By James Oliphant and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump Having watched from the sidelines until now as Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee, inspiring and reenergizing the party, Trump will get back in the game on Wednesday.
Republican presidential nominee Trump is holding his first campaign rally since Harris emerged as a near-certain Democratic rival in the 2024 election. The former president is scheduled to attend the rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, a key battleground in the Nov. 5 election.
The Trump campaign has maintained that Harris is prepared to run as a surrogate for the president. Joe Biden about his economic and immigration policies that contributed to his declining popularity among voters.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed the newly realigned race statistically very close.
The poll, conducted two days after Biden decided not to run for reelection, gave Harris a two percentage point lead over Trump, 44% to 42%, though other recent national polls have given Trump an edge.
Biden, who has been isolating at his Delaware home because of COVID-19, is scheduled to address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday night to explain why he dropped out of the race on Sunday after intense pressure from his party.
The saga-defining speech was still being prepared Tuesday night, when Biden returned to the White House from a recuperating stay in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, according to a person familiar with the matter, as he ended his reelection effort with a letter he posted on social media.
Speaking to reporters in an unusual conference call on Tuesday, Trump underscored his campaign's attack line on the border, saying Harris was partly to blame for the record influx of migrants.
Biden has given Harris responsibility for working with Central American countries to stem the flow of migrants, but not for border security.
“She's a radical leftist. This country doesn't want the radical left to destroy our country,” Trump said on the call. “She wants open borders. She wants things that nobody wants.”
Harris does not call for the end of border controls.
Harris talks about black sororities
Harris is headed to Indianapolis on Wednesday to speak at an event hosted by Zeta Phi Beta sorority, founded at Howard University, the historically black college she attended. Harris hopes to tap into the sorority's multigenerational network of black women to help drive high voter turnout for Democrats in the November election.
Harris held her first spirited rally as a leading candidate on Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention was held last week, where she blasted Trump and said he was taking the country “backwards.”
“Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and the rule of law, or do we want to live in a country of chaos, fear and hatred?” she asked the crowd.
Harris outlined liberal priorities, saying if elected she would expand access to abortion, make it easier for workers to unionize and tackle gun violence, in stark contrast to Trump.
Democrats will formally nominate a new candidate at their convention in Chicago next month, after online voting on Aug. 7. North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is believed to be a finalist to be Harris' running mate.
Ms Harris and her campaign have been working furiously to solidify the support of Democratic senators and delegates across the country, with many potential rivals also backing her.
Trump was coming off a victorious week in which his party rallied around his candidacy for president after an assassination attempt two weeks earlier, but Biden's sudden withdrawal from the race dramatically altered the situation, forcing him to belittle himself and watch as the spotlight shifted to Harris.
The Harris campaign announced it has raised more than $100 million since Sunday.
(Reporting by James Oliphant and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Mary Milliken and Cynthia Osterman)
