Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
GLENDALE, Arizona — Utah Sen. Mike Lee helped make closing arguments for former President Donald Trump during an event hosted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson in Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday night.
Lee took the stage to applause from thousands of attendees at the Desert Diamond Arena and thanked attendees for showing up on Halloween night.
"If you're like me and most of the people throughout this great country, you like treats but you're sick and tired of the tricks — no more tricks from Washington," he said.
He went on to speculate about Vice President Kamala Harris' Halloween night activities, asking, "What on earth is she giving (trick-or-treaters)?"
"I imagine her handing out these like vegan candies or Brussels sprouts — maybe Jell-O shots or vaccines — I don't know," he said. "But it's not right."
Lee was one of the opening speakers at Thursday's event, preceding a lengthy interview between Carlson and Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. The senator — a strong Trump supporter and key surrogate as the Trump campaign reaches out to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in key swing states of Arizona and Nevada — quickly pivoted from jokes to stumping for Trump and Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake.
"Look, Arizona, you are right at the epicenter — you are the epicenter of the epicenter — of America's fate," Lee said. "You hear this all the time, every two years and every four years, you hear the most important election of your lifetime. But you what what? This one really is. It actually is because the heart and soul of America, our future, our existence, our freedom, our ability to do what we do best — work hard and provide for our families — is under attack."
Harris has also made an outreach to Latter-day Saints, including receiving the recent endorsements of former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, and other Republicans.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 1, 2024
Lee promoted Trump as a protector of religious freedom and parental rights and accused Harris of wanting to "burn to the ground" religious protections. He spoke against allowing transgender girls to compete in girls sports and condemned "filth" in school libraries.
"Now, the left is always accusing us of trying to ban books," he said. "We're not book burners. We just don't want filth in our classrooms, not in our curriculum, not in our libraries. You're the parent. You're in charge. ... The government will never replace you as a parent, and Donald Trump and Kari Lake will make darn sure of it."
The senator also weighed in on the controversy over the word "garbage" that has roiled the final days of the campaign.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe first drew immediate backlash after he joked during a Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27, calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe, and a senior adviser said, "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign," according to the Associated Press. Trump later told Fox News, "I have no idea who he is."
While the joke angered many across the political spectrum, conservatives expressed outrage just two days later when President Joe Biden addressed the comments on a call with Latino activists.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American," Biden said.
A transcript of the president's remarks that was released by the White House press office added an apostrophe to the word "supporters," making it read "supporter's." Aides said the president was criticizing Hinchcliffe, not Trump supporters, according to the Associated Press.
But the news agency on Thursday evening reported that the official transcript was altered by Biden's press team before release, after official White House stenographers transcribed the quote without an apostrophe in the word "supporters."
Prominent Republicans were outraged, accusing the president of denigrating Trump's supporters.
"Madam Vice President, @KamalaHarris, when President Biden called Trump supporters 'garbage' moments ago, did he mean older people, like my parents?" Lee asked on X. "Or younger people, like my children, nephews, and nieces? Also, are just men garbage, or are my wife and sisters garbage too?"
Biden tried to clarify the comments on social media, saying he "referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it."
"Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for," Harris said, according to the Associated Press.
Lee revisited the controversy Thursday night in his arguments for Trump and Lake.
"Look, at the end of the day, we're not the party that calls people in the other party garbage. We just call their policies garbage because that's what they are," he said. "The sole purpose of the Constitution — of any constitution — is to restrain the government, to make sure that you can do what you do best: work hard, provide for your families and live your lives as you deem fit."
"That's what Donald Trump and Kari Lake both offer you," Lee added. "It's not a new deal. In fact, it's a very old deal, but it is a fair one. It's a deal that understands that you are the sovereign. The government works for you, not the other way around. Kamala Harris broke it. Donald Trump can fix it and it all starts with Arizona. Let's make it happen on Tuesday."
