President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney launched increasingly personal attacks on each other as America heads towards one of its closest elections in living memory.
Mr Obama said the fundamental structures of American life were “at risk like never before” due to his rival.
He said if Mr Romney wins in November it would cease to be true that “no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, American [is] a place where you can make it if you work hard”.
Mr Romney accused the president of doing nothing to bring down unemployment, adding that Mr Obama was interested only in protecting his own job. The president was campaigning in Florida. If he wins there in November, Mr Romney would have difficulty preventing his return to the White House.
The Republicans will hold their convention in the state next month.
Mr Obama emphasised themes important to Florida’s retired residents, hammering his rival for backing a plan to overhaul Medicare, government health insurance for those over 65, which he said would cost them an extra £4,000 a year.
Mr Romney appeared in Boston. He said of Mr Obama: “The job he’s interested in protecting is his own. The job that should be protected is the job of men and women in this country who want to get jobs, who want to go back to work, who want to have rising incomes again.”
