Harris Trump crossfire: "Radical left madman" and "strange" labels exchanged blows

Washington (AP) -- U.S. Vice President Harry Harris has locked the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in a heated battle with his Republican rival Donald Trump. Harris labeled Trump "strange" for spreading "ridiculous lies" about her; Trump slammed Harris as a "radical left-wing maniac" and used a string of words to attack her, including "evil," "sick," and "unhinged."

Harris acknowledged she is an underdog at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts on Saturday, but expressed confidence that she can win. "We are the underdogs in this race, but this is a people-driven campaign and we have momentum."

She added: "Trump has been spreading ridiculous lies about my record. Some of the things he and his running mate have said are just weird."

"Strange" is the Democrats' new label for Mr Trump. The Harris campaign said on Thursday that Trump's performance on Fox News showed he was "old and strange" and should no longer be president.

Harris did not mention what false claims Trump and Vance made about her, but Trump has repeatedly claimed that Harris would legalize the killing of newborn babies, and Vance has come under fire for referring to Harris as a "childless cat ladies" in 2021. When Harris appeared at a fundraiser Saturday, supporters outside held up signs such as "Trump is weird" and "If my cat could vote, he would vote for you."

Harris again contrasted her experience as a prosecutor with Trump's conviction record, stressing that she ran for president to take America into the future while Trump sought to return the country to its "dark past."

Later Saturday, Trump blasted Harris at a campaign rally in Minnesota, calling her worse than Biden. "If a crazy liberal like Harris gets elected, the American dream will die."

Minnesota is a traditionally Democratic state and has not been won by a Republican presidential candidate in 52 years. The Trump campaign had thought he could win Minnesota, but Harris's entry into the race to replace Biden has injected new momentum into the Democratic race.

Trump criticized Harris and Biden for their handling of illegal immigration, inflation and crime, and repeated campaign promises to launch the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history and end taxes on tips.

The rally was held in a hockey arena. However, Trump posted on social media that day that he would continue to hold outdoor rallies and said that the Secret Service had agreed to increase his protection.

Harris has two weeks to pick a partner

Trump also attended a Bitcoin conference in Tennessee earlier Saturday to rally support from the cryptocurrency industry. If elected, he promised to revise regulations to make the United States the "crypto capital of the world." Trump, who used to call bitcoin a "scam," now takes a completely different stance.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party will officially nominate Harris as its presidential candidate through an online vote by Aug. 7, which means she has just two weeks left to pick a running mate. According to Bloomberg, citing sources, the current front-runners to become Harris' deputy are Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Mr Shapiro is a skilled speaker with strong support in rural areas, and Pennsylvania, which he runs, is seen as a key swing state. Mr. Woltz could dash Mr. Trump's hopes of turning Minnesota into a battleground state and counterbalance Venice's appeal to the Midwest. Mr. Kelly, whose state is a battleground state and borders Mexico, has been at odds with Mr. Biden on immigration.

Sources said Harris is also considering a number of Biden Cabinet members, including Commerce Secretary Raymond Raimondo and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg.