Ex-president also says ‘worst gang members’ are entering US, and hinted at ‘transgender operations all over the place’

Donald Trump accused Kamala Harris of running a campaign of hate at his Mar-a-Lago club in a display of projection days after his rally in New York became embroiled by racist and crude comments that aides worried might have broken through to voters in the final days of the presidential race.

The event was open to reporters but Trump took no questions – he would have almost certainly been asked about the caustic rally rhetoric – and in an attempt to change the narrative, argued Kamala Harris was stoking division.

It was also an attempt to pre-empt what could be a damaging day for the Trump campaign. Later on Tuesday, Harris will speak at a rally on the Ellipse in Washington – the same site as Trump’s rally just before the January 6 Capitol attack – to tie him directly to the riot.