Donald Trump accused Kamala Harris of embarking on a “regulatory jihad” to shut down power plants across the country while laying out her own vision of an energy-independent and “manufacturing-dominant” nation.
Trump spoke in Pennsylvania on Monday, his second visit to the state in two days, as he embarks on a swing through battleground states.
As Harris is crowned at her party’s convention in Chicago, she has to revive a campaign that has been hampered by the late change of candidates in the Democratic Party.
He warned his audience of about 300 supporters that his rival wanted to ban fracking and impose a carbon tax.
“Kamala is also on a regulatory jihad to shut down power plants across America right now,” she said, claiming that 50 plants had closed since she and Joe Biden took office.
Donald Trump kicked off a week of counterprogramming to the Democratic convention with a speech on the economy in York, Pennsylvania, on Monday, his second visit to the state in two days.
“They’re shutting down nuclear power plants, they’re shutting down coal power plants, they’re shutting down everything. We’re not going to have a situation like California, where there are blackouts all the time.”
He laid out a protectionist plan to shield American industry from cheap foreign imports, plans to increase nuclear power, renewed his opposition to Nippon Steel’s planned purchase of U.S. Steel and outlined how he would lead an administration that would cut regulations in contrast to Harris.
He was speaking at Precision Components Group in York, which makes parts for the defence and aerospace sectors, among other industries.
Trump is campaigning this week in a series of battleground states as he struggles to regain his footing in a race that was upended by Joe Biden’s decision to step aside.
Candidates traditionally allow their rivals to enjoy a week in the spotlight at their party’s convention. But not Trump. On Tuesday he will travel to Michigan, then North Carolina and then Arizona.
On Monday, he scheduled his speech for early afternoon, knowing it would make headlines long before Biden’s big speech in Chicago.
Allies outside the campaign say they are increasingly frustrated by his lack of focus, illustrated by his rambling speech at his Bedminster golf course last week.
“He can’t keep doing this,” said one. “His attempts to attack Kamala are getting lost in a list of grievances.”
He was speaking at Precision Components Group in York, which makes parts for the defence and aerospace sectors, among other industries.
Supporters line up ahead of Trump appearance at Precision Custom Components
At times, Trump has seemed almost in denial about the new reality and the fact that Biden is no longer his opponent.
And he has maintained deeply personal attacks on his new rival, questioning her racial identity as she vie to become the country’s first black president.
“If you debate a presidential nomination, he wins,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Donald Trump, the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election.”
Trump has seen his convincing lead in national polls shrink or even reverse since Harris became the Democratic nominee.
On Monday, he spoke for 52 minutes and, despite digressions about the victory in Pennsylvania and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, largely stuck to his prepared speech.
He pledged a historic commitment to build “small, advanced modular nuclear reactors.”
Trump explained the benefits for Pennsylvania with a message of: jobs, jobs, jobs.
“They are ultra-clean and very low cost, but absolutely safe,” he said.
‘Under Kamala’s new green scam, billions and billions of taxpayer dollars are being sent to subsidize solar panel factories, windmill factories, battery production, and automobile production, all based in China.’
ASMNR reactors produce about one-third the energy of conventional reactors. Their small size means they are easier to site and there are fewer technical challenges in connecting them to existing infrastructure.
Trump spoke in an echoing brick warehouse filled with mechanical elevators and manufacturing equipment, decorated with American flags and banners proclaiming the day’s message: “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”
“Instead of shutting down power plants, we’ll open dozens and dozens more, and we’ll do it quickly,” he said.
“Kamala stands for the disappearance of energy and the destruction of factories. She will destroy factories like this. I stand for American energy independence and manufacturing dominance.”