Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris greeted supporters at the end of a campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Monday. – AFP

Donald Trump addressed his supporters on Monday, emphatically stating, "I am not a Nazi," during a rally in the final week of a contentious White House race. He aimed to counter accusations of authoritarianism, including those from a former top aide who labeled him a fascist. As he and his rival, current Vice President Kamala Harris, entered the final phase of one of the closest US elections in modern history, both candidates intensified their political rhetoric, further inflaming an already heated campaign.

Harris, who has accused Trump of exacerbating divisions, traversed Michigan on Monday, while Trump visited Georgia, another pivotal swing state. In Georgia, he responded to critics who compared him to Hitler, saying, "The latest line from Kamala and her campaign is that everyone who isn't voting for her is a Nazi. I'm not a Nazi. I'm the opposite of a Nazi."

These remarks came just a day after Trump held a major rally in New York's Madison Square Garden, which was widely criticized for racist comments made by his allies during the event. This followed a recent New York Times interview where Trump's longest-serving White House chief of staff, retired general John Kelly, described the Republican as fitting the definition of a fascist—a characterization Harris agreed with last week.

Kelly also revealed that Trump had commented that "Hitler did some good things too" and that he "wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had." The race is tightening, with polls suggesting it's too close to call, fueled by concerns that Trump might refuse to accept defeat again, as he did in 2020, and by his harsh rhetoric targeting migrants and political opponents.

On Monday, a fire reportedly destroyed hundreds of early ballots in a secure drop-off box in a competitive district in northwestern Washington state. Another ballot box was damaged earlier in Portland, Oregon, where police attributed the incident to an "intentional act" of arson aimed at disrupting the election process.

Trump faced renewed backlash after a warm-up speaker at his Sunday rally in New York referred to US territory Puerto Rico as "a floating island of garbage." Harris, aiming to become the country's first female president, condemned the remarks at Madison Square Garden as she spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force Two on Monday.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, at a rally with her running mate Tim Walz and a crowd of around 20,000, Harris emphasized the stakes of the November 5 election, stating, "So much is on the line." She described Trump as "even more unstable and more unhinged, and now he wants unchecked power." Trump's campaign distanced itself from the Puerto Rico comments, stating they did "not reflect the views of President Trump."

Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in presidential elections, but those within the United States, including about 450,000 in crucial battleground Pennsylvania, can. Former President Barack Obama, a top Harris surrogate, rallied her supporters in Philadelphia on Monday, criticizing Trump's allies for "trotting out and peddling the most racist, sexist, bigoted stereotypes." He appealed to Pennsylvania voters with Puerto Rican ties, urging them not to vote for someone who does not see them as equal citizens.

At Sunday's event, likened by Democrats to a 1939 rally of American fascists, Trump railed against undocumented migrants and domestic opponents, labeling them the "enemy from within." In Atlanta, he reiterated his attacks on Harris, calling her a "hater," and criticized former First Lady Michelle Obama for calling him "nasty."

More than 47 million Americans have already cast early ballots, including outgoing President Joe Biden, who voted near his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. As the election approaches, the challenge for Harris and Trump is to energize their core supporters and sway the small number of undecided voters who could tip the balance, especially in the seven swing states where polls show them neck-and-neck.

On Tuesday, Harris will deliver what her campaign calls a "closing argument" from a spot near the White House, the same location where then-President Trump rallied his supporters on January 6, 2021, leading to a violent assault on the US Capitol.

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