Trump deflects and misleads in real-time reaction to Harris speech

Former president Donald Trump did not hold back as Democratic nominee Kamala Harris delivered her acceptance speech Thursday night, firing off a series of scathing, insulting and sometimes unrelated comments while Harris was speaking.

Trump took to his Truth Social account to make a variety of comments, from accusing Harris of falsehoods to defending his record to making extraneous remarks, such as demanding “WHERE’S HUNTER?” in reference to President Joe Biden’s son.

At the outset of Harris’s speech, Trump took exception to how she thanked the crowd for cheering her onstage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump also complained that Democrats referred to Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “coach,” pointing out that he was an assistant coach of a high school football team.

While Harris recounted her upbringing, Trump urged her to address his three main issues: “Border, Inflation, and Crime!”

“Kamala’s biography won’t lower prices at the Grocery Store, or at the Pump!” he said. He repeatedly criticized her for not already implementing her proposals during her time as vice president, a critique he has previously aimed at Republican and Democratic opponents with long records of government service. Still, Trump himself has already served a term as president.

Trump’s rapid-fire commentary created the unprecedented spectacle of a former president and current nominee firing off critiques of his rival’s acceptance speech in real time. While Harris’s speech was in many ways a traditional convention address, Trump’s unorthodox reaction to it underlined his harsh, visceral style of politics and suggested the former president was glued to Harris’s speech as it unfolded.

Trump falsely accused Harris of letting in 20 million undocumented immigrants, which would be almost twice the total estimated undocumented population as of 2022, and about twice the recorded enforcement encounters since 2021.

Trump called “many” of the undocumented immigrants “Criminals, who are MAIMING and KILLING our people!” The available data on crime rates among undocumented immigrants compared with the general population is incomplete, but an analysis by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee concluded that about 10 percent of immigrants in removal proceedings had criminal convictions or pending charges.

At another point, Trump defended his opposition to a bipartisan bill to add emergency border authorities and funding, which Harris said he had blocked to deprive the administration of a politically beneficial accomplishment. Trump argued the legislation was unnecessary because Biden and Harris “could have just said, ‘CLOSE THE BORDER!’ like I did.” Illegal border crossings fell last month to the lowest level in four years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

As part of reforming the immigration system, Harris suggested creating “an earned pathway to citizenship,” a goal discussed in both parties for decades. Trump responded, “SAY GOODBYE TO THE U.S.A.! SHE IS A RADICAL MARXIST!”

When Harris described the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 initiative as “written by his closest advisers,” the former president insisted: “LYING AGAIN ABOUT PROJECT 2025, WHICH SHE KNOWS, AND SO DO ALL DEMOCRATS, THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH!” Trump has repeatedly sought to distance himself from the effort, which was intended to prepare the next Republican administration with policies and personnel, although many former Trump administration officials helped craft it.

As Harris vowed to sign legislation that would reinstate abortion rights nationwide, Trump defended the overturning of Roe v. Wade, falsely claiming that “everybody,” including Democrats, “wanted Roe v. Wade TERMINATED.”

One of the notable parts of Harris’s speech was her decision to address the sensitive topic of the war in Gaza. “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused,” Harris said, also stressing the widespread suffering of Palestinians.

Trump proceeded to say: “SHE HATES ISRAEL - Wouldn’t even show up to Congress for Netanyahu’s session!” Harris did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent address to Congress, but she met with him when he came to the United States.

In another rhetorical device Trump often uses, he several times turned Harris’s words back against her. “She’s talking about the Middle Class, but she’s the one who broke the Middle Class,” he said in one post. “I TRUST WOMEN,” he said in another, when Harris cited antiabortion proposals from Trump allies and asked, “Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women?”

“I saved NATO!” Trump responded when Harris accused him of undermining the alliance.

Harris said Trump cozied up to dictators, who she said are now rooting for him to win because he would be easy to manipulate. Trump responded, “There will be no future under Comrade Kamala Harris, because she will take us into a Nuclear World War III! She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!”

Trump continued his commentary after the speech ended, appearing on Fox News to argue that Harris has had plenty of time to accomplish the things she is now promising to do. “She could have done it 3½ years ago,” he said.

Trump offered a series of other criticisms, then concluded that other than that, “it was a nice-looking room.”

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Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.