Kamala Harris questions Trump's mental fitness after bizarre town hall performance

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, held a town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on October 14. — AFP pic

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 — Kamala Harris spent much of yesterday questioning Donald Trump's mental state and fitness for office after the 78-year-old Republican's latest televised town hall veered into a surreal, impromptu music session.

"Hope he's okay," the Democratic candidate posted on X.

Harris's campaign, which has begun to aggressively challenge Trump on his health and mental stability, said that he appeared "lost, confused, and frozen on stage" during the Monday event.

Former president Trump defended the event in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, saying it was "so different."

"It was amazing! The Q and A was almost finished when people began fainting from the excitement and heat," Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

"We started playing music while we waited, and just kept it going. So different, but it ended up being a GREAT EVENING!"

He hit out at Vice President Harris, who released a White House medical report at the weekend that said she was fit for the highest office and challenged Trump to do the same.

"With all of the problems that she has, there is a real question as to whether or not she should be running for President! MY REPORT IS PERFECT -- NO PROBLEMS!!!" Trump wrote.

Let's just listen to music

For about half an hour, the event in Oaks near Philadelphia was standard fare ahead of the November 5 election, as Trump took friendly questions from supporters on the economy and cost of living.

But it ended with a bizarre 39 minutes of music and dancing as Trump swayed awkwardly on stage following interruptions because of medical emergencies in the crowd.

"Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?" he said.

Trump has made a brief, jerky dance his signature at the end of rallies for years, nearly always to his exit song -- the Village People's 1978 disco anthem "YMCA."

On Monday, however, he stayed on stage for nine songs, ranging from opera to Guns N' Roses and Elvis, with the ex-president alternating his dance moves with standing in place and staring into the crowd.

Harris and Trump are locked in a dead heat, according to polls, and the election is set to be decided by seven swing states where the margins could come down to barely 10,000 votes each.

With only three weeks to go, the 59-year-old Democrat has increasingly been homing in on Trump's health and age.

Obnoxious tariffs

It was the topic of her closing argument as she sat down with popular radio host Charlamagne tha God in an effort to boost her messaging to Black male voters — a part of the electorate where Trump has made gains.

After setting out her policies for improving the lives of Black men, she turned to Trump's rallies and repeated a claim that riled him during their September debate — that bored supporters were leaving his rallies early.

"I will point out what everyone knows, which is that the people who worked the closest with Donald Trump when he was president — worked with him in the Oval Office, saw him at play in the Situation Room, his chief of staff, two secretaries of defense, his national security advisor and his former vice president — have all said he is dangerous and unfit to serve," Harris said.

Trump's own campaign schedule began with an Economic Club of Chicago event, where he said he was for slapping "obnoxious" tariffs on trading partners like Mexico so that companies move factories to the US.

"To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff," Trump said, before heading for a rally in swing-state Georgia.

Trump is now the oldest person ever to be nominated for a presidential bid, after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate that sparked fears about his own age.

He has not released a recent comprehensive report on his state of health, prompting fierce criticism from Harris. — AFP