Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance has promised hundreds of supporters in Reading, one of the poorest cities in the country, in the state of Pennsylvania, more support for the manufacturing industry.
At a rally, covered by Lusa, in the hangar of the Reading Regional Airport, Vance was greeted with euphoria on Saturday by hundreds of Republican voters who saw him get off a plane with the slogan "Make America Great Again" and answer several questions from the public about his plans for the country.
From inflation to the housing crisis, electoral security, immigration, competitiveness with China and the fight against communism, Donald Trump's running mate addressed some of the main concerns of the Republican electorate and made harsh criticisms of his Democratic rivals, promising to restore the power of industry in places like Reading, which once held the title of "poorest city in the USA".
The Ohio senator said that one of his priorities is to "protect the U.S. manufacturing sector," especially from China, arguing that this process will involve greater domestic energy production.
"We're in Pennsylvania. We're sitting on Saudi Arabia's natural gas. We need to free that up, and that will reduce costs for everyone, because we all use energy, and we all use things that are made of energy, but it will also make it easier to manufacture in the U.S.," he said, recalling that former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump advocates the extraction of fossil fuels to boost the country's energy production.
Asked by a supporter about how to keep the U.S. competitive with China, Vance argued that the solution lies in Trump's proposal to impose tariffs.
"We can't trust countries that hate us to make our stuff," the vice presidential candidate said, to applause from the audience.
The 40-year-old senator also called the replacement of current President Joe Biden by Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate a "threat to democracy."
One of the voters asked JD Vance how the electorate can be sure that the next election will be fair. The senator once again spread the false claim that the Democrats stole the 2020 election, when Joe Biden defeated Trump, but assured "that everything will work out better" this year.
"Vote! We will do everything we can to make sure that the legal votes are counted," he urged.
At the Reading Regional Airport hangar, many of the people in the crowd wore T-shirts with the iconic image of the moment when Donald Trump raised his fist to the crowd after being hit in the ear by a bullet at a campaign event last July, precisely in Pennsylvania.
In the end, a group of Republican women confessed to Lusa that they greatly admire the Ohio senator, stressing that they will support the Trump/Vance Republican team in the November 5 elections.
"How can you not love him?! He sat here and spoke to us honestly. I will vote for Trump and Vance without a shadow of a doubt," said a septuagenarian voter.
"My hope is that my grandchildren will be able to have the same country that I had when I was younger, with respect, love and faith. Right now, everything in the country worries me," she added.
Pennsylvania has become a routine stop for the Trump and Harris campaigns, as it is expected to be a decisive state in the presidential election.
A survey conducted by the New York Times indicated that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are investing more money, time and energy in Pennsylvania than anywhere else, waging a publicity war as they crisscross the state.
The vice president has followed Democratic Senator John Fetterman's advice that the Democratic campaign should spend more time with Pennsylvania voters outside of the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions, both already largely Democratic, and instead focus on the state's conservative interior to try to curb Trump's potential advantage in those areas.
In the outskirts of Reading, about 60 miles from Philadelphia - Pennsylvania's largest city - the dominance of public support for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris is evident in dozens of homes, which display signs supporting Trump and Vance in their front yards or windows, along with the American flag.
The billboards, with direct appeals to vote for Trump, were also predominantly Republican.
Nationally, Kamala Harris maintains a slight lead over Donald Trump, but has been losing ground in the polls, which keep all scenarios of victory open.
Harris ended the week with a 48.4% lead to 46% of voting intentions, according to the Fivethirtyeight website, which uses the average of several polls in the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment