The rally late Friday attracted some 6,000 people, and was Trump’s second visit to the state in three weeks.
Most of his speech was a typical Trump affair that haphazardly weaved political points on immigration and the economy with myriad tangents, such as a back-and-forth with the crowd about the best nickname for President Joe Biden, as well as criticizing his treatment at Tuesday’s debate by the ABC moderators who fact-checked him in real time. He said Harris was “clearly not well” — accompanied by videos of her laughing — and called her “a threat to democracy.”
Trump kicked off his speech praising his Tuesday debate performance, although he has since refused a rematch offered by Harris. A CNN poll taken immediately after the debate found 63 percent of respondents believing Harris had performed better.
Moderators also fact-checked Trump on a host of statements made, some of which Trump reiterated Friday, including that some states allow the killing of babies after they are born (which is not true).
Trump has faced criticism from Democrats for urging Senate Republicans to kill a bipartisan immigration bill that would have increased the number of border patrol agents and given the Biden administration the authority to “close” the border — or cease processing most asylum claims — if the number of migrant encounters reaches a certain threshold.
Raquel Lara, a 55-year-old Las Vegas teacher, said the border was among the issues most important to her, citing stories she has heard about migrants hurting children.
She was among the attendees who, like Trump, underscored the stakes of the election — not just in regards to the border — which she thinks will be a “landslide.”
If Trump doesn’t win, Lara said, it’s going to “be war.”