Washington: Donald Trump has boasted about ending the career of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, branding her as an “animal” as he laid the groundwork for another bid for the presidency in 2024.
On the eve of an election that is expected to mark a new period of bitter division in America, the former president used a rally in Ohio to also declare that he would be “making a very big announcement” about his future at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on November 15.
Former US president Donald Trump campaigned at the rally for Ohio Republican candidates including JD Vance.Credit:Getty
“The tyrants we are fighting do not stand a chance,” Trump said, as he and President Joe Biden made a final dash to key battlegrounds in a bid to mobilise support for the midterm elections on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT). “We will take our country back.”
Trump has been teasing for months that he wants another shot at the White House and was reportedly considering announcing his decision in Ohio. However, after hours of speculation, he told the crowd that he did not wish to detract from the midterms, where Republicans are expected to take control of Congress.
Instead, he used his 100-minute speech to lash out at the Democrats, taking particular aim at Pelosi days after her husband was brutally attacked by an assailant who subscribed to Trump’s view that Biden’s election victory was rigged.
“We are going to end crazy Nancy Pelosi’s political career!” he declared as the audience cheered enthusiastically. “I think she’s an animal… She impeached me twice for nothing!”
Trump’s comments came only minutes after Pelosi choked back tears during an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper about the trauma of the attack on her husband – and the fact that she was the target according to police.
The usually stoic speaker was emotional as she reflected on the rising tide of political violence in the US, and the hundreds of people seeking office at these elections who continue to believe the presidency was stolen.
She also said the attack would affect her possible decision to retire from Congress altogether if Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives as expected.
“It’s really sad for the country that people want to separate the facts and the truth in such a blatant way,” Pelosi said. “It’s really sad, and it is traumatising to those affected by it.”
Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance speaks before former president Donald Trump in Ohio.Credit:AP
Trump travelled to Ohio to support Hillbilly Eulogy author JD Vance – a former Trump critic who flipped to get the former president’s support for the Republican nomination. Vance is now locked in a tight Senate contest against Tim Ryan, a moderate Democrat who has distanced himself from Biden and the progressive wing of his party as he courts working-class voters.
Meanwhile, Biden, whose low approval rating has resulted in some candidates not wanting to campaign with him, travelled to friendly territory in Maryland near Washington DC to rev up the base for a Republican-held governor’s seat that Democrat Wes Moore is a strong chance to win.
“Let’s be clear, this election is not a referendum; it’s a choice,” Biden said. “It’s a choice between two very different visions in America.”
The election-eve rallies took place as Democrats braced themselves for the likelihood of losing one or both chambers of Congress.
US President Joe Biden speaks at his final midterm campaign rally in Maryland.Credit:Bloomberg
Non-partisan election forecasters predict Republicans will take back the House, while the Senate will come down to a number of swing states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia.
Hindered by voter discontent over inflation and cost-of-living pressures, Democrats have struggled to craft a clear message on the economy, while Republicans have successfully sought to blame Biden for the financial pain Americans are feeling.
Through the northern summer, after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, and as the January 6 hearings put the spotlight on Trump’s attempt to subvert the 2020 election, Democrats had hoped that focusing on Republican extremism would help their chances. But while it initially galvanised the base, it could not detract from hip-pocket issues such as inflation at 40-year highs, or the soaring price of petrol and groceries.
“The Democrats by and large have not done a particularly good job speaking to middle America,” said Mike Binder, an associate professor from North Florida University’s Public Opinion Research Laboratory. “They made a calculated gamble on abortion and it has not resonated based on what I’m seeing.”
If Republicans take back control of the House, as most polls predict, it would make it near impossible for Biden to implement his agenda, including priorities such as codifying abortion protections into law, reforming the voting system, and tackling climate change. If the Senate also falls, Republicans could block Biden’s nominations for judicial or administrative posts.
Sensing the headwinds on Monday night, Biden sought to sharpen his attack, warning that if Democrats lost control of Congress, key reforms – designed to help struggling Americans – such as cheaper prescription drugs, family leave improvements and certain Medicare benefits – would be “gone”.
If Trump announces his candidacy next week, he effectively enters the 2024 presidential race trailing a string of lawsuits, including the Justice Department’s investigation of his handling of classified material he removed from the White House.
The announcement would come in the same week he asked to testify before the January 6 committee into the Capitol riots. He was subpoenaed by the committee last month to appear on November 14.
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