Kamala Harris said on Wednesday that Donald Trump was “increasingly disaffected”, and described her US election rival’s alleged praise of Adolf Hitler as “incredibly dangerous” as the campaign ramps up ahead of the November 5 vote.
The Democrat’s sharp criticism came as she headed to must-win Pennsylvania to face voters’ questions at a town hall and as Trump campaigned in the battleground state of Georgia.
With the election tight, both candidates are on a mission to persuade American voters who remain undecided domestically.
In a dramatic campaign season, the latest twist was revelations by Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, retired U.S. Marine General John Kelly, about the Republican’s admiration for the Nazi dictator and his military in World War II.
Kelly told The New York Times that Trump had commented that “Hitler had done some good things too” and that instead of a U.S. military he “wanted generals like Adolf Hitler.”
Harris immediately responded with a statement outside her vice presidential residence in Washington.
“It is extremely disturbing and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would name Adolf Hitler, the man responsible for the deaths of six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans,” he said.
“All this is proof to the American people of who Donald Trump really is.”
With Trump’s rivals raising concerns about his willingness to respect American democracy, Kelly also reiterated his warning that he believes his former boss “certainly falls into the common definition of a fascist.”
“Donald Trump is becoming increasingly unruly and unstable, and a second term will leave people like John Kelly without protection,” Harris said.
Trump’s camp hit back, saying Harris “is desperate because she’s floundering, and her campaign is in shambles.
“That’s why she continues to spread blatant lies and statements that can be easily refuted,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Asked whether President Joe Biden agreed with Kelly’s assessment that Trump is a fascist, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre was blunt.
He said, “Do we agree about that determination? Yes, we agree.”
– Obama’s successful campaign –
Harris, 60, arrived in Pennsylvania ahead of Wednesday’s prime-time CNN town hall-type meeting near Philadelphia.
She stopped unannounced at the famous 4th Street Delicatessen, where Democrats attacked the staff and took selfies with patrons.
“Knock on wood, God willing, we’re going to win,” he said while cheering.
Pennsylvania is a coveted prize for candidates, and Harris and Trump have made frequent appearances there and in other swing states.
The Harris camp also confirmed that Michelle Obama will join them at an event in battleground Michigan on Saturday, the former US first lady’s first campaign stop with Harris.
It follows Harris’ first campaign appearance Thursday with former President Barack Obama in Atlanta, Georgia’s largest city, as part of a major Democratic get-out-the-vote effort in swing states.
Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen is set to open the event with a concert.
Trump held his own town hall on Wednesday in Georgia, which the 78-year-old Republican won in 2016 and then lost to Biden by a slim margin four years later.
When the Republican addressed an energetic crowd outside the event, he became nostalgic about his Make America Great Again movement.
“In many ways it’s sad because we’re 12 days behind,” he told supporters. “We’ve been doing this together for nine years…it’s an amazing thing.”
Nearly 25 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person, reportedly far more than the same period four years ago.
Yet Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that he still felt “very mixed” about voting early, even as he confirmed he would do so himself in Florida.
Harris’s sudden entry into the campaign in late July shocked the nation, which was anticipating a rematch between Biden and Trump, who is now accused of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn star. Has been convicted on 34 charges.
Since Biden’s unexpected comeback, the Trump-Harris race has been one of the toughest races in American history.
Previous opinion polls have underestimated Trump’s support, but also failed to predict the level of support for Democrats.
While Trump has delivered on his promises of a crackdown on immigrants and economic good times after a period of high inflation, the Harris campaign has targeted her mental and physical fitness for the Oval Office while she continues to attract moderate Republican voters. Are.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
