Kamala Harris has branded Donald Trump, her Republican rival for the US Presidency, a "fascist" as she attempts to win over voters ahead of the upcoming November 5 election.
The Democrat's fierce criticism came as she answered voters' questions on Trump's suitability for office and past remarks at a CNN-hosted town hall event in must-win Pennsylvania.
Acknowledging voters' concerns on a variety of top election issues, the vice-president said: "They also care about our democracy and not having a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist."
Trump's political instincts were already the main topic of discussion following revelations from his longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, about alleged praise the Republican leader stated for the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and his military in World War II.
Kelly, a decorated Iraq veteran, told The New York Times this week that Trump remarked that "Hitler did some good things too" and that instead of the US military, he "wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had."
At her prime-time CNN event, Harris cited numerous former Trump administration officials, including his national security advisor and vice-president, who have warned that Trump should not be returned to office.
"They have said explicitly he has contempt for the Constitution of the United States," she said. "They have said he should never again serve as president of the United States."
She added: "I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the wellbeing and security of America."
Trump hits back
Trump – who declined to appear in his own CNN town hall – hit back at a rally in Georgia, a key swing state the 78-year-old Republican won in 2016 and then narrowly lost to US President Joe Biden four years later.
He attacked Harris over her economic policy and dusted off his catchphrase from his days on NBC reality TV show The Apprentice as he exhorted the crowd in Duluth to tell Harris: "You're fired!"
"You have to stand up and you have to tell Kamala Harris that, 'Kamala, you've done a horrible job. You're the worst ever. There's never been anybody like you... Kamala, you're fired. Get out,'" he thundered.
Moments before Trump was due onstage, The Guardian newspaper reported a former model's allegations that he groped her after the two were introduced by sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s.
The Republican did not address the claim at any point during his speech.
The developments come amid a frenzied media and campaign blitz as Harris and Trump both look to motivate their supporters to cast early ballots and reach out to undecideds and independents with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Some 26.5 million US citizens have already voted by mail or in person, more than a million of them in Pennsylvania.
The Keystone State is a coveted prize for the candidates, and Harris and Trump have made repeated appearances there and across other swing states that decide US elections.
With polls suggesting a tight election in its final stretch, Harris has unveiled plans for a "closing argument" rally on Tuesday at the Washington site where Trump addressed supporters before they stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump, the only oldest nominee in history and the first to be running with a criminal record, is also casting the election as an existential battle for the United States.
Sudden entry
Harris's sudden entry into the election campaign in late July shook the United States, which was expecting a rematch between Biden and Trump, now a felon convicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide hush-money payments to a porn star.
The US vice-president is looking to regain the momentum she enjoyed when she first entered the 2024 race.
She staged a star-studded rally Thursday alongside Barack Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Superstar Beyonce joined the Democratic candidate in Houston, Texas, on Friday. Other big names helping Harris include rapper Eminem, Usher and Megan Thee Stallion.
While Trump hammers home his promises of a migrant crackdown and economic good times after a period of high inflation, the Harris campaign has repeatedly targeted his mental and physical fitness for the Oval Office while she courts moderate Republican voters.
In an ominous sign, Trump said Thursday that he would immediately fire Jack Smith, the US special counsel who brought two federal cases against him, if he wins the November election.
The former reality TV star faces charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which could see him face potential fines or prison time if convicted.
– TIMES/AFP
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