Trump calls Kamala Harris ‘radical left lunatic’, says she wants ‘execution’ of babies
Trump’s speech comes as Harris, 59, hits the campaign trail armed with US President Joe Biden’s endorsement – after his historic decision over the weekend not to seek re-election. The 78-year-old Republican repeatedly attacked Biden, 81, over his age but has been forced to pivot as he has now become the oldest nominee in history.
Trump called Harris “the ultra liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe”.
He claimed that she wanted “abortions in the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy” as well as “right up until birth and even after birth, the execution of a baby”.
To the roars of the crowd, Trump described Harris as the most liberal politician ever elected in American history.
“She will destroy our country if she ever gets elected [as US president],” he said. “As border tsar, Kamala threw open our borders that allowed 20 million illegal aliens to stampede into our country from all over the world.”
Biden put Harris in charge of working with countries in Central America to help stem the tide of migration, but she was not given responsibility for border security nor was she named “border tsar”.
Harris, the first black woman and Asian-American to serve as US vice-president, would become the first woman elected president if she prevails on November 5. In the three days since Biden dropped out, she has shaken up a staid race and sparked new energy among Democrats.
Trump’s rally began two hours before Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office to explain why he dropped out of the race under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats.
Saying Democratic Party bosses were behind Biden’s decision to step down, the Republican accused Harris of covering up Biden’s “mental unfitness”.
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Kamala Harris, a trailblazer eyeing America’s highest glass ceiling
Earlier in the day, the White House denied it had covered up any possible decline in Biden’s health before his decision to drop out of the election race.
Harris and Trump are closely competitive, public opinion polls showed this week.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday showed Harris with a marginal two-percentage-point lead over Trump, 44 per cent to 42 per cent. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS showed Trump leading Harris, 49 per cent to 46 per cent. Both findings were within the polls’ margins of error.
The Democratic National Committee’s rules committee has agreed on a plan to formally nominate Harris as soon as August 1 – before the party’s August 19-22 convention in Chicago – with Harris picking a running mate by August 7.
On Wednesday, Harris called on a rally of more than 6,000 black women in Indianapolis hosted by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority to help her revitalise the Democratic campaign.
She hopes to tap sororities’ multi-generational network of black women – who played an important role in Biden’s 2020 victory – to deliver strong voter turnout for Democrats again in November.
“I thank you. And now, in this moment, our nation needs your leadership once again,” Harris said.
Additional reporting by Reuters