“People don’t like her. Nobody likes her. She could never be the first woman president. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country,” Trump told a crowd of supporters in North Carolina, The Hill reported.

The US president’s commentary drew applause from his backers in Winston-Salem. The remarks came as part of a broader attack on the Democratic ticket, which Trump argued would “cripple” the country’s economy.

Trump launched a similar attack on the prospect that Harris could ascend to the presidency two weeks ago, saying at a New Hampshire rally that he hoped to see the first woman president, but that it shouldn’t be Harris because “she’s not competent.”

Harris is the first woman of color nominated to a major party’s presidential ticket. She has been an ardent Trump critic as a senator, and she has assumed the role of attack dog in her first campaign appearances since being nominated as the Democratic vice presidential pick.

Trump has frequently attacked the senator since she was named to the Democratic ticket last month. He has regularly derided her as “nasty,” complaining about her tough questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and citing her criticisms of Joe Biden during the 2019 Democratic debates.

He also entertained a false and racist conspiracy theory about her eligibility for the vice presidency after it was first raised in a Newsweek op-ed.

Trump’s dismissive tone toward some women has drawn criticism that he uses sexist language, and he has struggled to win over female voters in recent months, according to several polls.