US ELECTION: Kamala Harris labels Trump fascist, as ex-president faces Hitler and groping claims

Kamala Harris called Donald Trump a “fascist” and warned that her US presidential rival was “increasingly unstable” as she addressed his reported praise for Adolf Hitler at a town hall event today.

The Democrat’s fierce criticism came shortly after historical sexual assault allegations were levelled against the former president.

Ms Harris and Mr Trump campaigned in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Georgia respectively on Wednesday (US time), with polls suggesting a tight contest in the final stretch to the November 5 election

“They also care about our democracy and not having a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist,” Harris said as she answered voters’ questions on Mr Trump’s suitability for office and past remarks at the CNN- prime time event in must-win Pennsylvania.

The Republican candidate’s political instincts were already the main topic of discussion following revelations from his longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, about the Mr Trump’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.”

Mr Kelly served as Mr Trump’s White House chief of staff between 2017 and 2019.

Since Mr Kelly left the White House the two men’s relationship has soured and both are open about their disdain for each other.

At her event, Mr 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.”

“I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the wellbeing and security of America.”

Mr Trump, who declined to appear in his own CNN town hall, hit back at a rally in Georgia. He attacked Ms Harris over her economic policy and dusted off his catchphrase from his days on reality TV show The Apprentice as he exhorted the crowd in Duluth to tell Harris: “You’re fired!”

Moments before Mr Trump was due onstage, The Guardian reported a former model’s allegations that he groped her after the two were introduced by sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s. He did not address the claim at any point during his speech.

Stacey Williams, a former model, alleges Mr Trump touched her in 1993, after she was introduced to him by Epstein, who having been arrested over his alleged trafficking and abuse of underage girls, took his own life in prison in 2019.

Ms Williams alleges she was subjected to a “twisted game” between Epstein and Mr Trump.

“It became very clear then that he and Donald were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together,” she said.

Williams claimed Mr Trump put his hands “all over my breasts” as well as her waist and her buttocks in 1993 at Trump Tower.

The Trump camp rejected the claims.

“These accusations, made by a former activist for Barack Obama and announced on a Harris campaign call two weeks before the election, are unequivocally false,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman said.

Some 26.5 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person, more than a million of them in Pennsylvania.

The Keystone State is a coveted prize for the candidates.

Ms Harris has unveiled plans for a “closing argument” rally on Tuesday at the Washington site where Trump addressed supporters before they stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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

It will follow Harris’s first campaign appearance with former president Barack Obama, on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia

Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen is set to kick off the event with a concert.

Several states, including the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Georgia, set records on their respective first day of early voting last week.

“The votes in Georgia are at record levels,” Trump told a religious-themed “ballots and believers” event in Zebulon, Georgia on Wednesday (local time).

“The votes in every state, frankly, are at record levels. We’re doing really well and hopefully we can fix our country.”

Mr Trump in recent days has sought to rally turnout from Christian evangelicals, hoping they will set aside any concerns about his frequent off-colour commentary like his tale about golder Arnold Palmer’s anatomy.