Former President Donald Trump appealed to Asian American voters during a rally in Nevada on Thursday.
Trump spoke to supporters in Las Vegas for the “United for Change” rally hosted by the conservative political action committee Turning Point USA.
AAPI Voters
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in the Silver State and make up nearly 12 percent of the state’s electorate, according to research and policy organization Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) data. The figures also show that voter eligibility growth among the AAPI community grew 36 percent between 2012 and 2022.
Nevada, which carries six electoral votes, is a critical swing state in the presidential election. Hillary Clinton in 2016 beat Donald Trump by a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent. President Joe Biden won by about 2.5 percent over Trump in 2020.
Tulsi Gabbard & Vivek Ramaswamy
The 45th president was joined by former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, two high-profile surrogates who are also part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Ramaswamy, whose parents are Indian immigrants, threw his support behind Trump after dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Trump told the crowd that he has “a big future in this party.”
Gabbard represented Hawaii as a Democrat in the House of Representatives from 2013 through 2021 as the first American Samoan Congresswoman. She also ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020.
She recently announced that she was switching party affiliation to Republican, saying that the Democratic Party no longer serves as a “home” for people who love the Constitution.
Special Guest: Gina Carano
Actress and former mixed-martial arts fighter Gina Carano delivered a speech at the rally and shared a story about how Hollywood tried to cancel her over her support for Trump.
“I was targeted, discriminated against, shamed, and fired from one of the most powerful entertainment companies in the world. [Disney] fired me at the height of my career,” Carano said.
Then-Disney CEO Bob Iger said after firing Ms. Carano that she did not align with Disney’s values, including “values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity, and values of inclusion.”
Carano is currently taking legal action against the company over wrongful discrimination. Court documents show that Disney’s attempt to dismiss her lawsuit was denied.
Trump Talks China, Deportations, Economy
Trump acknowledged the Asian American community in his speech and praised them as hard workers and wonderful people.
“You’re the greatest people,” Trump told the crowd. “We are going to take care of you. And you’re going to take care of us!”
Trump talked a lot about the American Dream and claimed it was out of reach under the current administration. He pledged a stronger economy if reelected.
The 45th president continued to criticize Harris over her border policies. He once again pledged to deport illegal immigrants under the Alien Act of 1978.
The former president also encouraged rallygoers to cast their votes during the current early voting period in Nevada.
Significantly more Republicans have cast ballots so far, according to the early voting figures updated Friday morning from the Nevada Secretary of State. Registered Republicans cast 51.6 percent of the ballots, compared to 26.7 percent from registered Democrats statewide during the six days of the early voting period.
Early voting in Nevada runs through Nov. 1.
Harris Targets Black, Latino Voters
According to the Harris campaign, the vice president plans to return to the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania on Sunday. Harris will attend a series of events that largely focuses on Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Pennsylvania, which holds 19 electoral votes, is considered the biggest battleground.
An Emerson College/RealClear Pennsylvania poll released on Thursday shows that Trump has a narrow lead over Harris in the state, 49 percent to 48 percent. The data also shows that three percent still remain undecided with less than two weeks until Election Day.
In 2016, Trump won the state by only 0.7 percent. President Joe Biden in 2020 won Pennsylvania by 1.2 percent.
Harris, meanwhile, has also ramped up criticism of her Republican rival. During a CNN town hall with undecided voters in Pennsylvania, Harris claimed that Trump was unfit to serve office.
She also called him a “fascist.”
Harris was referring to a report in The Atlantic in which four-star Marine general John Kelly, who was once also White House chief of staff during the Trump administration, said Trump is dangerous and that he praised the loyalty of Adolf Hitler’s generals.