Republican US President nominee Donald Trump described the United States as “an occupied country” and proclaimed November 5 as “liberation day”. At a rally in Henderson, Nevada, the former president fired up his anti-immigration rhetoric to appeal to voters just days before the big day.
“The United States is now an occupied country. They’re coming in and they’re by the thousands and they have equipment that’s military grade equipment. How did they get that? November 5, 2024, will be Liberation Day in America. Through our open border, Kamala Harris is actively aiding and abetting the worst human traffickers, child smugglers, drug dealers and bloodthirsty criminal networks on the planet,” he said.
Nevada is one of seven key battleground states, along with Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where Trump hopes to gain traction.
Trump also referred the tragic story of Nicholas Quets, a young Marine Corps veteran allegedly killed by a Mexican cartel, and invited the Quets family on stage to underscore his message.
Trump’s rally focused on crime and immigration, key issues for many voters. The rally highlighted Trump's strategy to connect with constituents concerned about border security and public safety in a competitive election environment.
Immigration has become a source of fright and frustration for voters in this presidential election — with possible outcomes that could take the United States down two dramatically different paths. Nowhere are the stakes higher than in Nevada, where 19% of residents are foreign-born and around 9% of the total workforce doesn’t have U.S. legal status.
Both Trump and his opponent were targeting Hispanic voters in the southwest, with recent polls indicating Trump had increased his support among registered Hispanic voters to 38%, up from 32% in 2020. In contrast, Kamala Harris held 50% of the Hispanic vote.