LITITZ, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump gave a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before the presidential election, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
In remarks Sunday that bore no resemblance to his standard speech in the campaign’s closing stretch, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances about being prosecuted after trying to overturn his defeat four years ago. Trump intensified his verbal attacks against a “grossly incompetent” national leadership and the American media, steering his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at one point on to the topic of violence against members of the press.
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...argue that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a tight race.
Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged him to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday even if the race is too early to call. That’s what Trump did four years ago, kicking off a process of fighting the election results that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
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“It’s a crooked country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to make it straight. We’re going to make it straight.”
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[In] his next speech a few hours later at an airport in Kinston, North Carolina, drifted between prepared remarks and familiar stories. Trump praised David McCormick, the businessman running for Senate in Pennsylvania, appearing to briefly lose track of his location but quickly recovering.
“Where’s David? Is he around some place?” Trump said. “You know we just left him. He’s a great guy.”
