Trump blasts Harris as ‘radical’ in first rally since Biden’s exit

Republican claims Harris is a ‘radical-left lunatic’, as Biden praises VP as ‘tough’ and ‘experienced.’

Former United States President Donald Trump has launched a volley of attacks casting Kamala Harris as a “radical” extremist, claiming his de facto Democratic Party opponent for the White House has been the “ultraliberal driving force” behind Joe Biden’s policies.

In his first public campaign event since Biden, 81, exited the presidential race and endorsed his vice president, Trump said that Harris would be the most left-wing occupant of the White House “times 10” if elected in November.

“If you want socialist healthcare, nation-wrecking inflation, the death of American energy, and a lying, radical left-liberal, San Francisco extremist as your commander-in-chief, then Kamala Harris is your candidate,” Trump said on Wednesday at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trump, who repeatedly mispronounced Harris’s first name, said the vice president had been ranked the most liberal member of the US Senate and made Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, look like a moderate.

The Republican singled out Harris’s record on abortion and immigration, in particular, claiming that she was in favour of the “execution” of babies and had overseen the “deadly destruction” of the US border in her role as Biden’s diplomatic lead tasked with liaising with Central American countries.

Harris, a former prosecutor and attorney general in California, has accused Trump of supporting a nationwide ban on abortion and wanting to take the country backwards to “before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights”.

“She is a radical-left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office. We are not going to let that happen,” Trump said.

Trump, 78, also accused Harris of deceiving the public about Biden’s mental fitness.

“For three and a half years, Harris shamelessly lied to the public to cover up Joe Biden’s mental unfitness, claiming that crooked Joe was at the absolute top of his game. I don’t think so. I don’t think so,” he said.

Trump’s superlative-laden address came as Harris, 59, hit the campaign trail as the de facto Democratic nominee after locking down the lion’s share of delegates ahead of next month’s national convention.

Following weeks of turmoil over Biden’s faltering candidacy, Harris’s elevation has injected new energy into the race, with donors pledging record contributions and several polls showing her improving on the president’s performance against Trump.

Harris, however, still trails Trump in the majority of polls carried out since Biden’s exit and faces questions about her appeal among the general electorate after a political career mostly spent in heavily Democratic California.

In an address expanding on his reasons for not seeking re-election on Wednesday, Biden, whose age and fitness had been increasingly seen as a liability among Democrats, reiterated his support for Harris, praising her as “experienced”, “tough” and “capable”.

“She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country,” Biden said in remarks delivered shortly after Trump’s rally wrapped up.

Harris, who would be the female US president if elected, spent Wednesday campaigning in Indiana, where she visited a historically Black sorority to rally support for her bid to defeat Trump.

“In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past,” Harris said.

“And with your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”