Kamala Harris calls Trump a fascist and dodges border wall questions at pivotal CNN town hall

Vice President Kamala Harris called former President Donald Trump a “fascist” and dodged questions about the effectiveness of a border wall during a high-stakes CNN town hall Wednesday, just thirteen days after the election.

Her performance was almost immediately panned by Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who went on to say on CNN that several answers referred to her as “word salad city.”

Harris faced undecided voters in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a swing area outside Philadelphia new poll from The Wall Street Journal showed Trump taking the lead over the Democrat nationally.

Pennsylvania is the most critical of the seven battleground states, and whoever wins its 19 Electoral College votes will have the easiest path to the White House.

Upstairs in the town hall, CNN’s Anderson Cooper had Harris address the news of the day — that Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly said the Republican nominee fits the image of a fascistwhere the Democratic candidate was asked if she also agreed.

“Yes, I do,” she replied. ‘Yes, I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best in this area can be trusted.’

She was less direct when Cooper asked Harris if she wanted to “build a wall,” as she spoke in support of a bipartisan immigration bill that included funding for the wall.

“I want to strengthen our border,” she replied instead.

An indecisive male student had started the immigration conversation by asking whether government benefits would go to migrants.

Harris began answering the question by telling her usual spiel, slamming Trump for derailing the bipartisanship bill that, in her words, would have delivered a long-term immigration solution.

Cooper pointed out that funds for the border wall were included in the bill — noting that Harris had previously called it “stupid” and a “medieval vanity project.”

“Let’s talk about Donald Trump and that border wall. So remember, Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it. Come on, they didn’t do that,” she said, laughing. “How much of that wall did he build? I think the last figure I saw was about 2 percent. And then it was time for him to have a photo-op. Do you know where he did it? In the part of the wall that President Obama built.’

Cooper again pointed out that the compromise bill included border wall funds.

“I’m not afraid of good ideas where they come, Anderson,” she replied.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper (center) watches Vice President Kamala Harris (left) answer a question Wednesday evening during a town hall event in suburban Philadelphia aimed at undecided voters

When pressed on whether she thought the wall was “stupid anymore,” Harris again criticized Trump.

“I think what he did and how he did it didn’t make much sense because he didn’t do anything,” she responded, refusing to say out loud that she supported a wall project.

Harris gave a particularly comprehensive answer when a female student asked her how she could ensure that “another Palestinian does not die from bombs funded by American taxpayer money.”

Harris told the young woman that she understood that “far too many innocent Palestinian civilians have been killed.”

Cooper then pressed Harris on what she would tell voters who are tempted to vote for a third party or not vote at all because of the war in Gaza.

“Listen, I’m not going to deny the strong feelings that people have. “I don’t know anyone who has seen the footage who wouldn’t have strong feelings about what happened, let alone those who have family members who died – and were murdered – and I know people and have spoken to people,” she says . started.

“So I appreciate that, but I also know that a lot of people who care about this issue also care about bringing the price of groceries down. They also care about our democracy and the fact that there is no President of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.

‘They also believe it is important that we need practical, common sense solutions. From a leader willing to work across the aisle on behalf of the American people and not for himself.

“They want a president who cares about basic freedom, to make decisions about your own body, understanding that we’re not trying to change everyone’s beliefs, but let’s not have the government telling women what to do with their bodies.” , she said. on.

Democratic pundits David Axelrod and Van Jones both said that when Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t answer a question, her response was to go into “word salad” mode.

Harris also went on to attack Trump throughout the town hall.

When a woman asked her about the rise of anti-Semitism, she brought up Kelly’s comments that Trump had asked why his generals were not related to Hitler’s.

When Harris was asked whether Trump — who has Jewish grandchildren — was anti-Semitic, the Democrat instead replied, “I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of America.”

She also dodged when Cooper asked her if she would be stronger than Trump on Israel.

That answer in particular got under Axelrod’s skin.

“If she doesn’t want to answer a question, her habit is to use the word Salad City and she did that in a few questions,” he said.

“One was about Israel. Anderson asked a direct question about whether you would be stronger on Israel than Trump, and there was a seven-minute answer, but none of it addressed the question,” the Obama adviser complained.

Later in the evening, Axelrod pointed out that just because he was critical of Harris’ responses doesn’t mean Trump is better.

“Have you listened to his meetings?” he asked. ‘They are incomprehensible.’

Van Jones, a prominent CNN talking head who worked in the Obama administration, echoed Axelrod’s key point.

“The word salad gets on my nerves,” he said on air after the town hall wrapped. “I think some dodges aren’t necessary.”

CNN’s Dana Bash said afterward that “if her goal was to close the deal, they’re not sure she did it.”

Afterward, five audience members told CNN’s John King that they would not vote for Trump and were open to voting for Harris, but only two pledged to cast a vote for the Democratic nominee Wednesday night after the town hall.