Although more than half of Americans identify the economy as their top priority in the upcoming November election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has moved the final phase of the campaign into an ideological offensive, targeting what she describes as a serious threat to democracy, which the Republican candidate Donald Trump constitutes. . The increasingly intense ideological clash came to a head Wednesday night when, during a town hall with undecided voters in Pennsylvania, the current vice president openly labeled the former president a fascist.
Harris’ campaign has also included symbolic gestures, including her choice of venue for the final rally: the same place where her opponent rallied supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before storming the Capitol. From there, next Tuesday — exactly one week before Election Day — the vice president plans to call on the nation to “turn the page” and usher in a new era, “far from Trump.”
Focusing on appealing to undecided voters — who make up 3% of the electorate in Pennsylvania, the most crucial swing state with 19 electoral votes — as well as moderate Republicans, the Democratic nominee did not discuss policy proposals for her potential administration. She maintained a reserved stance on several occasions, most notably when the event’s moderator highlighted contradictions in her positions since the 2019 campaign on issues such as border security and health care. She also avoided the most pressing questions about the Gaza conflict and Washington’s support for Israel.
On Wednesday, Harris seized a prime opportunity: the provocative portrayal of Trump as a “fascist” and admirer of Hitler, a claim handed to her on a silver platter the day before by John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff. Harris leaned into this, describing Trump as “unstable” and “unfit to serve” as president. At the CNN-televised town hall, she said that if Trump wins a second term, he will “sit there unstable, unhinged, planning his revenge, planning his retaliation, creating an enemy list,” referring to Trump’s recent remarks about potentially using the military against “enemies from within”.
Beyond the personal attacks — the Republican campaign has often called her “criminal,” “evil” and “unhinged” — Harris seemed to enjoy painting a portrait of the person she portrayed as the nation’s greatest public enemy. “I think Donald Trump is a danger to the welfare and security of the United States,” she said when asked by one of the attendees — a group of about 30 people, including some self-identified Republicans — whether she thought that the former president was anti-Semitic.
Hours after addressing Kelly’s remarks about Trump in Washington, Harris delivered the event’s defining moment. When debate moderator and CNN host Anderson Cooper asked if she considered Trump a fascist, Harris replied, “Yes, I do,” pointing to the insights of Kelly and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, who have both expressed similar concerns. “I think the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted,” she said.
Winning over undecided voters
Harris’s denunciation of Trump as a threat to America’s founding principles is a sign of how she is trying to win over the small number of undecided voters — especially moderates, suburban, educated Republicans and independents — in the final weeks of the campaign. To influence this group, she pointed to the more than 400 former Republican administration officials who now support her, including Liz Cheney, who has actively campaigned with her, as well as Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. Their support, Harris said at the town hall in Pennsylvania, stems from a “legitimate fear, based on the words and actions of Donald Trump, that he will not obey an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” if he is re-elected.
The Trump campaign quickly launched a counterattack with a barrage of messages from various sources, including Trump himself. Some struck a chord, such as this statement from Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung: “Kamala’s dangerous rhetoric is directly responsible for the multiple assassination attempts against President Trump, and she continues to fan the flames of violence, all in the name of politics.”
The message added to an already polarized climate that has reached such intensity that even President Joe Biden has not ruled out the potential for post-election violence.
Trump’s response to his Truth Social network did not disappoint either. “Comrade Kamala Harris sees herself losing and losing badly, especially after stealing the Race from Crooked Joe Biden, so now she’s ramping up her rhetoric, going so far as to call me Adolf Hitler and everything else that comes to her crooked mind. She is a threat to democracy and unfit to be president of the United States – and her polls show that!” he posted.
The shift in Harris’ messaging — from her early campaign focus on “optimism and joy” to a more combative approach in the final stretch — reflects the uncertainty in the polls, which indicate a close race. But for discerning voters, especially the undecided at events like the Pennsylvania town hall, the fiery rhetoric leaves some pressing, practical questions unanswered. Among the few policy proposals she outlined was expanding Medicare to cover home care, which she described as a hallmark of her “new approach” and “different leadership” as she sought to differentiate herself from Biden.
Despite her attempts to distance herself from her current administration, Harris suggested an identical position on the Middle East, suggesting that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar offers an opportunity to resolve the Gaza conflict. On this very sensitive issue, especially among young voters, she took a particularly cautious tone, calling the number of Palestinian civilian deaths “unconscionable.” Harris argued that voters concerned about the Gaza conflict are also focused on other issues such as the cost of living and reproductive rights. When asked if she would take a more pro-Israel stance than Trump, she responded with general comments about Trump’s foreign policy and his alliances with authoritarian figures.
Addressing the immigration crisis — consistently framed as an issue of “border security” and “illegal crossings” — Harris adopted a tone designed to resonate with Republicans disillusioned with Trump and right-wing independents wary of for his extreme attitude. While portraying Trump as embodying numerous “evils,” including his inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric, Harris also extended an olive branch to Republicans, emphasizing her desire to collaborate on legislation and “govern for all Americans” if elected. “Let’s just fix the problem,” she said, referring to immigration while stressing her commitment to a major bill focused on border security.
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