LITITZ, Pa. (AP) — donald trump gave a profane, conspiracy-laden speech two days before the presidential election, talking about journalists who had been shot and suggesting he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

In remarks Sunday that were more disjointed than usual, the former president resurrected old grievances over being prosecuted after trying to overturn his defeat four years ago. He intensified his attacks on “grossly incompetent” national leadership and the American media, and at one point during his Pennsylvania rally he addressed the issue of violence against members of the press.

The Republican White House nominee noted ballistic glass placed in front of him in the events following the attempted assassination of a gunman in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Trump spoke of places where he saw openings in that protection.

“I have this piece of glass here,” he said. “But all we have here is fake news. And to catch me, someone would have to spread the fake news. And I don’t care that much.”

It was the second time in recent days that Trump talked about pointing guns at people he considers enemies after he suggested Former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, would not be willing to support foreign wars if she had “nine barrels firing at her.”

His comments also reflect that with less than 48 hours until Election Day, Trump continues to promote falsehoods about the election and argue that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is misled, even though polls suggest a close race.

Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged him to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday, even if the race is too early to call. That’s what Trump did four years ago, beginning a process of fighting the election results that culminated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol.

His campaign later sought to clarify what he meant when talking about the media.

“President Trump spoke brilliantly about the two assassination attempts on his own life, including one that came within 1/4 inch of killing him, something the media constantly talks about and jokes about,” said campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, in a statement. . “The president’s statement about putting up protective glass has nothing to do with the media being harmed or anything else.”

HarrisMeanwhile, he told a Michigan church congregation Sunday that God offers America a “divine plan strong enough to heal the division.”

The two leading candidates offered starkly different tones with the campaign almost over, as Harris said voters can reject “chaos, fear and hate.”

She was focused on Michigan and was starting the day with a few hundred parishioners from the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit. It was the fourth consecutive Sunday that Harris, who is Baptist, spoke before a Black congregation, a reflection of how critical Black voters are in multiple battleground states.

“I see faith in action in remarkable ways,” he said in comments that cited the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. “I see a nation determined to turn the page on hate and division and chart a new path forward. As I travel, I see Americans from so-called red states and so-called blue states who are ready to bend the arc of history toward justice.”

He never mentioned Trump, although he will surely return to his more conventional partisan speech at his stops later on Sunday. But Harris did tell her friendly audience that “there are those who seek to deepen division, sow hate, sow fear and cause chaos.” The election and “this moment in our nation,” he continued, “has to be about much more than partisan politics. “It should be about the good work we can do together.”

Harris finished her remarks in about 11 minutes, beginning and ending during Trump’s roughly 90-minute speech at a chilly outdoor rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump often moves from one topic to another, a discursive style that has been called “the fabric.” But outside Lancaster Airport, he went on long tangents, barely making his usual points about the economy, immigration and routine criticism of Harris.

Trump also referred to John Bolton, his former national security adviser and now a strident critic, as a “dumb son of a bitch.” And he repeated well-known and debunked theories about voter fraud, claiming that Democrats could only win by cheating. Public polls indicate a close and competitive race in the battleground states that will determine the Electoral College outcome.

“It’s a crooked country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to straighten it out. Let’s straighten it out.”

Harris responded to Trump’s characterizations of the U.S. election, telling reporters after the church service that Trump’s comments are “meant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” already existed in 2020, Harris said, and “they lost.”

The vice president said she is confident in the upcoming vote count and urged voters, “particularly people who have not yet voted, not to fall for this tactic, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote It won’t matter. “

Separately, the vice president tacitly acknowledged the significant population of Arab Americans in Michigan and voters in that community who are angry at the Biden administration for its continuation of the U.S. alliance with Israel amid the Netanyahu government’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

“I have been very clear that the level of death of innocent Palestinians is unconscionable,” Harris told reporters Sunday after the church service. “We need to end the war and get the hostages out. And as president of the United States, I will do everything in my power to achieve that end.”

Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he was evading his usual approach with his conspiratorial speech. He repeatedly mentioned how he ignored advice from his aides, told his side of events in a mocking voice and insisted he had to talk about voter fraud.

Campaign co-manager Susie Wiles, long credited with bringing order to Trump’s often chaotic political operation, watched the former president quietly from offstage.

At one point, Trump suggested he would not deliver this version of his speech again: “I hope you enjoyed it,” he said, “because I’m only doing it once.”

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Superville reported from Detroit, Barrow from Washington and Cooper from Phoenix.