Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has cranked up the personal attack against his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, repeating the insult that she was “mentally impaired” while adding that she also should be “impeached and prosecuted.”.

Trump denounced “socialism” Monday in Erie, but his rally was akin to an event a day prior he labeled a “dark speech.” He told a raucous crowd Sunday that Harris was to blame for an “invasion” on the border with Mexico and said “she should be impeached and prosecuted for her actions”.

“Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired,” he said. “Sad. But lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There’s something wrong with Kamala. And I just don’t know what it is, but there is definitely something missing. And you know what, everybody knows it.”

With about a month until election day, Trump is ratcheting up personal and offensive attacks on his opponents, even as some Republicans suggest he’d be better off keeping the focus on issues voters care about. Trump has long boasted that he would sue his opponents if necessary, including President Joe Biden and his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton.

“Crooked Joe Biden became mentally impaired,” he added. “Sad. But lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way. There’s something wrong with Kamala. And I just don’t know what it is, but there is definitely something missing. And you know what, everybody knows it.”

About a month before the election, Trump is cranking up his personal and sharper-edged attacks – even though some Republicans are saying he’d be better off sticking to issues concerning voters. Trump has long hinted at lawsuits against his rivals, including President Joe Biden and his 2016 foe, Hillary Clinton.

Trump has his own legal issues. He was convicted last May in New York of falsifying business records in connection with a hush-money case, and sentencing is set for November 26. Two other cases are pending: a federal charge related to his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection, and a state charge in Georgia over his bid to overturn his 2020 loss there to Biden. Prosecutors are appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of a case against him involving his handling of classified documents.

Trump criticized for comments about Harris

The first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, Donald Trump has referred to her using derogatory terms such as “stupid,” “weak,” “dumb as a rock,” and “lazy.” His supporters have urged him to actually focus on real issues like the economy and immigration rather than attacking her.

“I just think the better course to take is to prosecute the case that her policies are destroying the country,” Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN’s State of the Union programme on Sunday when asked about Trump’s comments, describing Harris’s policies as “crazy liberal”. During an interview on ABC’s This Week, Republican Tom Emmer declined to say if he approved of Trump’s personal attacks on Harris.

“I think Kamala Harris is the wrong choice for America,” said Emmer, who is helping Trump’s running mate JD Vance prepare for Tuesday’s vice presidential debate. “I think Kamala Harris is actually as bad or worse as the administration that we’ve witnessed for the last four years.”

When asked to respond, Emmer said: “I think we should just talk about the issues. The issues are – Donald Trump fixed it once – they broke it. He’s going to fix it again. Those are the issues.