US election 2020: Kamala Harris duped by Greta Thunberg impersonator
Kamala Harris has been fooled by Russian pranksters pretending to be Greta Thunberg in a worrying security breach ahead of the US election.
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Kamala Harris has been duped by Russian pranksters pretending to be Greta Thunberg in a worrying security breach ahead of the US election in November.
According to Fox News, infamous pranksters Vovan and Lexus spoke with Harris on the phone as they pretended to be climate activist Thunberg and offered to dish dirt on US President Donald Trump.
The incident has been labelled “a wake-up call” by security experts.
The US news outlet says audio from the three-minute talk between the Russian duo — whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov — posing as Thunberg claims ‘she’ has “nightmares” about meeting Trump at the UN last September as they talk about Harris’ climate plan and her campaign.
The fake callers claim they have a secret recording of Trump whispering to Thunberg “you will never achieve the goal” on the call which is said to have taken place around January, after Harris had dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The call begins with Harris saying to ‘Thunberg’: “Hello Greta, congratulations on all of your leadership, I am so inspired by your courage and your voice.”
‘Greta’ then says she wants to support Harris’ campaign, saying it would be a “cool” thing to do.
Speaking from the US Senate in Washington DC, Harris then said she would like ‘Thunberg’ to talk about the Democrat’s climate plan and asks ‘her’ to follow up the conversation with her policy team. Harris says any support would be “very helpful”.
The caller then claims ‘she’ has tried to talk to other politicians but has not be successful and that an attack on her from Russian leader Vladmie Putin was “not what I wanted”.
“There are forces working against our movement and we have to fight for these things,” Harris replies.
“This is that moment, and you have been a great warrior in this cause.
“Nothing that has been achieved in this world that has been about progress came without a fight, this is the nature of it.”
‘Thunberg’ then claims she shouted at Trump in a corridor at the UN, telling him to sign the Paris climate agreement.
The pranksters then move to offer up the ‘audio’ of ‘Trump’s whispered words’.
Harris then moves to end the call saying: “I look forward to working with you”.
As the conversation ends, the fake caller says ‘she’ hopes to meet up with Harris in the US, but “I don’t want to go to jail”, which Harris assures ‘her’ won’t happen.
Former chief intelligence officer at the White House Theresa Payton, told Fox News the pranksters were playing a “ very dangerous game” and it was a “wake-up call” for Harris.
She said Harris could potentially be put in danger if she was duped into give up sensitive information over the phone.
“Often people just assume when they are on the phone it is more secure than on the internet,” she said.
“Extra care needs to be taken by the handlers to find out who is calling. A few simple questions and they could have turned it over to someone on the security team to do a quick check.
“A couple of quick checks would have taken a few minutes.”
Harris officially accepted the Democractic vice-president nomination on Wednesday at the Democratic National Congress.
Prince Harry and Bernie Sanders have also been the victim of prank calls from Vovan and Lexusm who deny working as agents for Putin.
‘A LIFE-CHANGING ELECTION’
Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president with a promise to heal “one of the most difficult moments America has ever faced”.
“We will overcome this season of darkness,” Mr Biden said.
In a damning speech that blamed US President Donald Trump for failing to protect Americans from the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Biden said he offered “a path of hope and light”.
“This is a life changing election. This will determine what America is going to look like for a long time,” he said.
Mr Biden continued the strident attacks on Mr Trump that have characterised the past four nights of the slimmed-down Democratic National Convention.
He said Mr Trump had steered the world’s worst response to the pandemic, saying “after all this time the president still doesn’t have a plan”.
“No miracle is coming,” he said, adding that on day one of a Biden administration he would introduce rapid coronavirus testing and introduce a national mandate for masses.
“In short we will do what we should have done from the very beginning.
“Our current president has failed in his very basic duty to the nation.
“He’s failed to protect America and, my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable.
“I will protect us from every enemy, seen and unseen, every time.”
Mr Biden’s rhetoric was not supported by solid policy offerings. He said he would build on the affordable health care act known as Obamacare that Mr Trump has tried to wind back.
He also promised wage equality and a path to sustainable energy without saying how they would be funded.
Mr Biden is campaigning as the unity candidate and said he would unite an America which wasn’t “just a collection of clashing interests, of red states and blue states”.
“We’re so much bigger than that, we’re so much better,” he said.
Mr Trump’s response to the keynote speech was less fiery than he has offered in recent days.
“In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks,” Mr Trump tweeted.
“He will never change, just words!”
This is Mr Biden’s third run for president, after withdrawing his candidacy early in 1998 and 2008 races.
His first run was tainted by a plagiarism scandal and disappointing early primary showing, while he bowed out after Hillary Clinton and eventual winner Barack Obama dominated the later cycle.
In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2020
Mr Biden’s controversial son Hunter, a key figure in the unsuccessful impeachment of Mr Trump late last year, also spoke, saying he was speaking on behalf of his late brother in supporting his father’s run.
Hunter Biden has become a lightning rod of Republican criticism, with Mr Trump and his supporters often asking: “Where’s Hunter?”.
They accuse him of corruption, having served in several high paying international jobs for which he appeared unqualified.
Mr Trump was impeached in December for asking his Ukraine counterpart to investigate one of those roles, on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm while his then-vice president father led the Obama administration’s outreach with Kiev.
‘I’M PROUD TO BE A NASTY WOMAN’
The night was introduced by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld, who recalled how she met Mr Biden when she was researching her starring role in the political comedy Veep, where she plays Vice President Selina Meyer.
A breast cancer survivor, Ms Louis-Dreyfus told of how Mr Biden had been one of the first people to call her when she was diagnosed.
“His real warmth and kindness on that call. I gotta say it made me cry,” she said.
“Our current president has made me cry too but it’s never had anything to with his warmth or kindness.”
During one of Ms Louis-Dreyfus’ monologues, she urged viewers to text, “30330”, to obtain a postal ballot. “That would be the President’s golf score if he didn’t cheat,” Ms Louis-Dreyfus said.
“OK look, I’ll admit, that was a little nasty. But we all know he’s a cheater. And I’m proud to be a nasty, nasty woman.” Her use of the phrase “nasty woman” referred to Mr Trump’s frequent use of the term to describe females who have criticised him.
Ms Louis-Dreyfus also recounted how she met Mr Biden while playing a fictional Vice President on Veep.
“I first met Joe Biden when I was doing my show Veep,” she said. “I played the vice president, and he was in fact the vice president. And we hit it off immediately.
“Soon after, I was asked to be on the cover of a magazine – remember those? – and I was so excited. I was like, ‘What’s it gonna be. People? Vogue? Rolling Stone? Well, it turns out it was for Arrive, the official on-board magazine of Amtrak. Which nobody ever reads, even though it’s free.”
“The day it came out, my phone rang. And it was the vice president, telling me he loved the cover and the whole article, and that it was one of the best issues of Arrive he had ever read,” Louis-Dreyfus said.
“And that is just one of the many reasons I wanted to be here tonight for Joe. And to remind you that Joe Biden not only knows how to read, but also, he reads everything.”
Other speakers included Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms and two of Mr Biden’s primary challengers, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who has championed a universal basic income and former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was the first openly gay presidential candidate.
“Just over ten years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn’t just possible — it was policy,” said Mr Buttigieg.
“Now in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire anyone because of who they are or who they love. The very ring on my finger reflects how this country can change.”
US President Donald Trump was interviewed on Fox News during the first half of the two hour convention telecast, where he said the event was too focused on criticising him and cast doubts on Mr Biden’s mental acuity.
“I watched a lot of hate last night and the night before. It’s tremendous hate,” he said.
MEGHAN’S PLEA TO VOTERS
Meghan Markle has told American women that if they fail to vote in the US election they will be “complicit” in the result.
Speaking to an online forum encouraging women to vote, Meghan said: “If you’re complacent, you’re complicit.”
“We can and must do everything we can to ensure all women have their voices heard. Because at this juncture if we aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
“If you aren’t going out there and voting, then you’re complicit. If you’re complacent, you’re complicit.”
The Duchess of Sussex urged women to realise they had the ability to be the defining factor in the upcoming election.
“We are only 75 days away from election day. And that is so very close, yet there is so much work to be done in that amount of time because we all know what’s at stake this year.
“I know it, I think all of you certainly know it, you are mobilised and energised to see the change that we all need and deserve.
“This is such an exceptional time.
“This is the countdown to the change that we would all like to see for the better for our country, to have your voices heard.
“In the fraught moment right now that we find our nation, exercising your right to vote isn’t simply being part of a solution, it’s being part of a legacy. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
Meghan said she was happy to be part of the forum “for my friend Michelle Obama”.
“When we look at the attempt of voter suppression it is all the more reason we need each of you to be out there supporting each other and just understand that this fight is worth fighting and we all have to be out there mobilising to have our voices heard.
“I think we are obviously faced with a lot of problems in our world right now
both in the physical world and in the digital world.
“But we can and must do everything we can to ensure all women have their voices heard. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
‘VIOLENT ANARCHY’
Earlier, Mr Trump headed to Mr Biden’s birthplace to accuse him of trying to rig the election and claim a vote for him would kill the stockmarket.
Speaking to a crowd of about 250 at a building material factory in OId Forge, Pennsylvania, Mr Trump said Mr Biden had abandoned the battleground state.
The town is 10 minutes from Scranton, where Mr Biden spent his early childhood.
“He left. He abandoned Pennsylvania, he abandoned Scranton,” Mr Trump said.
He also hammered messaging that a Biden administration would let the turmoil in several Democrat-run cities spread throughout America.
“If you want a vision of your life under a Joe Biden presidency, imagine the smouldering ruins of Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland and the bloodstained sidewalks of Chicago coming to every city in America,” he said.
‘NO INTEREST’: OBAMA BLASTS TRUMP
Former president Barack Obama has issued a stunning rebuke of his “reality show” successor, warning Donald Trump was trying to bring down American democracy.
Mr Obama, America’s first black president, was the headline speaker at night three of the Democratic National Convention at which Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, formally accepted her nomination.
“Democracy was never meant to be transactional,” Mr Obama said. “It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability – to embrace your own responsibility as citizens – to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.
“Because that’s what is at stake right now. Our democracy,” he said.
Mr Obama said Mr Trump promoted conspiracy theories, was narcissistic, corrupt and lazy.
“This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that’s what it takes to win,” he added, in an almost 20 minute address.
It sparked a fusillade of angry all-caps tweets from Mr Trump, who accused Mr Obama again of spying on his campaign and said Mr Obama hadn’t supported Mr Biden to become president.
“WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?,” Mr Trump said.
“HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!”
HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
Mr Obama continued: “I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.
“But he never did. He’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.”
He blamed Mr Trump for America’s 170,000 coronavirus deaths, the economic fallout and the social unrest that has spread across cities.
“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone,” he said.
“Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.”
He also condemned Mr Trump’s use of army personnel to quell protests outside the White House and of trying to repress voting that would hurt him, such as mail in votes, which tend to favour Democrat candidates.
“This president and those in power – those who benefit from keeping things the way they are – they are counting on your cynicism,” Mr Obama said.
“They know they can’t win you over with their policies. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter.”
Mr Obama’s emphatic critique of President Donald Trump followed one from Bill Clinton, both former presidents shrugging off a tradition of former presidents not denouncing a sitting president.
Meantime, Ms Harris – the first black woman to feature in a presidential ticket – told the convention: “I know a predator when I see one” and promised an end to the “chaos” of the Trump presidency.
“The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone,” she said of the Trump presidency.
Mr Trump responded to her speech by repeating criticism that Ms Harris had backflipped on suggesting Mr Biden was racist during the primary debates.
“BUT DIDN’T SHE CALL HIM A RACIST??? DIDN’T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT???,” he said.
BUT DIDN’T SHE CALL HIM A RACIST??? DIDN’T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
Via a video address, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton earlier urged Americans to vote for Mr Biden.
“Vote for justice … because black lives matter. Vote for the diverse, hopeful America we saw in last night’s roll call,” Ms Clinton – who lost to Mr Trump in 2016 – said.
“We need numbers overwhelming so Trump can’t sneak or steal his way to victory.
“To the young people watching, don’t give up on America.
“I wish Donald Trump had been a better president. Because America needs a better president than this,” she said.
The online event also featured a plea to young votes from Grammy-winner Billie Eilish, and will also include appearances from Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, the first black woman to feature in a presidential ticket.
Democrats had sought to shift focus from a constant anti- Trump barrage to establishing the agenda they hope will change America.
A shift to sustainable energy, relaxing harsh immigration measures, gun safety and celebrating female leaders were the other focus of the evening.
The convention – hosted by Scandal star Kerry Washington and featuring a performance of the song My Future from Ms Eilish – finishes tomorrow, when Mr Biden is expected to formally accept his party’s nomination as candidate.
A message from Billie.
— billie eilish (@billieeilish) August 20, 2020
Register to vote: https://t.co/5zf6pwhmzo pic.twitter.com/zW5YvlgBSd
‘A STORM CENTRE’
Yesterday, Former US president Bill Clinton took aim at Donald Trump on night two of the Democratic Convention, accusing him of “bragging on TV” and causing “only chaos”.
In a virtual address, Mr Clinton spoke of Mr Trump’s presidential performance as a “storm centre”.
“Donald Trump says we’re leading the world. Well, we are the only major industrial economy to have its unemployment rate triple,” Mr Clinton said, via video link.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command centre. Instead, it’s a storm centre. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes – his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame.
“The buck never stops there,” Mr Clinton said during the televised event, hosted by African-American comedian Tracee Ellis Ross.
Democrats brought together party elders and their young progressive wing at day two of their national convention, where the personal tragedies of candidate Mr Biden also played a prominent role.
Former presidents Mr Clinton and Mr Carter lined up against Mr Trump, doubling down on criticism from former First Lady Michelle Obama of the “chaotic” and “divisive” president.
Mr Clinton slammed the president’s pandemic response saying: “COVID hit us much harder than it had to”.
Using Mr Trump’s own words against him, Mr Clinton said: “At first he said the virus was under control, and would soon disappear. When it didn’t, he was on TV every day bragging about what a great job he was doing”.
Congrats, Joe. I’m proud of you. https://t.co/YVyctn5o3N
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 19, 2020
The leading role given to Mr Clinton drew criticism amid growing evidence of his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Hours before the former president’s appearance, new photos showing him getting a massage from one of Epstein’s young accusers during a trip to Africa emerged.
Far left firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was given a brief but prominent role but in the 60 seconds in which she spoke she didn’t mention Mr Biden by name.
Instead the New York congresswoman nominated her progressive mentor Senator Bernie Sanders, who had been Mr Biden’s last challenger for the nomination, for her choice as president, a tradition at conventions where the second place getter is symbolically nominated.
Coronavirus concerns have turned what is normally a four day extravaganza into four nights of prime time speeches, many recorded, from across the country.
Mr Trump described it as a “snooze” and it appears American audiences agree, with networks CNN, Fox News, CBS, NBC, ABC and MSNBC averaging 18.68 million viewers for the first night, which was 28 per cent fewer than had tuned-in in 2016.
A short video by the widow of Republican presidential candidate John McCain illustrated his close friendship with Mr Biden, one of several notable Republican endorsements the Democrat nominee has been offered at the convention.
The evening was brought to an emotional ending by Mr Biden’s wife Dr Jill Biden, who gave a moving speech about how her husband had raised his two boys as a single father after the loss of their mother Neilia and sister Naomi, who died in a car accident in 1972.
Mr Biden’s elder son Beau, a state lawyer general who was following in his father’s footsteps, died from brain cancer in 2015.
Dr Biden said she was “heartbroken by the magnitude” of the loss of more than 170,000 American lives to the pandemic, and said Mr Biden was the right person to heal the country.
“How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding — and with small acts of compassion. With bravery. With unwavering faith,” she said.
“There are times when I couldn’t imagine how he did it — how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going. But I’ve always understood why he did it … He does it for you.”
“I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: bring us together and make us whole.”
TRUMP RESPONDS TO MICHELLE OBAMA
US President Donald Trump hit back at former First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday morning local time following her Monday evening headlining speech — blaming her husband’s administration for the country’s current problems.
“Somebody please explain to @MichelleObama that Donald J. Trump would not be here, in the beautiful White House, if it weren’t for the job done by your husband, Barack Obama. Biden was merely an afterthought, a good reason for that very late & unenthusiastic endorsement,” the commander-in-chief tweeted Tuesday morning.
Somebody please explain to @MichelleObama that Donald J. Trump would not be here, in the beautiful White House, if it weren’t for the job done by your husband, Barack Obama. Biden was merely an afterthought, a good reason for that very late & unenthusiastic endorsement.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2020
The president continued that, “My Administration and I built the greatest economy in history, of any country, turned it off, saved millions of lives, and now am building an even greater economy than it was before. Jobs are flowing, NASDAQ is already at a record high, the rest to follow. Sit back & watch!”
The pair of tweets marked Trump’s first official response to the former first lady’s speech.
During her speech Monday, Obama criticised her husband’s successor, calling him “the wrong president for our country” who was “clearly in over his head.”
A short time later, the president issued two more tweets hitting the Obamas.
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“Looking back into history, the response by the Obama Biden team to the H1N1 Swine Flu was considered a weak and pathetic one. Check out the polling, it’s really bad. The big difference is that they got a free pass from the Corrupt Fake News Media!” he wrote in the first of the two posts.
“The Obama Biden Administration was the most corrupt in history, including the fact that they got caught SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN, the biggest political scandal in the history of our Country. It’s called Treason, and more. Thanks for your very kind words Michelle!” he continued.
Over the course of the evening, after the first night of events, Trump tweeted and retweeted multiple attacks against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Ohio Gov. and 2016 GOP presidential hopeful John Kasich.
Meanwhile, there was one glaring omission from Michelle Obama’s 20-minute Democratic National Convention speech Monday night — Kamala Harris.
That’s because the former first lady recorded her rousing speech before Joe Biden selected Senator Harris of California as his running mate.
The speech was delivered remotely like all others at the DNC because of the coronavirus pandemic, and The Associated Press reports it was filmed before Harris was named last week as Biden’s VP candidate, indicating the choice was so close to the vest and down to the wire that even the Obamas were not in the loop.
The newly minted Vice Presidential candidate also copped criticism for taking donations from disgraced Hollywood tycoon Harvey Weinstein.
The ObamaBiden Administration was the most corrupt in history, including the fact that they got caught SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN, the biggest political scandal in the history of our Country. It’s called Treason, and more. Thanks for your very kind words Michelle!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2020
Charmed actress Rose McGowan tweeted about the California senator last week after she was tapped as presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate.
“Did you return the money Weinstein gave you? @SenKamalaHarris How many predators bankroll you?” McGowan demanded.
The post also included a retweet of records showing that Ms Harris took donations from Ivanka Trump and President Trump during her 2014 re-election campaign for California Attorney-General.
After sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein broke in 2017, a slew of Democrats, including Ms Harris, announced they’d be donating the disgraced producer’s funds to various charities.
‘IN OVER HIS HEAD’
On Monday, Former First Lady Michelle Obama tore into President Donald Trump, saying he was “not up to this job” and was “clearly in over his head”.
In a fiery keynote speech that capped off the first night of the Democratic National Convention, Mrs Obama said Mr Trump had no empathy and had “emboldened torch bearing white supremacists”.
“When we open our hearts we know what’s going on in this country is just not right,” she said.
“This is not who we want to be.”
In the most strident criticism she has offered of her husband’s successor, she said: “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country”.
“He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head,” she said.
“He cannot meet this moment, he simply cannot be who we need him to be for us.”
She warned that only a Joe Biden administration could “end this chaos”.
“If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me they can and they will if we don’t make a change in this election,” she said.
“If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote like our lives depend on it.
“We have to vote for Joe Biden in numbers that cannot be ignored.”
Mrs Obama also criticised what she described as Mr Trump’s lack of “empathy”.
“I am one of a handful of people living today who have seen first hand the immense weight and awesome power of the presidency,” she said.
“The job is hard. It requires clear-headed judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotion to facts and history, a moral compass and an ability to listen.
“You simply cannot fake your way through this job.
“Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division and a total and utter lack of empathy.”
The convention had shifted to being wholly online due to COVID concerns, with a series of speeches from people across the country endorsing Mr Biden.
Mrs Obama conceded it was a big ask to tune into an online convention.
“It’s a hard time and everyone’s feeling it in different ways,” she said.
Firebrand socialist candidate Bernie Sanders, who was Mr Biden’s final competition for the nomination, was given prominent placement at the convention, stoking fears about the power of the far-left flank of the Democratic Party.
Accusing the Trump administration of fanning the discord in cities across America, he said: “The unthinkable has happened”.
“Authoritarianism has taken root in this country,” Mr Sanders said.
Mr Sanders said Mr Biden was the only person capable of unifying the country and that despite their differences he would support him.
“As long as I am here I will work with progressives, with moderates and yes, with conservatives to preserve this nation from a threat that so many of our heroes fought and died to defeat,” he said.
Mr Trump is seeking to distract attention from the convention with a series of lightning visits to battleground states each day this week.
Labelling the event a “snooze” fest with prerecorded speeches, Mr Trump gave lengthy speeches in Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday local time, where he painted Mr Biden as a “puppet” controlled by the party’s left wing.
“Joe Biden is just a Trojan horse for socialism,” Mr Trump said in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“He’s a Trojan horse. He has no clue, but the people around him are tough, and they’re smart.
“Joe Biden is the puppet of left wing extremists trying to erase our borders, eliminate our police, indoctrinate our children, vilify our heroes, take away our energy.”
In the two-hour televised event, the Democratic National Convention focused heavily on the coronavirus and the economy, hearing from victims’ families and former Republicans who had turned against Mr Trump.
They included former Ohio Governor John Kasic and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.
The Democrat speakers also condoned the protests that have rolled through US cities for several months, with speakers such as Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser describing “peaceful” demonstrators who were cleared from her city.
George Floyd’s brothers paid tribute to the man whose murder sparked the current unrest, saying he was “selfless” and “always made sacrifices”.
“George should be alive today,” said Philonise Floyd.
They led a moment of silence for “all the people whose deaths didn’t go viral”, naming several other black murder victims, including ambulance officer Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
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