'Mr. Brand and Blame': Bill Clinton rips Donald Trump as a scaremonger and a divider
Bill Clinton dubbed Donald Trump “Mr. Brand and Blame” Wednesday during a campaign swing through Phoenix for Kamala Harris.
Clinton, the former two-term president who turned Arizona blue for the first time since 1948 when he carried the state in 1996, said that Trump is using scare tactics on the trail to “keep people from thinking for 13 more days,” especially when it comes to immigration.
“He's gotta take the election away from them by distraction and division,” Clinton said of the Republican former president and 2024 GOP nominee. “The choice is clear unless you don’t want a solution. Unless you want to keep people miserable. Unless you think you can blame your way to kingdom come. So that’s why I think she’s the clear choice.”
Harris, the vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, is locked in a razor-thin race against Trump in battleground Arizona, and polls give the GOP nominee a slight edge. Arizona is one of a handful of states on the Electoral College map that could tip the balance of the presidential race.
Clinton said he’s been looking closely at the polls and has faith that Harris can win Arizona in two weeks.
“In my opinion we're, in theory, in better shape in Arizona than in some states, it looks like, that are more Democratic,” Clinton said.
Harris has faced challenges in Michigan, a part of the so-called Blue Wall that Democratic presidential candidates rely on to win the Electoral College.
Clinton addressed a group of Black leaders Wednesday at the Onyx art gallery in Phoenix. The Harris campaign has made a concerted effort to reach out to Black voters, especially as polls show Trump gaining ground with young Black men.
Later in the day, he visited Poncho's Mexican Food in South Phoenix to shake hands with patrons, sign autographs, snack on tortilla chips and pose with a mural of himself commemorating the table where Clinton dined there in 1999.
The former president visited the restaurant with Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who this year is running for Senate. They ordered fish tacos and refried beans.
“He was really sweet. He took his time,” said Jaela Muguercia, 18, a manager at the restaurant who lives in Phoenix and will vote for Harris. She noticed Clinton was wearing a Harris campaign pin during his restaurant tour.
Clinton finished his day of Arizona campaigning with a rally at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix. Clinton was introduced by Gallego and came on stage to the Blues Brothers tune “Soul Man.”
He encouraged voters to cast their ballots for Gallego and then turned to the presidential race.
“I want you to carry Arizona for Kamala Harris,” Clinton said.
He also took aim at Trump's approach to immigration. Harris has made Trump's decision to kill a bipartisan border bill in Washington, D.C. a central issue in her campaign. Trump has promised mass deportations if he is elected.
"If people get suckered by this one more time, you won't fix the border," Clinton said. "It's not about solving a problem. It's about keeping you torn up and upset."
Earlier at the art gallery, Clinton reflected on his own Arizona campaigns, especially his 1992 loss in Arizona to former President George H.W. Bush. It happened in part because voters didn’t know him well enough, Clinton said.
“When I ran in 1992, and I came here and I thought, well, maybe I can get there. I'm happy here. I like it. I like hot weather. I like the food,” Clinton said. “And I realized that even though I had been out running for months and months and months, had had several quite-worthy opponents who were tough on me and put me through my paces, after I became the nominee, I was still a stranger to a lot of people because voters flow into politics at different rates.”
Clinton said he wants voters to know who Harris is and what she supports. Harris entered the presidential race on an unusually short timeline, becoming a candidate in July and the nominee in August after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.
Clinton, who served in the White House from 1993 to 2001, has campaigned for Harris in North Carolina and Georgia. Clinton came to Arizona after stumping for Harris in Nevada and has made trips to Georgia and North Carolina on her behalf, too.
In his speech on Wednesday, he addressed some top economic concerns for Arizona voters, including rising inflation, price gouging and the cost of housing.
“Kamala Harris is the only candidate who has actually offered a plan to do something about it, and that is the most important thing,” Clinton said.
He also warned that Trump and his allies would repeal the Affordable Care Act if Republicans reclaim the White House.
He lauded the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for his famous “thumbs down” vote against repealing Obamacare in 2017.
“They’re coming after the Affordable Care Act. And remember they tried to do this before. And who stopped them? John McCain,” Clinton said.
Although he criticized Trump, Clinton said the former Republican president is “good at some things,” such as scouting out golf courses. Clinton said “none of those properties ever went bankrupt, as far as I know, unlike a lot of other” businesses Trump owned.
“I'm one of the few people who believes he knows both candidates well. And for years, I had a very good relationship with President Trump. He's really good at some things. He was a very good golfer,” Clinton said. “But when it comes to politics, he believes good politics is total domination. … It's not a good idea.”
Before Clinton took the podium on Wednesday, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said that Black voters will be vital in Arizona on Nov. 5. Susan Rice, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also spoke and struck a similar tone.
“The stakes of this election could not be any higher, and Black voters are going to be crucial to deliver the White House to Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz and to elect Democrats in Arizona and across the country,” Woods said.
Additional speakers included Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kelly and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Tony West, who is Harris’ brother in law.
Clinton campaigned in Arizona in 2016 for his wife Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. An impromptu meeting between Clinton and then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport became a controversy in the 2016 race because the Justice Department at the time was investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server while she was secretary of State.
It’s a busy week in Arizona on both sides of the aisle. GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance was in Peoria and Tucson on Tuesday, Trump and President Joe Biden will each arrive in the state on Thursday and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has an Arizona trip set for Saturday.
(This story has been updated with new videos, photos and information.)