Donald Trump has been accused of referring to horror film The Purge in suggesting police should be allowed “one rough hour” to clamp down on crime.
The Republican presidential candidate told a rally in Pennsylvania that cops should be granted fewer restraints to tackle criminals.
Mr Trump said: “Put someone like Congressman Mike Kelly [a hardline Pennsylvania politician] in charge for one day.
“Would he say, let them rob your store? [No, he wouldn’t]. All these stores go out of business, they don’t pay rent and the city doesn’t have any money.
“It’s a chain of events that’s so bad. One rough hour and I mean real rough, the word will get out and it will end immediately.
“It will end immediately.”
Social media users were quick to point out his proposal was eerily similar to that in The Purge, a 2013 film where all crime is legal for 12 hours per year.
The premise of the film, which stars Ethan Hawke as a father trying to protect his family, is that crime decreases nationally as a result.
The Purge has spawned several sequels, including the 2016 film Election Year - the tagline “Keep America Great” being the same as Mr Trump used for his 2020 election campaign.
One person tweeted: “Trump is literally proposing The Purge.”
Another added: “The way he watched The Purge and sat there like you know what… we should try this.”
A third said: “The Purge: Election Year came out in 2016. Trump stole its motto in 2020 and its plot in 2024.”
Mr Trump also used the platform to speak against immigration.
He said: "They call them of the worst order… Charged with or convicted with heinous crimes, including child predators, drug dealers, vicious gang members, sadist thugs and people that deal in women."
He added: "If we win Pennsylvania, we win.”
Also on Sunday, Mr Trump’s election rival Kamala Harris was out campaigning in Los Angeles.
"We just see the same old tired show from the same old tired playbook," Ms Harris told a crowd of donors, some who shouted "boring!" in response.
