In a sharp rebuke, Kamala Harris on Wednesday described Donald Trump as “increasingly unhinged” and labeled his reported admiration for Adolf Hitler as “incredibly dangerous” during a heated exchange as the US election campaigns intensified. With the election fast approaching on November 5, both Harris and Trump are vying to sway undecided voters in key battleground states.
The controversy arose from comments by Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, who revealed in a report by The New York Times that Trump once remarked, “Hitler did some good things too” and expressed a preference for military generals like Hitler’s during World War II. These revelations prompted a swift and sharp response from Kamala Harris, who condemned Trump’s words outside her residence in Washington.
“It’s deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler,” Kamala Harris stated. “This is further evidence for the American people of who Donald Trump really is.”
Kelly, a retired Marine general, did not stop there, reiterating that Trump “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist.” This assessment was echoed by the White House when spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that President Joe Biden agrees with Kelly’s view.
Kamala Harris, amplifying her criticism, warned voters about Trump’s mental stability, stating, “Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable, and in a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to serve as guardrails.”
In response, Trump’s campaign dismissed Harris’s accusations, calling them desperate attempts to deflect from her struggling campaign. “Harris is desperate because she is flailing, and her campaign is in shambles,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “That is why she continues to peddle outright lies and falsehoods.”
As the election nears, both candidates are making strategic moves in battleground states. Kamala Harris appeared in Pennsylvania for a CNN town hall meeting, where she made an unannounced stop at a local delicatessen, greeting employees and voters with optimism about her chances. “Knock wood, God willing, we are going to win,” she said to a crowd of supporters.
Harris’s campaign will also receive a boost from high-profile figures, with Michelle Obama set to join her in Michigan and Barack Obama scheduled to appear alongside Harris in Georgia.
Meanwhile, Trump continued his campaign in Georgia, addressing an energized crowd and reminiscing about his “Make America Great Again” movement. “In many ways it’s sad because we’re down to 12 days,” Trump told his supporters. “We’ve been doing this together for nine years… It’s just been an amazing thing.”
As the race heats up, a record number of voters have already cast their ballots, with over 25 million Americans voting early. Trump, however, expressed mixed feelings about early voting, despite confirming that he would vote in Florida himself.
The Trump-Harris race, following President Joe Biden’s unexpected withdrawal, has become one of the closest contests in American political history. Both candidates are targeting key issues, with Trump focusing on immigration and the economy, while Harris challenges his fitness for office and seeks to attract moderate Republicans.
With only days remaining, the tension between the two candidates has reached a boiling point, as the world watches to see which direction the US will take in this historic election.
