Former President Donald Trump on Friday said the November election is a choice between “competence and incompetence” as he relished a big victory against President Biden in his first rally following the presidential debate in Atlanta.
President Biden fumbled lines and lost his train of thought on the debate stage, sparking Democratic soul-searching about his ability to beat Mr. Trump in November.
“Did anybody last night watch a thing called the debate? That was a big one,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he’s working to flip the state into the GOP column in November. “We had a big victory against a man that is looking to destroy our country.”
Mr. Trump said Mr. Biden spent the whole week at Camp David only to fumble the ball.
“He studied very hard. He studied so hard that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” Mr. Trump said. “No amount of rest or rigging could help him defend his atrocious record.”
The Trump campaign wants to expand the 2024 map by winning Virginia and its 13 electoral votes.
Each party has grabbed control of the legislature and governor’s mansion in Richmond in recent years, making Virginia a potential swing state, though it has tended Democrat in the last four presidential elections.
Chris LaCivita, a senior advisor to Mr. Trump, told reporters the campaign has a variety of paths to victory.
“Virginia is in play, Minnesota is in play and now we are seeing that New Mexico is coming online,” he said. “We are actually expanding the map and, look, the Biden campaign is actually decreasing the size of the map.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, won in 2021, and the Trump team wants to press the GOP’s advantage in the Old Dominion.
“This is about strength versus weakness,” Mr. Youngkin said in warm-up speeches for Mr. Trump. “We have seen the weak American that Joe Biden has created.”
Mr. Trump echoed those sentiments when he took the stage.
“The election is a choice between strength and weakness, competence and incompetence,” Mr. Trump said.
Other parts of his speech circled his usual campaign themes, including Mr. Biden’s chaotic military exit from Afghanistan and the need to avoid another global conflict.
“We have a man who is grossly incompetent heading up our nation,” Mr. Trump said. “Last night was a defeat not only for Biden but for the entire radical left.”
The Democratic National Committee said Virginians won’t buy what Mr. Trump and Mr. Youngkin are selling, pointing to the governor’s embrace of a 15-week abortion ban last year.
“Virginians had different plans: On Election Day, Republicans suffered humiliating losses as Virginians sent Youngkin and Trump a clear message and delivered Democratic majorities to both legislative chambers,” DNC spokeswoman Maddy Mundy said.
Mr. Trump made the foray into Virginia as Democrats reeled from Mr. Biden’s painful debate performance which only cemented voters’ concerns that he’s too old for the job.
Mr. Biden, 81, often lost his train of thought, mumbled and struggled to deliver lines. It sent a shiver of panic through Democrat circles.
After the debate, Mr. Biden insisted he “did well” but said he had a sore throat. Democrats also complained about Mr. Trump’s tendency to lie without pushback from moderators, such as downplaying the size of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol or stating Democrats support abortion “after birth” even though infanticide is illegal in all states.
Mr. Biden misstated facts, too, such as saying he put a $15 cap on insulin costs when it is $35.
The president tried to bounce back with a more spirited performance during a rally Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he vowed to beat Mr. Trump this fall. He also received support from senior Democrats and his former boss, President Barack Obama.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Mr. Obama said on X. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking in Nevada on Friday, said that “character matters more than style” and the election will not be decided by “one night in June.”
But Mr. Trump twisted the knife, saying Democrats are better off with Mr. Biden than alternatives.
He called California Gov. Gavin Newsom “one of the worst governors” and suggested that Ms. Harris is so low-performing that it offers the Democratic president some job protection.
“It might have been Joe Biden’s single best decision putting her as vice president,” he said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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