Donald Trump is working hard to stay on message, holding large rallies in rural conservative areas of battleground states. It’s an effort to energize voters by reminding them about scandals he argues would follow Hillary Clinton into the White House, reports CBS News correspondent Major Garrett.

“Oh, they’re so much more brave than me, I wouldn’t have done what they did, I’m brave in other ways... I’m financially brave -- big deal, right?” Trump said in reliably Republican Selma, North Carolina, appearing alongside top military supporters, including seven Medal of Honor recipients.

He also scoffed at the idea of Hillary Clinton as commander in chief.

“To think of her being their boss? I don’t think so,” Trump said.

Trump drew more than 10,000 – part of his push to drive up the rural GOP vote in battleground states to counteract urban and suburban Democratic strongholds

“Can we trust her with our security?” he asked. “No!” the crowd yelled in response.

Trump promised to rebuild the military, but use it sparingly.



“To only engage the use of security forces when it’s vital for national security interests of the United States,” he said.

Trump also trafficked in unconfirmed speculation about FBI inquiries into potential wrongdoing at the Clinton Foundation.



“It’s likely to yield a very, very serious charge or an indictment. I’m just saying that’s what the newspapers are saying, that’s what the reports are,” he said campaigning in Concord, North Carolina.

And a new TV spot sought to exploit Clinton’s ties to the sext-happy estranged husband of confidante Huma Abedin.

“Her emails were found on pervert Anthony Weiner’s laptop. Think about that,” the narrator says.

Melania Trump campaigned for her husband for the first time since the plagiarism gaffe at the GOP convention.

“He certainly knows how to shake things up, doesn’t he?” she said, followed by cheers and laughs.

She tried to woo suburban women near Philadelphia by curiously highlighting an issue familiar to her husband.

“Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers,” she said.

Observers seized on this section of Mrs. Trump’s speech, pointing to a comprehensive list compiled by the New York Times. It shows the hundreds of people Donald Trump has insulted online just since launching his presidential campaign last June.