From 'joyful' to 'fascist' - Why Kamala Harris adopted Biden's playbook on blasting Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris stood extracurricular nan vice president's residence successful Washington, D.C., launching a blistering onslaught on erstwhile President Trump, her rival successful nan 2024 White House race.

Harris charged that nan erstwhile president was "increasingly unhinged and unstable" arsenic she pointed to captious comments made by retired Gen. John Kelly, Trump’s erstwhile White House Chief of Staff, successful a New York Times interview.

The vice president based on Trump was a "fascist" arsenic she noted Kelly's allegations that nan then-president many times voiced admiration for Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler.

Hours later, astatine a CNN municipality hallway successful battleground Pennsylvania connected Wednesday night, Harris doubled down connected her charges.

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From nan Vice President's residence astatine nan U.S. Naval Observatory connected Oct. 23, 2024, Kamala Harris said connected erstwhile White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's caller comments connected erstwhile President Donald Trump, including that he fits "into nan wide meaning of fascist" and wanted nan "kind of generals Hitler had." (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Asked if she believed nan Republican statesmanlike nominee was a fascist, nan vice president answered "yes, I do."

And she emphasized that American voters "care astir our populist and not having a President of nan United States who admires dictators and is simply a fascist."

Trump, who has vehemently denied Kelly's allegations, took to societal media to occurrence backmost astatine Harris, arguing that her criticisms were a motion that she's losing nan election.

The erstwhile president claimed that Harris was "increasingly raising her rhetoric, going truthful acold arsenic to telephone maine Adolf Hitler, and thing other that comes to her warped mind."

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If Harris' criticisms that Trump is "unfit to serve" successful nan Oval Office sound familiar, there's a bully logic - they are.

As he ran for re-election, President Biden made his statement that Trump was an existential threat to populist a centerpiece of his statesmanlike campaign.

Biden spotlighted what he called nan erstwhile president's "assault connected democracy" – arsenic he pointed to nan Jan. 6, 2021 onslaught connected nan U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to upend legislature certification of Biden's 2020 predetermination triumph - during a January reside arsenic he kicked disconnected nan predetermination year.

President Biden, right, and first woman Jill Biden locomotion off-stage aft speaking astatine a run rally, connected Friday, June 28, 2024, successful Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As he continued to tally for different 4 years successful nan White House, nan president many times based on that Trump was "a threat to democracy."

But aft a besieged Biden successful July dropped his re-election bid and backed Harris to switch him atop nan Democrats' 2024 ticket, nan vice president and her advisers seemed to discard nan Biden playbook connected Trump.

Instead, "joyful warrior" Harris spotlighted a much upbeat connection and erstwhile she focused connected Trump, she noted his petty grievances and called him an "unserious man," arsenic she based on during her Democratic National Convention reside successful precocious August.

But arsenic nan almanac moved from summertime to autumn, and Election Day neared, successful a margin-of-error title wherever plentifulness of polls propose nan momentum belongs to Trump, there's been an evident displacement of reside coming from nan vice president and her campaign.

"Donald Trump is progressively unstable and unhinged and will extremity astatine thing to declare unchecked powerfulness for himself," Harris charged past week during aggregate run rallies successful battleground Wisconsin.

According to a elder run official, Harris will present what's being described arsenic a awesome "closing argument" reside adjacent Tuesday - 1 week until Election Day - connected nan Ellipse, which is conscionable southbound of nan White House and northbound of nan National Mall.

In this Jan. 6, 2021 photograph pinch nan White House successful nan background, President Donald Trump speaks astatine a rally successful Washington, up of nan onslaught connected nan U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

The run spotlighted that Trump headlined a ample rally of supporters astatine nan Ellipse connected Jan 6, 2021. Many of those who attended Trump's rally past marched to nan U.S. Capital and joined different protesters successful storming nan building. The run sees nan Ellipse arsenic a symbolic location that they judge will thief make clear to voters nan prime successful nan statesmanlike election.

The opposition pinch nan erstwhile president that Harris is moving to sketch comes arsenic she and her run make a afloat tribunal property to pull dissatisfied Republicans who supported Trump rival Nikki Haley earlier this twelvemonth successful nan GOP statesmanlike primaries. 

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While Trump continues to clasp monolithic sway complete nan Republican Party, moreover a sliver of GOP voters casting ballots for Harris could make a quality successful immoderate of nan battleground states successful a title apt to beryllium decided successful nan margins.

Harris successful caller weeks has teamed up successful nan cardinal battleground states pinch high-profile anti-Trump Republicans, including erstwhile Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Democratic statesmanlike nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens arsenic erstwhile Republican Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during a municipality hallway astatine The People's Light successful Malvern, Pa., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A Democratic strategist successful Biden's governmental orbit told Fox News that nan displacement successful Harris' messaging is simply a motion that nan president was correct to many times return purpose astatine Trump connected nan run way arsenic an existential threat to democracy.

The Trump run argues that nan caller messaging will backfire pinch voters.

"Kamala Harris is focused connected Donald Trump and President Donald J. Trump is focused connected nan American people," Trump run elder advisor Danielle Alvarez based on connected "Fox and Friends" connected Thursday. "Our closing statement is truthful different than theirs. They are throwing everything they tin astatine nan wall to spot what sticks because Kamala Harris is floundering."

Longtime vocal GOP Trump-critic Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire - who was a apical Haley protagonist and surrogate successful nan Republican information conflict but says he'll ballot for Trump - said that nan attacks wouldn't win successful courting voters.

"You're dealing pinch an individual who makes outrageous statements each nan time," Sununu said of Trump during an question and reply connected Fox News' "Your World pinch Neil Cavuto." "They're baked into nan noise."

Sununu based on that "the logic nan Harris run has wholly frozen, mislaid each their momentum, is because each they do is talk astir crazy things that Trump says and does."

Longtime Republican strategist Colin Reed, a seasoned of aggregate statesmanlike campaigns, agreed.

"Voters person been proceeding versions of this overheated rhetoric for nan amended portion of nan past decade, and they’re starting to tune it retired arsenic inheritance noise," he told Fox News Digital.

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Reed besides noted that nan caller disapproval comes aft Trump survived 2 assassination attempts against his life this summer, and galore of nan erstwhile president's friends blasted rhetoric from immoderate Democrats for fueling nan toxic governmental climate.

"It’s particularly ironic coming from nan Biden-Harris Administration that ran connected an thought of unity, and are now demonizing personification who has been taxable to aggregate attempts connected his life," noted Reed, who supported vocal Trump professional erstwhile Gov. Chris Christie this cycle.

Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump arrives astatine a run rally astatine nan Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, successful Butler, Pennsylvania, 2 and a half months aft he survived an assassination effort against his life astatine nan aforesaid venue.  (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinso)

But Reed said "the bigger situation is that life was easier nether nan erstwhile presidency than nan existent one. Prices were lower, nan separator much unafraid and ‘inflation’ was an esoteric word from an economics people and not a headache of mundane life. The Harris run has grounded to laic retired their imagination and affirmative plans to reside these issues, leaving them pinch nary prime but to attraction solely connected nan negatives astir Trump and dream for nan best."

He called it "a risky stake erstwhile voters are looking for actual solutions to existent problems."

Even immoderate Democrats person issues pinch nan caller messaging.

"I interest that nan threat to populist connection rings hollow pinch nan mostly of voters who are overmuch much focused connected improving their ain individual business and want to ballot for personification who will make their life much affordable," seasoned Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer told Fox News Digital.

Moyer said that "if I were nan Harris campaign, I would proceed to hammer location done Election Day nan connection of what Harris will do for these voters to little costs and thief them get ahead. In doing so, she will beryllium speaking to nan apical privilege crossed aggregate subsets of nan electorate. Voters who person nan luxury of worrying astir nan wide interest of nan destiny of populist are astir apt already voting for Harris."

Get nan latest updates from nan 2024 run trail, exclusive interviews and much astatine our Fox News Digital predetermination hub.