The week isn’t even half over yet, and already Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is beefing with a grieving Gold Star family, fire marshals, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and crying infants.
Trump can add the capital city of the battleground state of Pennsylvania to the list.
On Tuesday, Trump said at a Virginia rally that Harrisburg, PA, “looked like a war zone where you [once had] these massive plants.” (Trump noted that he noticed the alleged similarities when he had recently flown over the city in his private plane).
The city of Harrisburg begs to differ.
“Mr. Trump has made an unfortunate mistake in disparaging Pennsylvania’s capital city after a mere glance from the window of his airplane,” Joyce Davis, director of communications of the City of Harrisburg, emailed The Daily Beast. “Mr. Trump should know that Harrisburg and its residents are an integral part of the United States, which he is vying to lead. Its rich history and natural beauty have won both the respect and acclaim of some of America’s greatest leaders and patriots.”
The Harrisburg region actually enjoys a stable influx of new residents, and has comparatively low unemployment. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly insisted that he is going to win the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
— Asawin Suebsaeng