Kamala Harris blasts ‘unhinged’ Trump over Adolph Hitler remarks

Kamala Harris is turning to an unlikely group of character witnesses in her final pitch to voters making the case that Donald Trump is unfit for office: his former White House advisers.

Donald Trump with John Kelly.

Kamala Harris on Wednesday night said Donald Trump was “increasingly unhinged”, and called her US election rival’s reportedpraise for Adolf Hitler “incredibly dangerous”, as campaigning intensified ahead of the November 5 vote. With polls suggesting a tight election campaign in its final stretch, Ms Harris also unveiled plans for a “closing argument” rally next Tuesday at the Washington site where Mr Trump addressed supporters before they stormed the US Capitol on January6, 2021. Kamala Harris is turning to an unlikely group of character witnesses in her final pitch to voters making the case that Donald Trump is unfit for office: her opponent’s former White House advisers.

The Democrat presidential nominee’s fierce criticism came as she headed to must-win Pennsylvania to face voters’ questionsin a town hall and as Mr Trump campaigned in battleground Georgia.

Ms Harris’s comments on Mr Trump were provoked by revelations from his longest-serving chief-of-staff, John Kelly, who discussedthe Republican’s praise for the Nazi dictator and his military in World War II.

General Kelly told The New York Times Mr Trump had remarked that “Hitler did some good things too”, and that instead of theUS military he “wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had”.

Ms Harris was quick to respond, delivering a statement outside her vice-presidential residence in Washington.

“It’s deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible forthe deaths of six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans,” she said. “All this is further evidence for the Americanpeople of who Donald Trump really is.”

Later at a town hall forum in Philadelphia, Ms Harris, asked if she thought Mr Trump was a fascist, replied: “Yes, I do. AndI also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.”

With Mr Trump’s rivals raising concerns about his willingness to honour American democracy, General Kelly also repeated hiswarning that he believes his ex-boss “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist”.

Ms Harris said “Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable, and in a second term, people like John Kelly would notbe there to be the guardrails”.

Mr Trump’s camp hit back, saying Ms Harris is “desperate because she is flailing, and her campaign is in shambles”. “Thatis why she continues to peddle outright lies and falsehoods that are easily disproven,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheungsaid.

When asked whether President Joe Biden agrees with General Kelly’s assessment that Mr Trump is a fascist, White House spokeswomanKarine Jean-Pierre was unequivocal.

“Do we agree about that determination? Yes, we do,” she said.

After touching down in Pennsylvania ahead of Wednesday’s prime-time CNN town hall-type meeting near Philadelphia, Ms Harrismade an unannounced stop at the Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, where the Democrat fist-bumped employees and took selfieswith patrons.

“Knock wood, God willing, we are going to win,” Ms Harris, 60, said to cheers.

Pennsylvania is a coveted prize for the candidates, and Ms Harris and Mr Trump have made repeated appearances there and acrossother swing states.

The Harris camp has also confirmed Michelle Obama will join Ms Harris at an event on Saturday in battleground Michigan, theformer US first lady’s debut campaign stop with Ms Harris.

It will follow Ms Harris’s first campaign appearance with former president Barack Obama, on Thursday in Georgia’s largestcity, Atlanta, as part of a major Democratic Party get-out-the-vote effort across swing states.

Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen is set to kick off the event with a concert.

Mr Trump held his own town hall Wednesday in Georgia, which the 78-year-old Republican won in 2016, then narrowly lost toMr Biden four years later.

He attacked Ms Harris over her economic policy and dusted off his catchphrase from his days on NBC reality TV show The Apprenticeas he exhorted the crowd in Duluth to tell Ms 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’,” Mr Trump thundered.

The Republican nominee waxed nostalgic about his Make America Great Again movement when he addressed an energised crowd outsidethe event.

“In many ways it’s sad because we’re down to 12 days,” he told cheering supporters. “We’ve been doing this together for nineyears … It’s just been an amazing thing.”

Some 25 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person, reportedly a far higher number than the same period fouryears ago.

Nevertheless, Mr Trump told Fox News on Wednesday he still felt “very mixed” about early voting, even though he confirmedhe himself would do so in Florida.

Ms Harris’s sudden entry into the campaign in late July shook up the country, which was expecting a rematch between Mr Bidenand Mr Trump, now a felon convicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide hush-money payments to a porn star.

Since Mr Biden’s shock withdrawal, the Trump-Harris race has been one of the tightest in American history.

Past opinion polls have underestimated backing for Mr Trump but also failed to predict the level of support for Democrats.

While Mr Trump hammers home his promises of a migrant crackdown and economic good times after a period of high inflation,the Harris campaign has targeted his mental and physical fitness for the Oval Office while she courts moderate Republicanvoters.

AFP