(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris deepened her closing argument to undecided voters that Donald Trump is unfit to serve a second term, classifying her opponent as a fascist in response to a question during a CNN town hall in key swing-state Pennsylvania.
In the town hall Wednesday, Harris aimed to paint a stark contrast with her Republican rival, questioning his fitness to serve, part of an effort to put the focus on the former president and urge voters to turn the page on him.
And she sought to chip away at voter concerns over the economy and on immigration, two defining issues of the election, amplifying a message that seeks to convince Americans that she will offer a different approach than President Joe Biden amid public skepticism over his administration’s record.
The town hall comes amid a frenzied media and campaign blitz as Harris and Trump both look to motivate their supporters to cast early ballots and reach out to undecideds and independents with less than two weeks until Election Day. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found Harris and Trump statistically tied among likely voters in each of the seven battleground states that will decide the vote.
Harris is looking to regain the momentum she enjoyed when she first entered the 2024 race. Here are the highlights from her town hall:
‘Fascist’ Trump
Harris opened her town hall by arguing that voters who said they were unconcerned by controversies surrounding her opponent may not know the extent of criticism from his onetime aides. That included a recent interview where former White House chief of staff John Kelly said Trump wanted “the kind of generals” that Adolf Hitler had and said the former Nazi leader had done some good things. She also said she agreed with former staffers who said Trump fit the definition of a fascist.
“Yes I do,” Harris said. “And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.”
Trump and his campaign have denied the allegations from Kelly.
Harris also repeated her attacks that Trump is “increasingly unstable and unfit to serve.” The vice president and fellow Democrats have increased attacks on the former president’s age and behavior more in recent weeks, a tactic they largely avoided when 81-year-old Biden was atop the ticket.
Trump, in a social media post, suggested Harris’ criticism was rooted in seeing “that she is losing, and losing badly” and went on to call the vice president a “threat.”
Earlier: Harris Seeks Advantage From Trump’s Alleged Praise of Hitler
High Costs
The vice president was pressed early in the town hall on how the price of groceries has risen dramatically during Biden’s presidency, and responded by touting her plan that would see the government crack down on grocery price gouging.
CNN host Anderson Cooper noted that effort would only occur during emergency situations, while many Americans were already struggling with higher bills. An analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that the consumer price index category for food-at-home rose 25% from the final quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2023.
Harris pivoted to arguing that the tariff regime proposed by Trump to partially offset a bevy of new tax cuts he has proposed would dramatically increase the cost of consumer goods, including groceries.
Policy Specifics
Harris repeatedly sidestepped questions asking her to get specific about what her priorities or plans entailed.
When asked to choose a single bill she’d want Congress to pass above others, Harris declined, saying there was “a lot of work that needs to happen.”
And when asked how she would differ from Biden, Harris largely offered platitudes before sketching out proposals to offer small businesses tax credits and expand qualifications for Medicare.
“It’s about a new approach, a new generation of leadership based on new ideas and, frankly, different experiences,” Harris said.
When asked about what benefits and support she would offer migrants who entered the country, Harris instead pivoted to a discussion of legislation she supports that would boost border security measures.
Harris said she supported a “comprehensive, humane and orderly” pathway to citizenship, but didn’t outline assistance she sought to offer.
Middle East Conflict
The Democratic nominee was asked what she would do to ensure that US aid to Israel would not be used to kill Palestinian civilians, and she acknowledged the issue was painful for many voters.
“I don’t know that anyone who has seen the images, who would not have strong feelings about what has happened, much less those who have relatives who have died,” she said.
Still, she said, she hoped concerns over the economy and democracy would ultimately rally voters behind her campaign. Harris said she was also hopeful that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would offer an opportunity to broker a cease-fire and begin negotiations toward a two-state solution.
The Israel-Hamas conflict is a political liability for Harris, who faces pressure from the left and Arab- and Muslim-Americans to do more to rein in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war. Harris has defended Israel even as she has expressed more public sympathy for Palestinian civilian deaths than Biden.
Supreme Court Reform
Harris said she would back reforming the US Supreme Court, arguing that its rulings, including striking down federal abortion rights, had led the American public to lose confidence in the institution.
“There is no question that the American people increasingly are losing confidence in the Supreme Court,” Harris said. “I do believe there should be some kind of reform of the court and we can study what that actually looks like.”
Democrats have assailed the court’s conservative majority for overturning Roe v. Wade and for a ruling that presidents enjoy some immunity for official acts, handed down in a case involving Trump.
Biden earlier this year called for new binding ethics rules for the justices and for term limits, sweeping changes that offer to fundamentally alter the court.
‘Not Perfect’
Harris also struggled to come up with a mistake she had made as vice president, allowing that she was “not perfect” but saying her weaknesses stemmed from being “a nerd” interested in detailed policy discussion.
Pressed, Harris got close to acknowledging that she sometimes bungled interviews — a point Trump frequently mocks her for on the campaign trail.
“It’s a mistake not to be well versed on an issue and feel compelled to answer a question,” Harris said.
--With assistance from Jenny Leonard.
(Updates with additional details, context throughout)
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