U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump held his first ever rally following U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement of his withdrawal from the presidential race in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trump targeted Democrats at the rally, which was held under high security measures. He claimed that Biden withdrew from the election race because he was "far behind in the polls".
In his speech, Trump referred to the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which provides for the removal of the President and the transfer of power to the Vice President if the president is unable to discharge his duties. He claimed that Democrats threatened to remove Biden from office based upon this amendment.
"But what really happened was the leaders of the Democrat party, in a very undemocratic move, said 'Either you get out, or we are going to throw you out using the 25th Amendment'", Trump said.
Trump sharply criticized Kamala Harris, the vice president endorsed by Biden, stating "Now we have a new victim to defeat: Lyin' Kamala Harris!". He described Harris as the "most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history," claiming she is the "ultra-liberal" driving force behind every "Biden disaster" and a "radical-left lunatic who will destroy the U.S."
Condemning Kamala Harris for the Biden administration's policies on issues like abortion and inflation, Trump asserted that he will win the election. He said, "In November, the American people will say 'No thank you, Kamala'. They will say, 'You did a terrible job. You handled everything terribly.'"
Trump also argued that Harris has "mortally" harmed the integrity of the U.S. borders and said she should not be allowed to run for president due to her actions.
Claiming that he softened some of his rhetoric following the assassination attempt, Trump signaled that the election race will be tough.