Aug. 3 (UPI) — Former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance were set to hold a campaign rally Saturday in the same Atlanta arena where presumptive Democratic opponent Kamala Harris held a similar event earlier this week.
According to the Republicans’ campaign, doors at the 8,000-seat Georgia State University Convocation Center were scheduled to open at 1 p.m. EDT, with Vance set to take the stage at 4 p.m. Trump is scheduled to follow an hour later.
Trump and Vance, a Republican U.S. senator from Ohio, have begun focusing their attacks on Harris in the two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, including inflammatory remarks made by Trump earlier this week questioning her biracial background.
The pair have also sought to tie the vice president to Biden’s record in dealing with illegal immigration along the southern U.S. border.
“24 HOURS UNTIL WE UNLEASH HELL,” Trump’s campaign declared in an email sent Friday in anticipation of the Atlanta rally, according to The Hill. “At this time tomorrow, Crooked Kamala’s worst nightmares come true.”
Harris is not on the campaign trail this weekend but is reportedly spending the weekend interviewing candidates for the vice presidential slot on the 2024 Democratic ticket. The party’s convention runs Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
According to the Washington Post, she had narrowed the field of candidates to six: Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
The current vice president held a spirited rally of her own at the Convocation Center on Tuesday, illustrating the importance both parties place on Georgia as a crucial swing state in what promises to be a close election.
Georgia is a historically red state that voted Democratic in the 2020 presidential election. Biden won the state by 12,000 votes over Trump, with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock elected to the Senate to keep party control of the chamber.
During her address, Harris promised to lower prescription drug costs, support a freedom to vote act, pursue an assault weapons ban and advocate for reproductive rights.
“I am very clear the path to the White House runs right through this state,” she said.
She also challenged Trump to debate, declaring, “Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage because, as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face.”
Trump on Friday confirmed he is dropping out of a scheduled debate on ABC News and instead proposed to meet Harris on Fox News six days earlier.
Harris’ campaign on Saturday blasted the move as an attempt by Trump to change the previously accepted ground rules, allegedly prompted by a fear of facing her.