Kamala Harris raised eyebrows at her rally on Wednesday when she defended Donald Trump after his running mate Tim Walz boasted that he can “outshoot” anyone, a claim that comes less than a month after a failed assassination attempt on the former president.
Democratic presidential candidate Harris stopped an attendee who was shouting “lock him up” at Trump, her Republican rival, during the event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
She had been giving her usual speech where she described her experience as a prosecutor, arguing that it meant she knew how to deal with men like Trump, when the supporter made the comment about the former president.
Harris jumped to Trump’s defense.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “You know what? The courts will take care of that part. What we’re going to do is defeat him in November.”
Tim Walz and Kamala Harris at their rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Trump faces multiple state and federal charges related to his business dealings, his handling of classified documents and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The former president made the “lock her up” chant famous during the 2016 campaign, when he encouraged his supporters to shout it about his then-rival, Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, Walz boasted about his shooting skills when he spoke to the crowd. After talking about his support for the Second Amendment, the Minnesota governor noted that he was an excellent marksman.
“When I was in Congress, I was the best skeet shooter for three years in a row. I can also shoot them better than them. I can shoot them better than these guys,” Walz said.
His comments came after Trump was shot at a rally on July 13 in Pennsylvania and Taylor Swift canceled a series of concerts in Austria due to threats.
Trump was nearly hit by a bullet from the AR-15, which severed his right ear.
Wisconsin was packed with politicians on Wednesday.
Harris and Walz were there as part of their swing through battleground states. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was in the same city to counter her message with his own.
The surge in political activity came after a new poll showed Harris was virtually tied with Trump in Wisconsin. The Marquette poll showed that among registered voters, Trump led 50-49, but among likely voters, Harris led 50-49.
At her rally, Harris focused on introducing Walz as her running mate and attacking Trump for his conservative record.
There were 12,000 people in the crowd, according to the campaign.
Indie band Bon Iver entertained the crowd before the politicians took the stage. They finished their performance with ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’, which was broadcast during the Civil War in support of the Union and abolitionism.
Lead singer Justin Vernon said it’s “a nice old patriotic song that’s been kicking around in my head these past few months.”
After the rally, the band joined Harris and Walz at The Local Store, a general store selling locally made goods.
Vernon was wearing a Harris-Walz camouflage hat. Walz’s daughter, Hope, was also there and wearing the hat.
Harris bought raw honey and cheese curds. Walz bought a reusable water bottle and a record: Break Me Open by S. Carey of Eau Claire. He is the drummer and vocalist for Bon Iver.
Supporters at Harris-Walz rally in Wisconsin: The campaign said there were 12,000 people in the crowd.
A group of Girl Scouts greeted Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as they landed in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, during the trip, Walz refused to answer questions related to “stolen valor charges.”
The governor of Minnesota has been accused of abandoning his National Guard unit after being told it was being deployed to Iraq.
Walz ignored questions on the subject from reporters traveling with him and Harris.
He served for more than two decades in the Army National Guard, and that was part of his appeal to Harris, who has no military experience.
In fact, Harris, during the rally, boasted about Walz’s service record.
“To his fellow veterans he is Sergeant Major Walz,” he said.
The timing of his separation from the military came to light during his 2018 campaign for governor.
Retired Master Sergeant Thomas Behrends of the Minnesota National Guard accused Walz of “embellishing” his record and abandoning his unit when he left the Guard to run for Congress.
Walz dismissed the charges as a “bipartisan political attack.”
“After completing 20 years of service in 2001, I re-enlisted to serve our country for four more years after 9/11 and retired the year before my battalion was deployed to Iraq to run for Congress,” he wrote at the time.
Walz, 60, enlisted in the Guard at the age of 17. He became the highest category soldier enlisted to serve in Congress.
Kamala Harris stopped by The Local Store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, also campaigned in Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Vance criticized Walz for the report.
Vance, who served with the US Marines in Iraq, said it was “shameful” that Walz had retired in 2005 just as his battalion was preparing to go to war.
“My point is that your job as a senior soldier in a unit is to keep your people safe. It’s not a job you can just walk away from at a moment’s notice,” Vance told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview aboard his campaign plane.
“So if he abandoned his troops before they went to Iraq or wherever… it’s absolutely shameful.”