Former President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed the notion that Vice President Kamala Harris was having “success” in polls.
The Republican nominee called into Fox News after Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination with a speech on the final night of the party’s convention in Chicago.
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum noted that Harris has “huge appeal and momentum” with women voters and was “having some success” drawing in young, Hispanic and Black voters.
“So what are you going to do, what’s your strategy to rebuild the momentum that you had with those voters?”
Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on August 17, 2024 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania (left) and Kamala Harris speaking to reporters outside of Primanati Bros. Restaurant on August…
Michael M. Santiago/Anna Moneymaker/GETTY
Trump immediately objected. “No, she’s not having success,” he said. “I’m having success. I’m doing great with the Hispanic voters. I’m doing great with Black men. I’m doing great with women because women want safety.”
He added: “No, it’s only in your eyes that they have that, Martha. We’re doing very well in the polls. We’re leading in most of the polls and in the swing states, we’re leading in almost every one of them.”
However, polling shows Harris has erased Trump’s lead over President Joe Biden since she entered the race in late July. She is leading Trump by 3.6 points as of Thursday, according to FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls.
The latest New York Times and Siena College poll, conducted between August 5 and August 9, showed Harris had a 21-point lead with women. A Newsweek analysis showed Harris is leading Trump among Black voters by 60 points.
Trump is narrowly ahead in the battleground states of Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, according to RealClearPolling’s average, while Harris is ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Before calling into Fox News, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to provide live commentary on Harris’ speech.
“Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?” Trump wrote in one post.
In her speech, Harris warned of the dangers of a second Trump administration.
At one point, she blamed him for the Supreme Court’s bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which stripped away constitutional protections for abortion, and warned that in a second term, Trump and his allies would enact a nationwide abortion ban, limit access to birth control, and ban medication abortion.
“And one must ask: Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women?” Harris said.
Trump shot back on Truth Social: “Everybody, Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, and Conservatives, wanted Roe v. Wade TERMINATED, and brought back to the States. Like Ronald Reagan and myself, most believe in EXCEPTIONS. Now the people are voting, which is the way it was supposed to be.”
He added: “I do not limit access to birth control or I.V.F. – THAT IS A LIE, these are all false stories that she’s making up, that I’ve never even heard of. I TRUST WOMEN, ALSO, AND I WILL KEEP WOMEN SAFE!”
Update 8/23/24, 3:40 am. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Source : Newsweek