Trump and Harris offer split-screen closing messages at dueling rallies in Milwaukee

The different styles of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were on full display at Friday night's dueling rallies in Milwaukee, the largest city in one of the country's most important swing states.

The two held late-night rallies about six miles apart in Wisconsin's largest city, with Harris generally sticking to the script in a 24-minute speech while Trump gave a typical rally speech in which he deviated from the script and touched on strange topics , including his audio recording equipment, while touching on a wide range of topics for nearly 90 minutes.

Trump spoke to a packed Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, and addressed the core themes of his campaign speeches, such as immigration, as well as non-traditional topics that had little to do with the 2024 election.

At the beginning of his speech, Trump praised the Greek-born star player of the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Republican presidential candidate asked the crowd if he was more Greek than the athlete whose nickname is “Greek Freak.”

“I would say the Greek,” is how Trump described the NBA star, “is a really good player.” Do you agree? And tell me who has more Greek in them. The Greek or me? I think we have about the same thing.”

Trump also addressed the themes that have dominated his rallies in recent weeks and his concocted final message: He will crack down on illegal immigration and use tariffs as a weapon to punish foreign adversaries, and he has continued to focus on baseless claims, the 2020 election was stolen, including the idea that he won Wisconsin that year, which he didn't.

“I actually won it twice,” Trump said. “But these are small things.”

Meanwhile, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, Harris stuck to her usual core message, portraying herself as a leader who will work for Americans of all political stripes, in contrast to Trump, whom she described as “increasingly unstable” and “consumed by resentment.”

“Either he'll be there on day one and walk into his office stewing over his list of enemies, or if I'm elected, he'll come in on your behalf with my to-do list,” the vice president said in her speech.

While Trump sparked new controversy with his recent comments about former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Harris reiterated that she would listen to people who disagree with her.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in prison, I’ll give them a seat at the table,” Harris said.

She has embraced the support of anti-Trump Republicans on the campaign trail, and Harris has said she would like to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.

Harris also urged her supporters to “be intentional about building community.”

The Trump era, Harris said, was “driven by the idea that Americans should point fingers at each other,” but added that “we all know that we all have so much more in common than what divides us.” .”

Trump also brought up his comments about Cheney, which sparked a firestorm earlier in the day. During an event with Tucker Carlson on Thursday night, he talked about how Cheney wouldn't be such a “war hawk” if she had guns “pointed at her face.”

Democrats criticized Trump for his threats of violence against the former Republican congresswoman, who has since become a prominent “Never Trump” voice, but Trump said he simply wanted to make it clear that Cheney would not have been so supportive of foreign conflicts if she had to fight in them. He blamed the media for the misunderstanding.

Cheney has been to Wisconsin twice with Harris, appearing in districts where former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was Trump's last Republican primary opponent, overperformed in the Wisconsin presidential primary. Cheney has been a key surrogate for the Harris campaign since announcing her support for vice president in September.

The two events in the same city also featured a split screen with the celebrity effect of the race.

Trump's opening speakers were mostly elected Republican politicians and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate who has supported Trump and is likely to play a health care role in his administration if Trump returns to the White House. Trump rally attendees chanted “Bobby, Bobby” as Kennedy delivered opening remarks.

Harris continued to show off her star appeal, showcasing musician Cardi B at her rally in Milwaukee. The rapper read most of her speech directly from her phone and said she doesn't plan to vote if President Joe Biden runs for re-election. However, that changed when Harris was nominated as a candidate in August.

“Above all, she is not delusional,” she said, obviously taking a swipe at Trump. She later added: “Do we really trust this man with our economy?”

Trump and his Republican allies have mocked and downplayed Harris' support from prominent entertainment figures. However, his campaign touted a regional celebrity during his Wisconsin swing by featuring legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre at a rally he held in Green Bay on Wednesday, while also appearing again during the Milwaukee stop Favre's support pointed out.

“He's never done it before … as an athlete it's hard to do that, you lose a few fans, who knows,” Trump said of Favre, who is under investigation in his home state of Mississippi for alleged welfare fraud. “He could really rip the ball.”

Both candidates have spent significant time in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, a testament to the state's importance to the 2024 electoral landscape.

It is among a handful of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, that are likely to decide the election.

The race is widely considered a back-and-forth in the state, with several recent public polls showing it within the margin of error, making Wisconsin a must-stop for both campaigns in the final days of the race.

“I’m thrilled to be back in this beautiful state,” Trump said. “We have a country that is going to hell, but we will get it under control very quickly.”