October 12, 2024, presidential campaign news

Former President Donald Trump launched a deeply personal attack on Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff during his campaign rally in Coachella, California, on Saturday, insulting Democratic Senate candidates and mocking his physical appearance.

The comments were followed by a lengthy remark in which Trump defended his praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he called a “brilliant” leader who rules with an “iron fist.”

“The worst people are the enemies from within, the scumbags like the guy you’re going to elect to the Senate, shady Adam Schiff,” Trump said.

The former president suggested without evidence that Schiff would win because of voter fraud, calling the California Democrat a “bad life,” a “sick puppy” and “one of the least attractive people I’ve ever seen.”

Schiff dismissed the comments in a social media post.

“Yet another nonsensical rant about me full of tired insults, lies about voting booths and more, this time in my home state of California,” he wrote in a post on X. “Seriously, Donald. Why are you so obsessed with me?”

Some background information: The animosity between the former president and the California Democrat dates back to the early days of Trump’s presidency. Schiff was one of the former president’s most vocal critics in Congress and served as House impeachment manager during Trump’s first trial.

Schiff, who represents a House district in Los Angeles County, is running to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term in the Senate and a full six-year term in the upper house. He is running against former baseball star Steve Garvey, a Republican.

Based on polls, fundraising efforts and the state’s voting history, Schiff is considered a heavy favorite to win. Republicans have not won statewide in California since 2006.

However, California’s blue voting habits did not stop Trump from campaigning in the state. The former president has taken a detour from campaigning in battleground states, holding events in Democratic strongholds like Colorado, where he held a rally Friday, and California’s Coachella Valley. Trump will also campaign in New York later this month.