Some Republicans distance themselves from Trump’s attack on Harris’ mental fitness

ERIE, Pa. — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump escalated his personal attacks on his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, on Sunday by repeating an insult that she was “mentally impaired” while also saying she should be “impeached and prosecuted.”

Trump’s rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, took on similar themes as an event one day earlier that he described himself as a “dark speech.” He told a cheering crowd that Harris was responsible for an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border and “she should be impeached and prosecuted for her actions.”

“Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired,” he added. “Sad. But lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There’s something wrong with Kamala. And I just don’t know what it is but there is definitely something missing. And you know what, everybody knows it.”

With just over a month until the election, Trump is intensifying his use of personal and offensive attacks, even as some Republicans say he’d be better sticking to the issues.

His suggestions that political enemies be prosecuted are particularly notable for their departure from norms in the U.S. in which the judicial system is supposed to be protected from political influence. In recent weeks, he has threatened prosecutions of Google for allegedly giving priority to “good stories” about Harris, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and anyone he deems to be “involved in unscrupulous behavior” related to the coming election.

Trump has long threatened legal action against his rivals, including President Joe Biden and his 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton. This month he threatened to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, including election workers, lawyers, political operatives, donors, and voters, yet again sowing doubt about the integrity of the election, even though fraud is very rare

But he also has many legal problems of his own. He was convicted in May of falsifying business records in a hush money case in New York, with a sentencing scheduled for Nov. 26. Three other cases are pending against him, including one tossed out by a federal judge following a Supreme Court ruling granting presidents broad immunity. The Justice Department is appealing. The other cases are on hold.

On Sunday, he acknowledged he might lose the election, saying: “If she wins, it’s not going to be so pleasant for me, but I don’t care.”

His derision of the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket as “stupid,” “weak,” “dumb as a rock” and “lazy” is also a sign of how nasty and personal the final stretch of the campaign may be.

His allies have pushed him publicly and privately to talk instead about the economy, immigration and other issues.

“I just think the better course to take is to prosecute the case that her policies are destroying the country,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday when asked about Trump’s comments. “They’re crazy liberal.”

When asked whether he approved of the personal attacks on Harris, Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., sidestepped during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I think Kamala Harris is the wrong choice for America,” said Emmer, who is helping Trump’s running mate JD Vance prepare for Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate. “I think Kamala Harris is actually as bad or worse as the administration that we’ve witnessed for the last four years.”

When pressed, Emmer said: “I think we should stick to the issues. The issues are, Donald Trump fixed it once. They broke it. He’s going to fix it again. Those are the issues.”

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, running for the Senate as a moderate Republican, brought up Trump’s false claims that Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, had previously played down her Black heritage. Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black college, and has identified as both Black and South Asian consistently throughout her political career.

“I’ve already called him out when he had the one interview where he was questioning her racial identity, and now he’s questioning her mental competence,” Hogan told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And I think that’s insulting not only to the vice president but to people who actually do have mental disabilities.”

Harris has not commented on Trump’s recent attacks but has said when asked about other comments that it was the “ same old show. The same tired playbook we’ve heard for years with no plan on on how he would address the needs of the American people.”

Ahead of the rally on Sunday, some of Trump’s supporters said he often makes offensive remarks. Still, they support his proposals to restrict immigration and said he would have a better handle on the economy.

“He says what’s on his mind, and again, sometimes how he says it isn’t appropriate,” said Jeffrey Balogh, 56, who attended the rally with two friends. “But he did the job. He did very well at it.”

Tamara Molnar said she thinks Trump is very strong on immigration. As for his insults, Molnar said: “I think everybody has to have some decorum when speaking about other candidates, and I don’t think either side is necessarily innocent on that. There’s a lot of slinging both ways.”

At the rally in Erie, Trump said the “invasion” would end and deportations begin if he took office.

“Thousands of migrants from the most dangerous countries are destroying the character of small towns and leaving local communities in anguish and in despair,” he said, talking about communities in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Last month, the GOP leader said he was “entitled” to personal attacks against Harris.

“As far as the personal attacks, I’m very angry at her because of what she’s done to the country,” he told a news conference then. “I’m very angry at her that she would weaponize the justice system against me and other people, very angry at her. I think I’m entitled to personal attacks.”

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed from New York.