Harris, Trump Escalate Rhetoric in Final Campaign Stretch
The 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."
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."
The Spin
Left narrative
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
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.
