeled Trump’s comments as “repulsive” and “insulting,” asserting “no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify.” U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a leading contender to be Harris’ running mate, termed Trump’s remarks as “the comments of a desperate, scared old man” who has “been having his butt kicked by an experienced prosecutor.”
“I think he’s worried, and she’s going to continue to do this, and she’s going to win the election in November,” Kelly stated to reporters outside the Capitol.
Earlier that Wednesday, during an interview at a convention of Black journalists in Chicago, Trump tried to appeal to Black voters by asserting that illegal immigrants were taking jobs from Black Americans. However, strategists from both parties believe he achieved the opposite effect, especially by suggesting Harris was unqualified for her role and “could be” a “DEI hire.”
“He’s hurt his chances with Black men because, although there was a percentage of them looking to vote for him, they’re hearing DEI, they’re hearing that Kamala was Indian before and now she’s Black. That’s going to be very offensive because a lot of folks in the Black community come from mixed backgrounds,” said Douglas Wilson, a Democratic strategist in North Carolina. "Today he lost a large portion of whatever support he had in the Black community.”
Other signs on Wednesday indicated Trump was channeling the darker elements of his 2016 campaign.
He called ABC News’ Rachel Scott’s questions “nasty,” a derogatory term he used for then-opponent Hillary Clinton. His campaign issued a statement criticizing the press, claiming “the media need to make a decision, and answer if their goal is to unite the Country or further divide us. Based on the unhinged and unprofessional commentary directed toward President Trump today by certain members of the media, many media elites clearly want to see us remain divided.”
Back in Harrisburg, Trump himself acknowledged a reversion had occurred.
Following the convention and the assassination attempt, he admitted he was “nice for about … three, four, five hours. And then I said, ‘these are bad people.’ We have to win this battle.”
Isabella Ramírez contributed to this report.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
