Harris, Trump Escalate Rhetoric in Final Campaign Stretch

Facts

• Speaking in Washington, DC before taking part in a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania, Democratic nominee Vice Pres. Kamala Harris likened GOP candidate former Pres. Donald Trump to Hitler, claiming he 'want[ed] unchecked power' and was 'unhinged and unstable.'^[1][2]
• Harris' initial comments came as former Trump White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told The New York Times in an interview that the former president 'falls into the general definition of fascist,' and had commented 'more than once' that 'Hitler did some good things.'^[3]
• When later asked by CNN host Anderson Cooper if she believed Trump was a fascist, Harris responded 'Yes, I do,' before claiming that some bipartisan support for her campaign came from 'legitimate fear' the GOP candidate would not 'obey an oath to support and defend' the US Constitution.^[4]
• Posting on the social media platform Truth Social, former Pres. Trump described Kelly as a 'total degenerate' and alleged 'numerous' stories that he told were a lie. The GOP candidate in separate posts questioned Harris' competence and stated that she would lose the election.^[5][6]
• In addition, Trump campaign spokesperson Stephen Cheung alleged that Harris was a 'stone-cold loser' who was 'peddl[ing] outright lies' and proving to be 'wholly unfit for office,' while also claiming that Kelly 'failed to serve his President' while working as chief of staff.^[7]
• According to FiveThirtyEight national polling averages, as of Oct. 24, Harris (48.1%) leads Trump (46.4%) by 1.7 points, with the two candidates within 0.5 points of each other in Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Harris is projected to lead by 0.6 points in Michigan, while Trump leads by 1.2 points in North Carolina.^[8]

Sources: ^[1]New York Post, ^[2]CNBC, ^[3]New York Times, ^[4]CNN, ^[5]Truth Social (a), ^[6]Truth Social (b), ^[7]Forbes and ^[8]FiveThirtyEight.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Atlantic and MSNBC. While in any ordinary election, the assertion from a former chief of staff that their ex-boss was a likely fascist who repeatedly praised Hitler would destroy a presidential campaign, the astonishing lack of impact this revelation has had on Trump supporters is a stark example of the post-truth world. Trump's dehumanizing language should frighten the world but is, unfortunately, being normalized after years of his rhetoric.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Western Journal and The Telegraph. Kamala Harris's last-ditch attempt to convince voters Trump is anything like Hitler is nothing but a desperate attempt to save herself at the polls — which are trending well for Trump. With a Trump victory seeming ever more likely every day, Democratic claims of fascism are both absurdist and yet another example of the dangerous rhetoric from the left that has nearly cost President Trump his life on multiple occasions.

Predictions