Harris and Trump locked in nail-bitingly close race as 'Democratic panic' rises

Less than a fortnight before polling day, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are locked in a nail-bitingly close US presidential election race, triggering pessimism among Democrats and confidence among Republicans - even though polls suggest both candidates have a near-equal chance of entering the White House.

- Robert Tait

Harris, the Democratic nominee and US vice-president, has turned up the dial in recent days, appearing with Barack Obama for the first time on the campaign trail in Atlanta in the battleground state of Georgia on Thursday.

She offered closing arguments targeting black voters in Clarkston, in the state capital's eastern suburbs, telling the rally she was leading "a fight for the future", and underlining her support for abortion rights.

Harris said she believed "healthcare should be a right and not just a privilege for those who can afford it", and said Trump would gut the Affordable Care Act and roll back the $35 (£27) cap on insulin.

Obama directed his ire at Trump, excoriating him for his failures in the pandemic, his general incompetence and - in the words of Trump's former military staff - wishing his general officers were more like Hitler's.

Trump's erratic behaviour had "become so common that people no longer take it seriously. Just because he acts goofy doesn't mean his presidency wouldn't be dangerous," Obama said.

The campaign has turned up the wattage on black star power, bringing the actor Samuel L Jackson and the directors Spike Lee and Tyler Perry to warm up the crowd in Clarkston. Bruce Springsteen also performed, telling Harris supporters Trump was running to be "an American tyrant".