By Jeff Mason and Gabriella Borter
ERIE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Monday planned to re-emphasize her message that Donald Trump would endanger U.S. democracy if he regains the White House, drawing material from her Republican opponent’s rallies and his recent ominous statements about “the enemy from within.”
Harris was planning to show clips of Trump’s rallies at her own rally on Monday in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to a senior campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity, to try to make the point that Trump poses a danger because he believes those who do not agree with him are an enemy.
Trump in recent rally speeches has hinted darkly about facing “an enemy from within,” more dangerous than a foreign adversary. His campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
In an interview on Sunday on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked Trump if he was expecting “chaos” on Election Day, and he appeared to suggest the military could be deployed against citizens.
“I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within,” Trump said. “We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics.”
He added: “It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”
Trump would not be able to give orders to either National Guard or active-duty military units on Election Day on Nov. 5 because he is not president.
Harris’ trip to Pennsylvania on Monday is her 10th to the battleground state since she became the Democratic candidate in July. The state’s 19 electoral college votes will be pivotal to the election outcome.
Her trip to Erie was scheduled to include a stop at a Black-owned small business, as her campaign is concerned about slipping support from Black voters.
Harris unveiled new policy proposals aimed at Black men on Monday that include forgivable small business loans and access to a new legal recreational marijuana industry.
The Harris campaign and Democrats – including former President Barack Obama – have expressed deep concern about whether Black men will turn out in numbers seen in past elections and whether they will support Harris or Trump.
Over a quarter of young Black men say they would support Trump in the election race, according to a September poll by the NAACP, the nation’s largest civil rights organization. President Joe Biden got about 80% of the Black male vote in 2020.
The new slate of policy proposals is part of Harris’ effort to make a direct pitch at Black men and make them a more central part of her campaign during the final stretch. Reuters was first to report the plan.
The new policies include 1 million loans that are fully forgivable of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs in underserved communities, and a promise to legalize recreational marijuana and help ensure Black entrepreneurs have access to the new industry.
Other Harris proposals include boosting access to the cryptocurrency industry for Black Americans and launching a national health equity initiative focused on Black men that addresses diseases like sickle cell anemia, which disproportionately affects the community.
If elected, Harris would be the second Black president and first Black woman, and first person of South Asian descent in the office.
The policy rollout came a day before Harris is expected to be interviewed by Charlamagne tha God, a comedian and author whose nationally syndicated radio show is popular with Black millennials. He is also an influential critic of the Biden administration.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw, Nandita Bose, Gabriella Borter, Jeff Mason, and Steve Holland; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt, Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler)
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