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'What chutzpah!' Emhoff mocks Trump debate claims during Villages campaign stop

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff urged Villages Democrats to be "bad ass" like his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, as they work to get her elected president.
Joe Byrnes
/
Central Florida Public Media
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff urged Villages Democrats to be "bad ass" like his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, as they work to get her elected president.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff — Vice President Kamala Harris's husband — taunted former President Donald Trump over the presidential debate during a freewheeling speech in The Villages Friday evening.

Emhoff said Trump came across as "physically and mentally weak, unhinged and unfit for any job, let alone president of the United States."

Now Trump is "scared," Emhoff said. "He's just complaining, pretending he won the debate. What chutzpah!"

The former president has repeatedly claimed polls show he won the debate Tuesday night. Surveys by news organizations, like the Washington Post and CNN, say otherwise.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks to golf cart riders before caravan gets underway in support of the Harris-Walz campaign in The Villages Friday evening.
Joe Byrnes
/
Central Florida Public Media
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks to golf cart riders before caravan gets underway in support of the Harris-Walz campaign in The Villages Friday evening.

The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Campaign event concluded with Emhoff speaking through a megaphone to a golf cart caravan about to start in Lake Miona recreation center's parking lot.

Earlier, during his speech, Emhoff said he would see Harris late Friday night, "and the only thing she's going to ask me about was: 'You saw the golf carts at The Villages?'"

Harris -- like Trump -- is focusing on critical swing states with razor thin poll margins. She was in Pennsylvania on Friday.

But her campaign said the visit to The Villages, a GOP stronghold, reflects their broad coalition -- including independents and Republicans -- and a campaign competing for every vote.

"Florida is a key state," said senior campaign spokesman Kevin Muñoz. "And it's one that Trump assumes he can just sit back, do nothing and win. But we're not going to let him have this off easy."

Polls in the state continue to show Trump has the lead, though in some of them it has narrowed. Three Florida polls this month had margins of four, two and six percent.

"And if we can win Florida," Emhoff told the crowd, "can you imagine how pissed Donald Trump would be? Let's piss him off and win Florida."

Emhoff urged the Democrats to be "bad ass" like his wife, ast hey work for her election.

They are a minority in this heavily Republican retirement community. But they gave Emhoff an enthusiastic welcome.

Villages resident Elsa Connor said the enthusiastic support of Vice President Kamala Harris among Democrats represents a milestone for retirement community.
Joe Byrnes
/
Central Florida Public Media
Villages resident Elsa Connor said the enthusiastic support of Vice President Kamala Harris among Democrats represents a milestone for retirement community.

Villages resident Elsa Connor said she's excited Harris has so many people supporting her The Villages.

It's a "milestone," Connor said. "That's a big deal here. in the past, people have been kind of closeted. But that's no longer the case."

Outside the venue, a half dozen Trump supporters stood beside a golf cart with a large "Trump 2024" flag and a sign that said: "Stop communism, socialism, fascism. Vote Republican."

Joe Byrnes came to Central Florida Public Media from the Ocala Star-Banner and The Gainesville Sun, where he worked as a reporter and editor for several years. Joe graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and turned to journalism after teaching. He enjoys freshwater fishing and family gatherings.
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