Kamala Harris has slammed Donald Trump for “very offensive” remarks about women as she pressed her case that his misogyny has no place in 21st century America, just days ahead of a nail-biter election.
With each candidate seeking even the slightest of advantages, they took their knife-edge White House race to western battleground states, homing in on immigration and wooing Latinos five days before voting concludes on Tuesday.
In one of three stops in the west of the US, Mr Trump painted a dark picture of immigration run amok as he addressed supporters in border state New Mexico, saying migrants are “unleashing a violent killing spree all across America”.
There is no evidence of a migrant crime wave in the United States.
As the Democratic vice president and Republican former president chase one another through the seven swing states expected to decide the election, Ms Harris is conveying a more upbeat message, with her final stop of the day at a star-studded rally in Las Vegas, where she was introduced by pop maven Jennifer Lopez.
Ms Harris targeted Mr Trump over his remarks when he told a Wednesday rally he wanted to “protect” American women “whether the women like it or not”.
She branded the comments “offensive to everybody”.
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In Las Vegas, she slammed Mr Trump as a man who “simply does not respect the freedom of women or the intelligence of women to be able to make decisions about their own lives”.
“And we know if he were elected, he would ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk, and for states, listen to this, to monitor women’s pregnancies,” she added.
Reproductive rights have served as a rallying cry for Democrats – and an Achilles’ heel of sorts for Mr Trump – since the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court ended the federal right to abortion in 2022.
Polling for this year’s election shows a wide gender gap, with women voters tilting towards Ms Harris, and Mr Trump earning more support from men, so abortion could play a determining role in the outcome.
Mr Trump’s three stops were characterised by his now-usual stream of insults, including against Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Ms Harris.
“She destroyed our economy,” Mr Trump said, referring to a period that, contrary to his criticism, is showing robust US growth, low unemployment and increasing consumer confidence, despite voter concerns about high prices.
In what was billed as an interview with right-wing provocateur Tucker Carlson, Mr Trump got personal again, calling the vice president “a low IQ individual… dumb as a rock”.
Mr Carlson, who once texted a colleague that he hated Mr Trump “passionately”, had given the former president a fawning introduction, and said he would be proudly voting for him.
Mr Trump is betting frustrations over the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policy will swing border state Arizona back in his favor after Mr Biden beat Mr Trump there in 2020.
His appearance in New Mexico was a head-scratcher, though, given that polls suggest Ms Harris will carry the state. Nevertheless he courted Hispanic voters there.
“I love Hispanics. They are hard workers,” said Mr Trump, who faced backlash from Puerto Ricans earlier in the week after a racist comment by a warm-up speaker at a rally. “And they are warm – sometimes they are too warm, if you want to know the truth.”
Last night, Ms Lopez became the latest person of Puerto Rican heritage to lash Mr Trump for the jibe.
“He reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” she told a cheering crowd.
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans that were offended that day, okay? It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character,” she said.
Latinos traditionally have aligned more with Democrats, but recent polling shows a noticeable trend towards Republicans.
In Nevada, Mr Trump also confirmed that he had sued US television network CBS for $10bn (€9bn) over an interview given by Ms Harris this month to its flagship news show, “60 Minutes”.
According to the complaint, Ms Harris gave a confusing answer to a question on the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza, and CBS edited the answer to cover up “word salad”.
Mr Trump – whose own rhetorical meanderings have at times been glossed over by the press in a practice some have dubbed “sanewashing” – called it “election interference fraud.” CBS has denied the accusation.
The latest New York Times/Siena poll showed Ms Harris with 52% support among Hispanic voters to Mr Trump’s 42%.
More cat-and-mouse campaigning occurs Friday in Wisconsin, where both candidates will hold rallies in Milwaukee.
Some 63.5 million Americans have cast their ballots early, more than 40% of the 2020 total vote.