Former President Donald Trump continues to enjoy widespread support in his now-home state of Florida, as evidenced by an impromptu rally on his behalf late last week.
Supporters organized a “golf cart rally” to oppose a “Cat Ladies For Kamala” event that had previously been scheduled. According to witnesses and participants, up to 1,000 or more carts were seen at the pro-Trump rally.
“There are around 1,000 carts here right now and the mood is electric,” Valerie Jamieson, co-president of The Villages MAGA Club, told local outlet Gulf Live just ahead of the parade’s 1 p.m. start time.
WATCH:
JUST IN: Golf cart owners rally for Trump in The Villages in Florida just one week after Harris supporters held their own golf cart rally in the community.
According to reports, there were about 1000 golf carts for Trump.
For comparison, the Harris golf cart rally had about… pic.twitter.com/OWACh0bjNi
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 3, 2024
Reports said that some cart drivers displayed signs reading “Kamala, You’re Fired” and “Make America Great Again” while others played patriotic music. Florida Republican Congressman Rep. Daniel Webster was among the pro-Trump crowd.
The rally for the vice president, meanwhile, drew between 400 and 500 carts, according to reports.
Meanwhile, it appears the Democratic machine that worked to hide President Joe Biden before his election is doing the same for Harris.
The woman who is set to be crowned the Democratic nominee for president next week has not had one press conference or long-form interview since ascending to the top of the ticket.
Fox News reported that it has been 13 days since she assumed the top spot on the Democratic ticket, and she has not had a press conference.
“Kamala Harris should absolutely hold a press conference. One would expect it when she names her vice-presidential pick. But we cannot expect her to break from Biden’s serial avoidance of press conferences,” Graham said to Fox News Digital.
“Since the 2020 campaign, we have witnessed the bizarre spectacle of Donald Trump granting wide access to networks that suggest he’s a fascist and hammer him daily, while Biden and Harris won’t grant interviews to media outlets that gurgle all over them and their ‘historic accomplishments,’” he said. “Either they think the press can never be servile enough, or they are projecting a complete lack of confidence in their efforts to put complete sentences together.”
It is unlikely that the mainstream media is going to press her for a press conference or interview as they have been busy producing glowing pieces on the candidate.
DePauw University media studies professor Jeffrey McCall said that the vice president’s campaign is “well aware that Biden dodged the media throughout his 2020 campaign and still got elected.”
“The Harris camp is also well aware that their candidate doesn’t do well in unscripted settings, not to mention that a presser or legitimate sit-down interview would necessarily require her to defend some of her positions, previous statements and record. Thus, a rerun of the Biden basement campaign sounds pretty good, as long as you throw in a couple of rallies with Megan Thee Stallion,” he said.
He said that the vice president does not feel pressure “to do a press conference just because she has fallen into the nomination” because Democrats are going to support her no matter what.
“The supporters rallying around her don’t expect her to be accountable and have little interest in her policy positions and so on. That she’s not Biden, or Trump, is sufficient for those supporters,” he said.
“From a rhetorical strategy standpoint, however, it would behoove Harris to actually do a presser and do real journalistic interviews,” he said. “At some point, it would seem, she’ll have to attract moderates or undecided voters who want to see her take questions.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
