Harris slams Trump after John Kelly sounds alarm on his fitness for office

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Welcome to the "News Hour."

  With less than two weeks until Election Day, former President Donald Trump is courting voters tonight in the state of Georgia. But he's also facing blistering new criticism from his longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, who's sounding the alarm on Trump's fitness for office, something Vice President Kamala Harris pounced on today.

  Here's Lisa Desjardins.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  In swing state Georgia, south of Atlanta…

• Man:

  President Donald J. Trump.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  … former President Donald Trump fielded questions in front of a friendly crowd, a faith town hall of Christians.

  Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: When you have faith, when you believe in God, it's a big advantage over people that don't have that. It's a big advantage.

  (Cheering)

• Lisa Desjardins:

  But, overnight, far harsher words from John Kelly, Trump's longest-serving chief of staff, someone who was at his side for nearly a year-and-a-half.

  In scathing comments in audio interviews with The New York Times, Kelly said Trump, behind the scenes, displayed the tendencies of a fascist.

  Gen. John Kelly (Ret.), Former White House Chief of Staff: He's certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators. He has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The retired Marine general says he won't endorse a candidate in the election.

• Donald Trump:

  That's an enemy from within. That's really — that is a threat to democracy.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  But said Trump's recent comments about using the military against domestic political opponents motivated him to speak out.

• Gen. John Kelly (Ret.):

  I think this issue of using the military to go after American citizens is one of those things I think is a very, very bad thing. Even to say it for local purposes, to get elected, I think it's a very, very bad thing, let alone actually doing it.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Kelly, who said Trump would likely try to govern as a dictator if given another term, recalled Trump repeatedly praising Adolf Hitler.

• Gen. John Kelly (Ret.):

  He commented more than once that Hitler did some good things too.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The Trump campaign ardently denied Kelly's story, calling it fabricated, and that he — quote — "has totally beclowned himself."

  Vice President Harris took the rare step of addressing the comments from her official residence.

  Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally, one that will obey his orders, even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the Constitution of the United States.

  We know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power. The question in 13 days will be, what do the American people want?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Republican vice presidential pick J.D. Vance kept the focus on immigration as he rallied voters in the swing state of Nevada from inside the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas.

  Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: Right now, thanks to border czar Kamala Harris' open border, right now, there are 425,000 criminal illegal aliens in the United States of America.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  And with a high-five to his son, Gus, a first-time voter, Democratic V.P. nominee Tim Walz cast his early ballot this morning in St. Paul.

  In neighboring Wisconsin, where early in-person voting began yesterday, lines stretched out the door at polling places.

• Raymond Lathrop Trump Voter:

  I didn't vote for him to be the pastor of my church. I voted for him to be the president of this country. This country needs to be run like a business, and he's a businessman.

• Gary Torres, Harris Voter:

  She's got a good head on her shoulders. She's very intelligent, and she knows the difference between right and wrong.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  While Harris has largely been off the trail this week, her campaign has amped up some targeted star power.

• Eminem, Musician:

  President Barack Obama.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  In his hometown of Detroit, Eminem introduced political star and former President Barack Obama, who performed a few of the rapper's lines.

  Barack Obama, Former President of the United States: My palms are sweating. Knees weak. Arms are heavy.

  (Cheering)

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Harris' media tour continues tonight. She's set to face voters in a CNN town hall in battleground Pennsylvania.

  For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Lisa Desjardins.

• Geoff Bennett:

  And the Harris campaign says tonight that the vice president plans to make a major speech next Tuesday at the Ellipse near the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

  It'll be her closing argument on why voters should vote for her over former President Trump, and the location is the site where Trump gave a speech on January 6 in 2021 that preceded the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.