Former President Donald Trump planned to campaign Friday in Western states as his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, keeps her focus on one of the biggest battleground prizes in the East, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, President Biden responds to debunked claims against Haitian Americans.
Trump campaigns in Harris' home state as the VP targets Pennsylvania
Trump was scheduled to hold what was being billed as a news conference at his Los Angeles-area golf club. He was to speak at the seaside club perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean before heading to northern California for a fundraiser, followed by a rally in Las Vegas, the largest city in swing state Nevada.
Harris, meanwhile, headed to Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre on Friday, campaigning in counties where Trump won in 2016 and 2020, as she tries to capitalize on her momentum after Tuesday night's debate.
It's her second day of back-to-back rallies after holding two events in North Carolina, another swing state, on Thursday. Her campaign is aiming to hit every market in every battleground state over four days, with stops by Harris, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and other surrogates in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.
While speaking in Charlotte, Harris took a victory lap for her debate performance in which she needled Trump and kept him on the defensive. Recounting one moment while campaigning in North Carolina, she mocked Trump for saying he had "concepts of a plan" for replacing the Affordable Care Act.
"Concepts. Concepts. No actual plan. Concepts," she said as the crowd roared with laughter.
Her campaign said she raised $47 million from 600,000 donors in the 24 hours after her debate with Trump.
Harris said the candidates "owe it to voters to have another debate." But Trump said he won't agree to face off with her again.
Trump's morning event marked the second Friday in a row that the Republican scheduled a news conference, though at his last appearance in New York, the former president didn't take any questions. Instead, the Republican for nearly an hour railed against women who have accused him of sexual misconduct over the years, resurrecting the allegations in great detail before his debate with Harris.
It was unclear whether Trump plans to speak about any subject in particular at Friday's news conference, but his campaign has added more to his schedule since early August as he tries to contrast himself with Harris. She has not held a news conference since becoming a presidential candidate and the Democrat has sat for just one in-depth interview.
Her campaign has said she will start doing more interviews with local media outlets in battleground states.
‘It's simply wrong’: Biden condemns anti-Haitian immigrant rhetoric at brunch celebrating Black Excellence
At an event at the White House on Friday celebrating the achievements of Black Americans, President Joe Biden became the latest figure to condemn the false claims, advanced by former President Donald Trump and his campaign, about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating residents’ pets in Ohio.
Biden spoke after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who he referred to as a “proud Haitian American.”
"I want to take a moment to say something about so many Americans like Karine ... a proud Haitian American," Biden said. "A community that's under attack in our country right now.”
"It's simply wrong. There’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing," Biden said, seemingly referring to Trump. "It has to stop."
Despite police in Springfield, Ohio, saying there is no evidence to support the claim, it has bubbled up numerous times this week, including during Tuesday's presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs!" Trump said at one point on Tuesday. "The people that came in, they’re eating the cats! They're eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what's happening in our country."
"Talk about extreme," Harris responded after ABC anchor and debate moderator David Muir sought to fact-check Trump's claim.
Turning to the main focus of the event, Biden declared that the Black community has “always had my back” -- and he, theirs.
“This nation would not exist – and this is literal – without the blood, sweat and tears of the determination, dreams and contributions of Black Americans,” Biden said.
Doug Emhoff makes campaign stop at The Villages
The Harris campaign had a presence in Central Florida this evening in second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who scheduled a rally in the Villages.
His Florida stop followed visits Thursday in Arizona and North Carolina, two states have have become more likely to be swing states in the election.
It was part of the Harris campaign's "New Way Forward" tour.