Donald Trump slams Democrats left and right in freewheeling Virginia speech
Donald Trump used a Monday afternoon speech in Roanoke, Va., to torch a wide range of leading Democrats, including many who were getting ready for the first big day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday night.
The Republican nominee started off this speech with an attack on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who announced on Sunday that she would resign her position as chair of the Democratic National Committee. Wasserman Schultz’s announcement came after a damaging email leak revealed her organization had worked against Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign during the Democratic primary.
“Debbie. Washerman. Schultz,” Trump told his supporters, adding dramatic pauses. “I always knew she was highly overrated. I always knew. Not good. But she just got fired. They said, ‘Debbie, you’re fired! Get out, Debbie! Out!’ Boom! Boy, how about that in terms of disloyalty though, in terms of Hillary Clinton.”
“Little did she know that China, Russia, one of our many, many ‘friends’ [giving air quotes] came in and hacked the hell out of us. Can you imagine?” Trump later said of the email leak, which has been linked to the Russian government.
Trump also trashed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., while attacking presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s choice of Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine for vice president. Trump again derided Warren as “Pocahontas,” a moniker he frequently uses to mock her claim of Native American heritage.
“She is the worst senator in the U.S. Senate. You know, she’s got a fresh mouth. Other than that, she’s got nothing going,” he said after mentioning that Clinton had passed over Warren for VP.
Trump repeatedly criticized Sanders for endorsing Clinton despite the email leak. He said he told himself that there was “no way” Sanders could remain in Clinton’s corner, and recalled how Sanders was booed Monday afternoon after urging his supporters to rally behind her.
But the Manhattan real estate developer saved some of his most pointed barbs for Clinton.
“Her instincts are bad, they’re no good. Her instincts are defective. Her instincts are defective,” he told his supporters. “She’s low energy, she actually is low energy. She’ll go home, she’ll take a nap for four or five hours, and she’ll come back.”
Trump assured his supporters that he would not take as many naps as Clinton would in the White House.
“We don’t need somebody who goes home and takes naps. We don’t need naps. No naps for Trump! No naps,” Trump said.
He further expressed some puzzlement about Clinton’s pick of Kaine, who represents Virginia in the Senate. “Weird little dude there. I don’t know what’s going on there,” Trump said.
Trump and his own VP pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, spoke for nearly an hour before they fielded questions at the town hall event. Trump and Pence will also hold a campaign rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Monday night.
