Harris berates ‘unhinged’ Trump over Hitler remarks

WASHINGTON - US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Oct 23 said Donald Trump was “increasingly unhinged”, and called her election rival’s reported praise for Adolf Hitler “incredibly dangerous” as campaigning intensified ahead of the Nov 5 vote.

The Democrat’s fierce criticism came as she headed to the must-win state of Pennsylvania to face voters’ questions in a town hall, and as Trump campaigned in battleground Georgia.

With polls suggesting a tight election in its final stretch, the Vice-President also unveiled plans for a “closing argument” rally on Oct 29 at the Washington site where Trump addressed supporters before they stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.

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

Gen Kelly told The New York Times that Trump had remarked that “Hitler did some good things too”, and that instead of the US 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 for the deaths of six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans,” she said.

“All this is further evidence for the American people of who Donald Trump really is.”

With Trump’s critics raising concerns about his willingness to honour American democracy, Gen Kelly also repeated his warning that he believes his former 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 not be there to be the guardrails against his propensities and his actions”.

Trump’s camp hit back, saying Ms Harris is “desperate because she is flailing, and her campaign is in shambles”.

“That is why she continues to peddle outright lies and falsehoods that are easily disproven,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

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

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

Michelle Obama to campaign

Ms Harris touched down in Pennsylvania ahead of a prime-time CNN town hall-type meeting near Philadelphia, stopping at the Famous 4th Street Delicatessen to fist-bump employees and take selfies with patrons.

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

Some 26.5 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person

, reportedly a far higher number than the same period four years ago. More than a million of them are in Pennsylvania.

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

The Harris camp has also confirmed that Mrs Michelle Obama will join her at an event on Oct 26 in battleground Michigan, the former US first lady’s debut campaign stop with Ms Harris.

Trump held his own town hall on Oct 23 and was to hold a rally in the southern battleground state of Georgia, which the 78-year-old Republican won in 2016, and then narrowly lost to Mr Biden four years later.

In Georgia, 1.9 million early votes have already been cast, shattering the previous record.

Nevertheless, Trump told Fox News on Oct 23 he still felt “very mixed” about early voting, even though he confirmed he himself would be voting early in Florida.

“People have different feelings about it,” he said. “But the main thing is you’ve got to get out, you’ve got to vote.”

Ms Harris’ sudden entry into the campaign in late July shook up the country, which was expecting a rematch between Mr Biden and 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 after a disastrous debate performance, the Trump-Harris race has been

one of the tightest in American history.

Opinion polls have in the past underestimated backing for Trump, but also failed to predict the level of support for Democrats.

While 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 trying to woo moderate Republican voters. AFP