Kamala Harris called Donald Trump a “fascist” on Wednesday and warned that her US election rival was “increasingly unstable” as she addressed his reported praise for Adolf Hitler at a town hall event.
The Democrat’s fierce criticism came as she answered voters’ questions on Trump’s suitability for office and past remarks at the CNN-hosted 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 the Republican’s praise for the Nazi dictator and his military in World War II.
The decorated Iraq veteran told The New York Times that Trump remarked that “Hitler did some good things too” and that instead of the US military, he “wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had.”
With Trump’s rivals raising concerns about his willingness to honour American democracy, Kelly also repeated his warning that he believes his ex-boss “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist.”
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 well-being and security of America.”
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 President Joe Biden four years later.
He attacked Harris over her economic policy and dusted off his catchphrase from his days on the NBC reality TV show The Apprentice, exhorting 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.