Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris warned voters Thursday that Republican Donald Trump and his allies would cut healthcare programs if he wins the White House and said her comments at the Wednesday rally were offensive to women.

In a brief press conference, Vice President Harris reminded voters that former President Trump sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, during his 2017-2021 presidency.

“This election is about healthcare for all Americans,” he told reporters in Madison, Wisconsin, before flying to Arizona and Nevada as both candidates moved the campaign to the Southwest.

In response, Trump said he never wanted to get rid of the program. After the woman made this statement, he said on the Truth Social platform: “I never talked about doing this, I never even thought about such a thing.”

Opinion polls show a historically close contest between Harris and Trump, with the outcome of Tuesday’s US presidential election likely to be decided in seven battleground states.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October found the race sharply divided along gender lines; Among women, Harris was ahead by 12 percentage points, and among men, Trump was ahead by seven percentage points.

More than 63 million people have already voted in person through early voting and vote-by-mail, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

Both candidates made their pitch to Hispanic voters while campaigning in the Southwest on Thursday.

Harris, who has received support from a number of celebrities, received an A-list endorsement in Las Vegas from pop star and movie actress Jennifer Lopez, after Mexican rock band Mana played a short set to introduce them and basketball legend LeBron James had previously supported her . during the day.

“I love Hollywood endings. I like when the good guy, or in this case the good girl, wins,” said Lopez, who was born to Puerto Rican parents in New York.

While in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Trump argued that he could win the support of the state’s large Latino population, even polling the crowd to see whether they preferred to be called “Latino” or “Hispanic.” The “Hispanics” answer easily won.

OBAMACARE IS ON THE TOPIC AGAIN

The Affordable Care Act of 2010, also a campaign issue, provides coverage to nearly 40 million Americans as part of the nation’s health insurance programs. The legislation, which was a political liability for Democrats when it became law in 2010, has now become widely popular.

Trump had repeatedly promised to repeal Obamacare during his 2016 campaign, and following his election, he hosted Republican representatives at the White House for a celebration when the House voted to do so. But the repeal effort died in the Senate in July 2017, when the late Sen. John McCain cast the deciding vote with a thumbs-down gesture.

Trump has downplayed the issue during this campaign, but reiterated Thursday that as president he would force insurance companies to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

When asked about health care in the Sept. 10 televised debate with Harris, she repeated her claim that “Obamacare is terrible health care” but said she had “a concept of a plan,” acknowledging that she had not yet proposed a comprehensive alternative.

Harris has made abortion rights a cornerstone of her campaign, while Trump has promised to significantly reduce immigration.

Democrats brought up a comment Trump made at a rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday: “Whether women like it or not, I have to protect them. I’m going to protect them from immigrants coming in.”

Harris told reporters she found the “like it or not” comment offensive.

“I actually think it’s very offensive in terms of women not understanding their own agency, their authority, their rights, and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies,” she said.

FOCUS ON THE SOUTHWEST

While Harris campaigned in Arizona and Nevada, Trump stopped in New Mexico, a traditionally Democratic state, and the swing state of Nevada.

Trump predicted he would defy experts who say campaigning in New Mexico is useless.

“They all said, ‘Don’t come. You can’t win New Mexico.'” Trump said, “I said, ‘Look, your votes were rigged.’

In Phoenix, where Arizona Democratic senate candidate Ruben Gallego warmed up the crowd with his remarks that switched fluently between English and Spanish, Harris criticized Trump’s rhetoric, calling it “full of hate and divisiveness.”

“He insults Latinos, scapegoats immigrants,” Harris said.

Hispanic voters have traditionally been a strength for Democrats, but Trump is gaining ground among the nationally and religiously diverse U.S. Latino population.

Nationally, Trump has the support of registered Hispanic voters in a series of Reuters/Ipsos polls this month; this rate was 32 percent at the same point in 2020. Harris’ share of Hispanic voters was 50 percent. That compares with Democratic President Joe Biden’s 54 percent in October 2020.