Washington, Aug 18 (IANS): Former US President Donald Trump has claimed at an election rally that he is "much better looking" than his Democratic rival for the White House, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

“I am much better looking than her. I think I'm a better-looking person than Kamala,” Trump said on Saturday at an election rally in Pennsylvania, which is one of the battleground states that will determine the race.

Trump appears to have been triggered by a column in The Wall Street Journal that described Harris as beautiful. "You can’t take a bad picture of her. Her beauty, plus the social warmth that all who have known her over the years speak of, combines to produce: radiance," Peggy Noonan, the columnist, had written.

Trump leaned into it by calling out to a Republican who is running for US Senate from the state. "You’re not allowed to say this anymore. You know, David, don’t ever get caught in this trap," Trump said addressing Republican Senate candidate David McCormick in the audience. "David, please don’t ever call a woman beautiful, because that will be the end of your political career."

“I am much better looking than her. I’m a better-looking person than Kamala,” he said and went on to belittle a sketch of her on a Time magazine cover. He said he thought it was actresses Sophia Loren or Elizabeth Taylor.

Former president Trump also attacked Harris on policy calling the economic plan she announced on Friday as a plan that "will usher communism in the US". He has called it the “Maduro plan”, after Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan leader.

Trump has used a string of personal slurs against Harris in the last three weeks. He has called her “crazy” and a “lunatic”, questioned her ethnicity, and even stated that he is “entitled” to these personal attacks because she makes him angry and she has also attacked him as “weird”.