Tim Kaine remains on the attack in Las Vegas campaign stop
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine remained on the attack at a Thursday night rally in Las Vegas, dinging Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for everything from immigration to his pronunciation of Nevada.
Thursday’s rally was among Kaine’s first appearances since the Tuesday night vice presidential debate, where his performance gained a lot of attention.
Kaine, a U.S. senator and former Virginia governor, emerged at the debate “fiery and feisty,” and insisted his aggressive stance was supporting his running mate, Hillary Clinton.
“I am going to defend my running mate,” Kaine said. “That’s what you do when you’re vice president.”
Kaine criticized Trump for not releasing his tax returns, repeatedly raising questions about President Barack Obama’s American citizenship and not taking a position on Yucca Mountain.
“I’m sure he’ll have an opinion, but he doesn’t seem to be too much up on things,” Kaine said.
Kaine, who arrived a little late from campaign stops in Pennsylvania, emerged confidently Thursday, starting by poking fun at Trump’s pronunciation of Nevada at a Henderson campaign stop Wednesday. Everyone makes mistakes, Kaine said, but contended it’s “only Donald Trump who says you should change the way you pronounce it.”
He asserted Trump is “hiding something” by not releasing his tax returns, and suggested there could be multiple “bombshells.”
A protester wearing a T-shirt with Bill Clinton’s face on it forced Kaine to pause briefly when he turned to the riser where media members were positioned, grabbing his shirt and yelling, “Bill Clinton is a rapist.” The protester being escorted out of the building was the only interruption to Thursday’s rally. Kaine was otherwise met with cheers and applause from the crowd of roughly 300, made up heavily by supporters blue Carpenters union T-shirts.
Thursday’s rally, hosted by the Nevada Democratic Party at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Training Center, was the first of two stops for Kaine in the Las Vegas Valley.
An upbeat crowd awaited Kaine before the rally — supporters bounced to tunes like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” in the stage area, while members of the Carpenters Local 1977 filtered in on the other side of the building, boisterously chanting “USA” and “UBC for Hillary.”
Jimmy Elrod, a third-generation carpenter who came from Southern California to show the campaign support, said Kaine’s speech reinforced his belief that Clinton would be the next U.S. president.
“I liked that he addressed some of the absurd rhetoric that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth,” Elrod said. “If Mike Pence isn’t willing to go to bat for his running mate, why should America?”
Thursday marked Kaine’s third visit to Nevada as a vice presidential candidate. He’s scheduled to appear at a second rally Friday morning at Sun City MacDonald Ranch in Henderson.
Kaine told the crowd when he and Clinton make Supreme Court appointments, they will “make darn sure” they’re considering candidates who “understand the important role of labor.”
Kaine charged that Trump and Pence want to take away birthright citizenship, and he vowed to “fight against this country becoming deportation nation.”
“Tim Kaine’s disastrous debate performance earlier this week confirmed Nevadans’ doubts about Hillary Clinton’s judgment and character,” Nevada Trump campaign director Charles Munoz said in a statement Thursday night, raising Clinton’s comments about a sizable segment of Trump’s supporters fitting into “a basket of deplorables.”
Meanwhile, Kaine pointed to his political track record, earning terms as a mayor, governor and U.S. senator, and said he expects to be “9-0 after Nov. 8.”
He urged voters to “honor (U.S. Sen.) Harry (Reid, D-Nev.)” by electing Catherine Cortez Masto to replace him in the Senate.
Kaine’s tone softened as the event went on. He urged people to ensure they’re registered to vote to help elect the first woman president of the United States, characterizing Clinton as a “dynamic and qualified leader.”
Billy Sorrells, a 39-year-old University of Nevada, Las Vegas student, said he was moved when Kaine said Clinton’s supporters should have the attitude that they were “underdogs” until achieving victory in November.
“That means never give up. Even when people tell you that ‘you can’t do it,’ you persevere,” Sorrells said. “It’s the most patriotic mentality.”
Review-Journal writer Michael Scott Davidson contributed to this report. Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Find @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter. Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477- 3861. Follow@davidsonlvrj on Twitter.
