Cincinnati mayor condemns Trump's 'personal attacks' and 'conspiracy theories'

CINCINNATI—On Tuesday, as Democrats gathered in a 100-year-old historic performing arts theater to watch Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate, the mayor of Cincinnati joined them to express his support of Democrats from the top of the ticket on down and his distaste for former President Donald Trump.

Aftab Pureval, Cincinnati's Democratic mayor since 2022, criticized the Trump campaign for being "proud of personal attacks and other, frankly, conspiracy theories." Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), has a home in Cincinnati —"I’m his mayor," Pureval said.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (second from left) speaks with media at a Democratic debate watch party on Tuesday. L-R: Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, Pureval, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairwoman Gwen McFarlin and Hamilton County Commissoner Stephanie Summerow Dumas. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

During the debate, Trump repeated baseless claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.

"I strongly oppose former President Trump's campaign. I strongly oppose the xenophobia and the racism that tends to, unfortunately, not just infect, but lead, so much of their policies, and so I'm overwhelmingly in support of Vice President Harris," Pureval told Raw Story in an interview.

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Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, is "solidly blue," Pureval said. While Trump won the state of Ohio in 2020, President Joe Biden won more than 57 percent of the vote in Hamilton County.

"When you look at the other side of the aisle, the party, unfortunately, is now a cult of personality, specifically for Donald Trump and in service of his specific needs and goals," Pureval said. "I can't imagine Donald Trump stepping down the way that Joe Biden did, and the amount of coalescing around Vice President Harris's vision for the future of the country gives me hope."

The event at Memorial Hall OTR in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood was hosted by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Cincinnati Democratic Committee, the Southwest Ohio Young Democrats and the Hamilton County Young Democrats. The fundraiser benefited the Ohio Grassroots Victory fund, which is a joint fundraising committee of Friends of Sherrod Brown, the Ohio Democratic Party and the America Works Federal PAC.

"What Vice President Harris said on the stage is exactly right. President Trump has no plan. His only plan is to enrich him and his friends at the cost of middle-class Americans," Pureval said at the start of the debate hosted by ABC News. "Vice President Harris, on the other hand, and so many other subject matter experts, including President Trump's own former school, the Wharton School of Business, have all said he would explode the deficit and make it fundamentally harder for middle-class families in the country."

Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary, told Raw Story via email, "During President Trump's masterful performance at a three-on-one debate, Kamala Harris refused to answer why she destroyed the thriving U.S. economy she inherited from President Trump."

"No one has made life harder for the middle class than Kamala Harris. Undecided voters watching last night overwhelmingly support President Trump because they know Kamala Harris broke our economy and has no plan to fix it," Leavitt continued. "When President Trump is back in the White House, he will bring back MAGAnomics and make daily life affordable again for all Americans."

Pureval said of Harris's debate performance that he is "so excited that she is not just prosecuting her case and her vision, but also calling out the lies and untruths that former President Trump continues to spew."

Outside of the fundraising event, "Free Palestine" protestors yelled chants directed at Brown and Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), both of whom are up for reelection and advertised on the fundraising poster for the event.

"Hey, Brown, what do you say? How many homes did you steal today?" protestors chanted.

"Free Palestine" protestors outside of a Democratic debate watch party on Tuesday. (Photo by Alexandria Jacobson/Raw Story)

Other chants included, "Landsman, Landsman, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?" as well as "Senator Brown, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide."

Landsman and Brown's congressional offices also did not immediately respond to Raw Story's request for comment.

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This story has been updated with comment from Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary.