This combination of file photos shows Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton(L)on June 15, 2016 and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on June 13, 2016. / AFP PHOTO
PHILADELPHIA鈥擧illary Clinton and Donald Trump traded insults at opposite ends of the country Friday, taking their fight for the White House to rival battleground states and portraying starkly different visions of America.
One of the most divisive US campaigns in modern history is entering a new chapter with Republicans and Democrats having selected their nominees, leaving the candidates slogging it out before Election Day on November 8.
READ: It鈥檚 Clinton vs Trump in November vote
Clinton followed her historic acceptance speech on Thursday as the first woman presidential nominee for a major party with a rally in Philadelphia before embarking on a bus tour of Rust Belt states Pennsylvania and Ohio.
In Colorado, a key state out west, her Republican opponent promised 鈥渘o more Mr. Nice Guy,鈥� trashing Clinton鈥檚 speech as 鈥渁verage,鈥� calling her a liar and promising to end the migration of Syrian refugees.
鈥淚鈥檓 starting to agree with you,鈥� the 70-year-old told supporters chanting 鈥渓ock her up, lock her up鈥� in Colorado Springs. 鈥淚鈥檓 taking the gloves off,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust remember this Trump is going to be no more Mr. Nice Guy.鈥�
Just over 100 days before the election, Americans are being asked to choose between two sharply polarized visions 鈥� and between two monumentally unpopular candidates.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of an election that is more important, certainly in my lifetime,鈥� Clinton told supporters at the rally in Philadelphia.
The 68-year-old Democrat portrays Trump as a threat to democracy, seeking to woo moderate Republicans repelled by the former reality TV star and shore up a coalition with progressives on the left of her party.
Peachy keen
鈥淒onald Trump painted a picture, a negative, dark, divisive picture of a country in decline,鈥� she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 not telling you that everything is peachy keen 鈥� I鈥檓 telling you we鈥檝e made progress, but we have work to do.鈥�
READ: Hillary Clinton vows to be president for 鈥榓ll Americans鈥�
She promises to focus on parts of the country that have been 鈥渓eft out and left behind鈥� 鈥� constituencies where declining living standards, fears about safety and lost jobs have fueled support for Trump.
Trump, who has never previously held office, portrays himself as the law and order candidate 鈥� the outsider who will shake up an out-of-touch Washington, restore jobs, cut the deficit and end illegal immigration.
鈥淭his country, if they choose her, this country will not be in good shape,鈥� Trump told ABC 黑料社 on Friday.
鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 know how to win, she鈥檚 not a winner,鈥� he said in an excerpt of the interview set to air Sunday.
In Colorado, Trump goaded Clinton on her failure to hold a news conference since December and accused her of lying to the FBI over its investigation of her email scandal as secretary of state.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to stop the Syrian migrants from coming into the United States,鈥� he said referring to the killing of a French priest, whose attackers proclaimed allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group.
Trump鈥檚 campaign, which has trailed in fundraising behind Clinton, released a new ad Friday saying that in Clinton鈥檚 America 鈥渢hings get worse鈥� with taxes going up, terrorism spreading and voters losing jobs, homes and hope.
鈥淐hange that makes America great again,鈥� the video promised.
Trump also posted a social media clip mocking Clinton鈥檚 husband and former president Bill Clinton for appearing to doze off during her speech.
Negative partisanship
Clinton needs to win over disgruntled working class voters, who have formed the backbone of Trump鈥檚 base. She has derided the real estate mogul for making so many of his products overseas and for alienating women, Hispanics and Muslims.
On her bus tour, she is accompanied by her husband, her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and his wife Anne.
The so-called Rust Belt states are vital parts of almost any strategy to garner the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be drawing that contrast between Hillary Clinton鈥檚 plans for our country and Donald Trump鈥檚 empty promises,鈥� Kaine said Friday.
Experts predict that 鈥渘egative partisanship鈥� 鈥� voting against a candidate 鈥� will play a major role in deciding who makes it to the White House.
Clinton鈥檚 unpopularity is second only to Trump鈥檚, with a disapproval rating of 55 percent compared to his 57 percent, according to recent averages.
Ratings from Nielsen showed that 2.2 million more people had tuned into watch Trump鈥檚 acceptance speech last week than Clinton鈥檚 on Thursday.
When it comes to voter intentions, Trump and Clinton are in a statistical dead heat, according to the most recent poll average from RealClearPolitics.