Trump Calls Kamala Harris a ‘Monster’
By Benjamin Hart

Not most people’s definition of a monster. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

In an appearance that fell into the even-more-unhinged-than-usual category, President Trump appeared on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox Business show Thursday morning to rant about the supposedly low character of his opponents and the alleged conspiracies arrayed against him.

The president told a vigorously nodding Bartiromo that Biden was not “mentally capable” of lasting two months as president, and then, in an attack on Kamala Harris’s position on fracking, referred to her as “this monster who was onstage with Mike Pence,” calling her a “monster” again for good measure. (Harris did vow to ban fracking as a candidate in the Democratic primary but clarified during the debate that Biden would not do so.)

Trump refers to Kamala Harris as "this monster" pic.twitter.com/hcnUpV8PBf— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2020

Trump has long reserved some of his most dehumanizing insults for women, especially women of color.

Donald Trump‘s decision to call Kamala Harris a “monster” is a depressing statement about his understanding of his base of supporters and what they want to be told about the first Black woman to be a major party’s vice presidential nominee.— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) October 8, 2020

And Trump wasn’t done attacking Harris:

Trump's descriptions of Sen. Kamala Harris this morning: “This monster." "Totally unlikable." "She's a communist." (No.)— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 8, 2020

Drawing the attention fully back to himself the night after a mostly uneventful debate, Trump — who did not sound short of breath several days after being hospitalized — also announced his opposition to a virtual debate with Biden next week, criticized Attorney General Bill Barr for not yet indicting Joe Biden and Barack Obama for “the greatest political crime in the history of our country” (referring to the abstruse “Obamagate” faux scandal), ranted about Hillary Clinton’s emails, and said that he might have caught the coronavirus from a meeting with Gold Star families, among other highlights/lowlights.

Given the friendliness with which Trump’s wild notions are received by Bartiromo, one can imagine that her show will be a choice venue for him to complain about the unfairness of November’s election — even if he wins.