Criticizing Donald Trump as a would-be dictator has become the central slogan of Kamala Harris’s campaign in the final stretch of the presidential race.

The vice president called former President Donald Trump a “fascist” Wednesday in Pennsylvania in the wake of criticism from his former chief of staff.

Calling Donald Trump “increasingly intransigent and unstable,” the Democratic nominee cited comments from John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff.

The vice president echoed criticism from Kelly, who described Trump as someone who “definitely falls into the general definition of fascist” while revealing that the former president had several times spoken favorably of Hitler.

In particular, in her statements, Kamala Harris claimed that her opponent wanted “unchecked power” while when asked if she believed that Trump was a “fascist”, she answered “yes, I believe so”.

Responding to Harris’ criticism, Trump wrote on X and the Truth Social network that Harris’ comments were a sign she was losing as she “escalates her rhetoric more and more, going as far as calling me Adolf Hitler and whatever else comes her way her mind”.

As the election race draws to a close, the staffs’ strategy is mainly focused on deconstructing the opponent, especially as the forecasts show a close fight between the two.

But Harris’ latest criticism echoes an escalation in her rhetoric that contrasts with the strategy she pursued early in the race.

While at the Democratic convention she warned of the danger of a second Trump term, Harris largely backed away from President Joe Biden’s core campaign message that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy.

According to chief political strategist Matt Bennett of the centrist Democratic group Third Way, it’s clear why Harris was quick this time to reinforce Kelly’s dark portrait of Trump as a man with authoritarian tendencies.

“Everything he’s doing now is tactical,” he said. “The imperative was to make sure as many voters as possible knew what Kelly said.”

The vice president’s latest remarks come after a weeks-long strategy by her staff to reach out to independent voters and moderate Republicans who might vote for Kamala Harris.

Polls show the race to be extremely tight, with no candidate holding a secure lead in any of the key states.

The suburbs around the biggest cities in key swing states, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee and Phoenix, for example, are populated by college-educated professionals who have traditionally voted Republican, but polls show them wavering on the possibility of Trump returning to the White House.

“Her goal is to build as broad a coalition as possible and appeal to disaffected Republicans who don’t feel they can vote for Trump again,” Mr. Bennett said.

But Republican political strategist Denise Grace Gitcham makes an important point, however, noting that voters have been hearing similar rhetoric about Trump since 2016, so any new claims are unlikely to move his voters.

“If you’re voting against Donald Trump because you don’t like his personality, you’re already a settled voter,” he told the BBC. “But if you’re someone who looks at policies then you’re going to vote for the person who you think made better policies when they were in the White House. “

Both Harris and Trump are turning on all their “weapons.” While touring critical Midwestern states on Monday, Harris repeatedly warned of the consequences of a Trump presidency — on abortion rights, health care, the economy and US foreign policy.

On Friday, he will hold a rally in Texas — the state he said represents the most dramatic future against abortion if Trump is returned to office.

Next Tuesday, she will turn her attention to Washington, with a rally reportedly planned from the National Mall, where Trump spoke before some of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Trump, meanwhile, continued his attacks on the Vice President. At a town hall forum in North Carolina, he said Harris was “lazy” and “stupid” and only became her party’s nominee because of her ethnicity and gender.

He also issued his own warning, saying “we may not have a country anymore” if Harris wins.

However, neither of those lines is much of a departure for Trump, who spent most of his campaign attacking Democrats and sticking to his core message on immigration, trade and the economy.

Trump has been a polarizing figure in American politics for more than eight years now. Most Americans have strong, and deeply held, opinions about him.

If the anti-Trump message puts Harris over the top on Election Day, her latest strategy will have paid off. If not, the pre-election guesses may quickly be verified.