Donald Trump’s campaign indicated he would start previewing his closing argument on Saturday night, just two weeks before Election Day. However, the former president opened his rally with an extensive anecdote about Arnold Palmer, even making comments about the late golfer’s anatomy.
Campaigning in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where Palmer was born in 1929 and honed his golfing skills under his father, who was the local country club’s head pro and greenskeeper, Trump took time to honor Palmer. This isn’t unusual for politicians in Palmer’s hometown, but Trump spent 12 full minutes celebrating him, suggesting the night would be more enjoyable if Palmer, who passed away in 2016, could join him on stage.
“Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that with all due respect to women,” Trump stated. He then added, “When he took showers with other pros, they came out of there saying, ‘Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.’ I have to say, we have highly sophisticated women here, but they used to view Arnold as a man.”
Prior to the speech, Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters that Trump intended to frame his closing argument against Vice President Kamala Harris. Traditionally, candidates use the final days of campaigning to summarize their qualifications for the presidency.
Trump did touch on familiar campaign themes but didn’t present new arguments for why he should win. Instead, he boasted about his strong tax policies and military during his first term. He called Harris “crazy” and used profanity, telling the crowd, “You have to tell Kamala Harris that you’ve had enough, that you can’t take it anymore. You’re a s— vice president,” eliciting cheers from the audience. “The worst. Kamala, you’re fired. Get the hell out of here.”
He also criticized Harris for her earlier support of a fracking ban, an important issue for Pennsylvania’s economy, which her campaign says she no longer supports.
Trump welcomed members of a local steelworkers union on stage, donning a construction hat with his name on it. He also mentioned a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, saying, “He said, ‘It’s incredible what’s happened,’” before criticizing President Joe Biden, asserting that Netanyahu “wouldn’t listen to Biden.”
Praising the enthusiastic crowd at the outdoor airport rally, Trump pointed out increased security around him, referencing two assassination attempts: “They give you a little extra security nowadays, you notice?” He remarked, “I’ve got more machine guns than I’ve ever seen—look at these guys,” as the crowd chanted “USA! USA!” He concluded by linking his remarks back to Latrobe’s famous son, saying, “They look like Arnold. Can’t look better than Arnold.”
