– Let me ask you this evening: do you think that Donald Trump is a fascist? – Yes, I do. I also believe that on this subject we should have confidence in those who know him best. This is how Kamala Harris answered the question of CNN host Anderson Cooper on Thursday night. With “those who know him best”, she was referring to Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, who has warned that Trump should have looked up to Hitler and his army during the Second World War. Earlier on the same day, Donald Trump held a rally in Duluth, Georgia. Photo: CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP She also aimed at the former US defense minister, Mark Milley, who has called Trump a “fascist through and through”. – His former chief of staff, his national security adviser, the former defense minister and his vice president have all called him dangerous and unfit for office. The TV company had also invited Trump to what was supposed to be a debate, but he did not wish to stand. Then they organized a public meeting with only Harris in the city. Trump: – An escalation In the morning hours on Thursday, Trump responded to the claims: – She is increasingly escalating her rhetoric, and goes as far as calling me Adolf Hitler, and whatever else pops up in her twisted brain, wrote he. Trump commented on Harris’ claims on his own social medium, Truth Social. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP He called her again “comrade Kamala Harris”, a word often used in connection with communism, and described her as “a threat to democracy”. Fascism has been used a lot as an insult by politicians and voters during this election campaign, but is a concrete political ideology. This includes an extreme form of nationalism combined with dictatorial power. Happening after a new interview with the chief of staff It is no coincidence that Harris is making these comments now. The comments she refers to from former chief of staff John Kelly were made on Tuesday. In the interview with The New York Times, Kelly said that the Republican presidential candidate fits into “the general definition of a fascist.” Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP He also said that Trump “commented more than once that Hitler also did some good things”. Trump has denied all along that he is a fascist, a word he himself has used to describe the Democrats. Harris also referred to Kelly’s Hitler comment in the interview. She called this “very disturbing”. Didn’t answer questions about Gaza When Harris was asked later in the interview about the war in Gaza and how she would be different from current President Joe Biden, she didn’t answer properly. A voter wanted to know what she would do to prevent American weapons from killing more civilians in Gaza. Another got a round answer that was very similar to Harris’s election campaign speech when they asked if there was anything she could have done differently as vice president. This was actually supposed to be a presidential debate. Instead, there was a public meeting with only Kamala Harris present. Photo: ANDREW HARNIK / AFP These were voters in Pennsylvania who had not yet decided who they were going to vote for. These were also the target group for the public meeting. Harris was criticized afterwards for refusing to answer several questions, but praised for staying after the TV broadcast had finished to talk more with those present. Some commentators thought that it seemed that she was running. Trump can be “lawless” while Harris must be “flawless”, said CNN commentator Van Jones. Published 24.10.2024, at 06.45 Updated 24.10.2024, at 06.47
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