Kamala Harris on Wednesday night called Donald J. Trump a fascist, a move only made in the lower echelons of the Democratic Party, which until recently had been attacking Trump for years as anti-democratic, unfit to serve and a criminal. It heightened the debate that had been going on.
At the beginning of a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania, host Anderson Cooper asked her if she thought Trump met the definition of a fascist, and she quickly agreed. “Yes, I am,” she quickly retorted. “yes i will.”
Later, when asked about the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, she launched into a fierce criticism of her rival.
“A lot of people who care about this issue also care about lowering food prices,” she says. “They also care about our democracy and the fact that we don’t have a president of the United States who praises dictators and is a fascist.”
Her comments go a step beyond the previous consensus that Trump is a fascist, a definition that Trump’s former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, believes the former president meets. The purpose was to amplify this week’s news that he said. He was deeply concerned about the threat the second Trump administration posed to democratic institutions.
Harris’ attack Wednesday night went largely unanswered. Trump rejected both the second debate and an invitation from CNN to participate in a similar forum.
Please wait while we confirm your access. If you’re in reader mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to all Times.
Please wait while we confirm your access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want to know all about The Times? Subscribe.
