U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris cast herself as the "underdog" in the country's 2024 presidential race and called her Republican opponent Donald Trump "just plain weird," while Trump painted Harris as "evil," "sick" and "unhinged" as the rivals exchanged barbs from afar on Saturday.

The dueling appearances capped a whirlwind week that saw Harris ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his re-election bid under mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats. A series of polls indicate that Harris' entry erased the lead Trump had enjoyed over Biden in a matter of days.

Harris, speaking at a private fundraiser headlined by singer-songwriter James Taylor in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, said much of the rhetoric coming from Trump and his running mate, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, was "just plain weird."