Harris urges voters not to be fooled by Trump’s claims electoral system is rigged

DETROIT (AP) — On nan past Sunday earlier Election Day, Democrat Kamala Harris said God offers a “divine scheme beardown capable to heal division” and urged voters not to beryllium fooled by Donald Trump’s disparagement of nan electoral strategy that he falsely claims is rigged against him.

The vice president offered nan latest loop of her closing statement successful Michigan, wherever she began her time astatine nan pulpit of a Black religion successful Detroit. From there, she embarked connected aggregate further stops successful nan state, portion of nan Democratic “blue wall” successful nan Midwest considered her smoothest imaginable way to an Electoral College majority.

Harris avoided nonstop mention of Trump during her 11-minute talk astatine Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God successful Christ. But her comments nevertheless served arsenic a clear juxtaposition pinch nan erstwhile president and Republican nominee.

“There are those who activity to deepen division, sow hate, dispersed fearfulness and origin chaos,” she said. She said astatine nan aforesaid clip Trump was successful Pennsylvania declaring nan U.S. a “failed nation” and saying that he “shouldn’t person left” nan White House aft nan 2020 election, which he denies losing to Democrat Joe Biden.

As Trump referred to Harris’ statement arsenic “demonic,” Harris quoted nan Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and told her friends assemblage she saw “a federation wished to move nan page connected dislike and section and floor plan a caller measurement forward,”

After nan service, Harris pushed backmost astatine Trump’s characterizations of U.S. elections, telling reporters that his comments are “meant to distract from nan truth that we person and support free and adjacent elections successful our country.” Those “good systems” were successful spot successful 2020, Harris said, and “he lost.”

The vice president said she trusts nan upcoming ballot tally and urged voters, “in peculiar group who person not yet voted to not autumn for this tactic, which I deliberation includes suggesting to group that if they vote, their ballot won’t matter.”

Separately, Harris nodded to nan important organization of Arab Americans successful Michigan, galore of whom are angry astatine nan Biden management for its continuation of nan U.S. confederation pinch Israel arsenic nan Netanyahu authorities presses its warfare against Hamas successful Gaza.

“I person been very clear that nan level of decease of guiltless Palestinians is unconscionable,” Harris told reporters. “We request to extremity nan war, and we request to get nan hostages out. And arsenic president of nan United States, I will do everything successful my powerfulness to execute that end.”

Harris, who is Baptist, has addressed a Black congregation each of nan past 4 Sundays — a motion to really important Black voters are successful Michigan and respective different battleground states.

After church, Harris greeted customers and picked up luncheon astatine Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles, wherever she had collard greens astatine nan Detroit edifice owned by erstwhile Detroit Lions subordinate Ron Bartell, a Detroit native. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among different officials, joined Harris for nan stop. Later, Harris stopped by Elam Barber Shop, a Black-owned business successful Pontiac, wherever she took portion successful a moderated speech pinch section leaders and Black men.

Michigan, on pinch Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is captious to Harris’ fortunes. Barack Obama swept nan region successful 2008 and 2012. But Trump flipped Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin successful 2016, prompting sizeable disapproval from Democrats who said nominee Hillary Clinton took nan states for granted. Biden returned nan 3 to nan Democrats’ file successful 2020.

Losing immoderate of nan 3 would put unit connected Harris to notch victories among nan 4 Sun Belt battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.