Trump calls Harris ‘mentally deficient’ in ‘Dark Speech’ at rally

• Trump said Vice President Kamala Harris was born “mentally disabled” at a rally in Wisconsin.
• He later admitted to the crowd that it was a “dark speech”.
• Trump also made a series of inflammatory remarks about immigration at the event.

Former President Donald Trump gave what he admitted was a “dark speech” at a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, turning on a string of rants about Vice President Kamala Harris.

Instead of focusing on policy, Trump used much of his speech in Prairie du Chien, WI, to trash Harris, including at one point saying she was born “mentally disabled.”

“Joe Biden has become mentally ill,” Trump said, adding, “Kamala was born that way.”

“And if you think about it, only a mentally disabled person could have allowed this to happen in our country,” he continued.

The comments sparked swift backlash from disability advocates.

Maria Town, CEO of the American Association of Persons with Disabilities, condemned the remarks, saying in a statement that they “say far more about him and his inaccurate and hateful biases against people with disabilities than they do about Vice President Harris or any person. with a disability”.

Trump later admitted it was a “dark speech.”

“I’ve got people sitting in the front row – they’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ They thought they’d be jumping up and down — “make America great again,” he said.

“I’m just saying, this is a dark — this is a dark speech,” he added.

Trump’s sharp rhetoric comes as he tries to shore up support in key battleground states ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Wisconsin, where the rally was held, is crucial for both parties, having gone narrowly for Trump in 2016 and then for Biden in 2020.

Immigration remains a hot-button issue for voters, and Trump also used the rally to target the topic, often using inflammatory language.

At one point, he called undocumented immigrants “scary killers” who “make our criminals look like babies.”

After the rally, the former president took to Truth Social to voice his opinion, writing, “He left Wisconsin where illegal immigrants are wreaking havoc. I will take care of this situation and quickly!”