With his third straight U.S. presidential campaign coming down to the wire, Donald Trump mused at a rally about hydrogen-powered cars exploding, lamented how difficult it is to get spray paint off limestone and marveled at how billionaire backer Elon Musk’s rocket had returned to Earth in one piece.

He complained Democratic rival Kamala Harris wasn’t working as hard as he was, praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as "fierce" and called former President Barack Obama "a real jerk."

His aides had billed the event in battleground North Carolina as economy-focused, but that issue was just the warm-up.