Claims that Donald Trump confused Pennsylvania with North Carolina during a rally this weekend in the Keystone State are making the rounds on social media, with Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign casting doubt over the former president’s mental fitness.
Trump was a few minutes into his speech at the 8,000-seat indoor arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, when he started justifying the length of some of his rallies, saying that he owes it to the people who wait days to see him to speak for longer.
“How would you like it? A guy is waiting with his family for three days, four days, they have a tent. The tent is set up[…]And they wait. And I walk in, speak for 15 minutes and leave. Would that be okay, North Carolina? I don’t think so,” Trump said, addressing the crowd at the Pennsylvania rally.
Harris’ campaign shared a clip of the speech on X, formerly Twitter, simply commenting: “He’s in Pennsylvania.”
Trump: Would that be okay, North Carolina?
(He is in Pennsylvania) pic.twitter.com/TcymR609Rg
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 17, 2024
Sarafina Chitika, Harris’ spokesperson, also shared the clip on the social media platform, writing: “Once again asking: is Trump okay?” Parker Butler, Harris’ campaign director, commented on the clip writing on X: “Donald Trump is lost and confused.”
Journalist Laura Bassett, who is following the election cycle for The Cut, joked about the episode on X, saying: “Thankfully Pennsylvania is not an important state to win.” The latest polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight show Harris ahead in Pennsylvania with 46 percent of the vote, while Trump trails her with 44.7 percent.
Several Trump supporters have argued that the former president was not confused about what state he was in, saying that he was talking to a group in the front row who were from North Carolina.
The Hill reporter Julia Manchester wrote on X that the former president was “addressing a group of supporters from North Carolina who are at his rally in Pennsylvania. Before this clip he says ‘I have another group from North Carolina. We love North Carolina.'”
Newsweek could not independently determine whether Trump was looking at the group of North Carolina supporters in the arena on Saturday.
Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign for comment by email on Sunday morning.
A review of Trump’s speech at the event shows that the former president did acknowledge the presence of a group from North Carolina at the rally, whom he addressed as “the beautiful ladies over there.” But that happened several minutes before he later addressed the crowd, asking if they’d be happy with a 15-minute speech.
On the other hand, Trump was clearly aware he was giving a speech in Pennsylvania, as the moment he got on the stage on Saturday he said: “I really give a very big hello to Pennsylvania, it’s great to be back.”
Questions over Trump’s age and his mental fitness have been raised following President Joe Biden‘s withdrawal from the 2024 race over the same concerns. With Biden out of the contest, Trump is now the oldest candidate at the age of 78; if he was elected in November, he will be 82 at the end of his potential second mandate.
Harris, on the other hand, is 59. After concerns over Biden’s age and mental fitness got the president out of the race, it makes sense for the Democratic Party and Harris’ campaign to use the same strategy to attack Trump now.
The former president’s mental fitness and cognitive state have recently been getting renewed attention, especially as he often goes off script and launches on long tirades during his rallies. Even in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump somehow addressed these concerns, telling the crowd: “I don’t ramble. I’m a really smart guy.”
