Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday said America does not feel “great” to the millions of Americans living in poverty and despair, rebutting US President Barack Obama’s criticism of him that the country was “already great”.
“Our country does not feel ‘great already’ to the millions of wonderful people living in poverty, violence and despair,” Trump said in a tweet after Obama’s address to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Obama earlier told his party delegates, leaders and supporters that “America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump. In fact, it doesn’t depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election -- the meaning of our democracy”.
In a statement, the Trump campaign said that Democratic party leaders did not offer any vision for America during their address in the convention.
“Tonight was a sad night for the Democratic Party. They offered no solutions for the problems facing America -- in fact, they pretended those problems didn’t even exist,” said Stephen Miller, senior policy advisor to the Trump campaign.
“They described a vision of America that doesn’t exist for most Americans, including the seventy per cent of Americans who think our country is on the wrong track. Never has a party been so disconnected from what is happening in our world,” he said.
“Instead of dealing with reality, they spoke in cheap, petty terms beneath the dignity of a convention. Their entire message could be summed up as: things are perfect, let’s not change a single thing,” he said.
“So they resorted to the politics of fear, trying to convince Americans not to vote for change -- they spoke on behalf of the big banks and the big elites, not on behalf of suffering Americans. They want to keep the system rigged for their donors. Period. Rigged trade deals, a rigged economy, and open borders that benefit the few at the expense of the many,” Miller said.
The Trump campaign, Miller said, offers a bold, exciting, detailed vision for the future.
“Tonight, the Democrats offered only more rewards for the rich, powerful and well-connected, and more angry, demeaning, sniping attacks against all decent Americans who want change for their families,” he said.
The Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said that in an election year when voters are eager to get rid of a rigged system which puts Washington first, Democrats have gone all in for unprincipled flip-floppers who have spent years embracing pay-to-play politics and unchecked cronyism.
“Americans have had enough of out-of-touch career politicians taking care of their own instead of the American people, but that is exactly what the Clinton-Kaine ticket and the Democrat Party represents,” he said.
Image: California delegate Joy Neugebauer holds a sign in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
