SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) 鈥� Former President hurled insults at his rival, Vice President , and other women Wednesday 鈥� saying he had no interest in stopping his attacks even if they turn off female voters 鈥� as made landfall, with rain, tornadoes and tropical-storm-force winds.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be nice,鈥� Trump said at his first of two rallies of the day in the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania. 鈥淵ou know, somebody said, 鈥榊ou should be nicer. Women won鈥檛 like it.鈥� I said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 care.鈥欌��
He later refuted the idea that his rhetoric was a problem, even as . 鈥淭he women want to see our country come back,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 care.鈥�
Trump was campaigning even as the storm threatened to overshadow the presidential race with fears that it would cause catastrophic damage in Tampa and other parts of Florida's Gulf Coast. Harris flew to Nevada for a Western campaign swing, but first attended a briefing on the storm and the federal response with President Joe Biden at the White House.
Speaking in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Trump lobbed personal insults at Harris 鈥� calling her 鈥済rossly incompetent鈥� and 鈥渢otally ill-equipped to do the job of being President of the United States鈥� 鈥� and went after one of the hosts of ABC鈥檚 鈥淭he View,鈥� which Harris appeared on Tuesday.
He called Sunny Hostin, who is Black and Latina, 鈥渄umber than Kamala.鈥�
鈥淭hat is one dumb woman. Sorry. I鈥檓 sorry, women, she鈥檚 a dummy,鈥� he said of Hostin, who had asked Harris if there was anything she would have done differently than Biden over the last four years. Harris replied: 鈥淣ot a thing comes to mind.鈥�
Later, in Reading, he turned on another host of the program, calling Whoopi Goldberg, who is also Black, 鈥渄emented鈥� and saying she had a 鈥渇oul mouth.鈥�
鈥淪he was so filthy dirty, disgusting,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was so dirty. Every word was filthy, dirty. What a loser she is.鈥�
Trump and his campaign have seized on Harris' response to the Biden question as it tries to paint her as nothing more than a continuation of Biden鈥檚 unpopular presidency.
In Reading, he called her answer 鈥渄isqualifying鈥� and listed a series of tragedies that happened on the Biden administration鈥檚 watch, including Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"People are realizing she鈥檚 a dumb person. And we can鈥檛 have another dumb president," he railed.
He also went after the Biden administration for its response to Hurricane Helene .
鈥淭his administration has not done a proper job at all. Terrible, terrible,鈥� he told the crowd. 鈥淲e just pray for everybody," he went on. 鈥淲e hope that God will keep them safe.鈥�
Harris' campaign, meanwhile, mocked Trump for the unusual number of empty seats in the Reading arena 鈥� a sore spot for the crowd-obsessed Trump.
At both stops, he urged the crowd to vote early, and said that if he wins the state, "we win the whole thing.鈥�
鈥淲hen the polls open tomorrow, don鈥檛 wait. Go immediately. Go as soon as you can,鈥� he said in Scranton. Pennsylvanians can fill out mail ballots at their county elections offices but the state does not have the type of early voting that exists in other places. Each county determines when its mail ballots are available.
Milton scrambles campaigns
has already disrupted the campaign, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated large swaths of the Southeast. Trump, who moved to Florida after he left the White House, postponed a virtual event Tuesday night focused on health care and postponed a Univision town hall that was supposed to happen in Miami.
Harris has her own Univision town hall planned for Thursday in Las Vegas before returning to Arizona, making her to both states in less .
Trump, at his rally in Scranton 鈥� Biden's birthplace 鈥� said he was praying for those in the hurricane's path and wanted to 鈥渟end our love to everyone in Florida. They鈥檙e going through a big one tonight.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e praying for them and asking God to keep them all safe, all those people. I鈥檝e never seen a hurricane like that," he went on. 鈥淪o often, you know, they talk about it and they talk talk talk because they want you to watch. This is the real deal. This is a bad one.鈥�
Campaigning in Arizona, where early voting kicked off Wednesday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz called on the country to come together to support those who will be impacted.
鈥淭hose are Americans. Those are our neighbors. Those are our family members. Those are our friends,鈥� he said, calling unity across party lines in the face of natural disasters 鈥渃ritical.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about politics. It鈥檚 about basic human decency,鈥� Walz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about leadership and character.鈥�
Milton is approaching just days after killed more than 220 people in six Southeastern states and left behind a swath of destruction that federal, state and local authorities are trying to alleviate even as they brace for the new storm.
鈥楻eckless鈥� hurricane misinformation
Both Biden, who due to the storm, and Harris have denounced the misinformation and disinformation surrounding the federal response to Helene, including the false assertion that there is a cap on assistance funding families can receive.
They also denounced the false notion that funding is being diverted away from Republican-heavy areas and to people in the country illegally, as well as the claim that federal authorities offering aid could eventually steal property from its owners. Both much of the falsehoods.
鈥淚 want to be clear about something. Over the last few weeks, there鈥檚 been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people," Biden said during the Milton briefing. "It鈥檚 undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. And it鈥檚 harmful to those who need help the most.鈥�
鈥淲hat a ridiculous thing to say,鈥� Biden said of the that funding is being diverted to migrants in the country illegally. Biden also referenced Georgia Republican Rep. 's false suggestion that 鈥淚 control the weather," he said, calling her comments like something 鈥渙ut of a comic book.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 beyond ridiculous," Biden said. "It鈥檚 got to stop.鈥�
Harris said that once the hurricane passes, 鈥淲e will be there to help folks rebuild.鈥�
Addressing Florida residents, Harris added: "Many of you, I know are tough, and you鈥檝e ridden out these hurricanes before. This one is going to be different.鈥�
Outside the arena in Reading before Trump spoke, financial consultant Zimri Rivera said he didn鈥檛 have an issue with candidates holding events as the hurricane approached Florida.
鈥淚 feel like both politicians are politicking,鈥� said Rivera, 30. 鈥淚 do hope that the government in general does respond and provides relief to those affected.鈥�
Trump has faced numerous other distractions to his campaign, including the criminal cases against him, said Joey Inmon, 63, of Reading.
鈥淎s far as the hurricane goes, and managing that 鈥� that鈥檚 not Trump鈥檚 job,鈥� Inmon said.
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Weissert reported from Washington and Colvin from New York. Associated Press journalists Mark Scolforo, Anna Johnson and Nancy Benac in Reading contributed to this report.
Michelle L. Price, Jill Colvin And Will Weissert, The Associated Press
