With less than a week until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump hosted rival events in Wisconsin and North Carolina, both battleground states that appeal to undecided voters.
Harris called on Americans to “stop pointing fingers at each other” while trying to ignore President Joe Biden’s comments in which she appeared to call supporters of Donald Trump “trash.”
Meanwhile, Trump jumped into the passenger seat of a white trash truck with his name on it to draw attention to Biden’s comments.
More than 50 million Americans have already voted, according to the University of Florida’s Election Research Office. This includes approximately 29.3 million in-person votes and approximately 26 million mail-in votes.
What’s the latest from the polls?
The latest poll from The Economist/YouGov and TIPP Insights released on Wednesday shows Harris with a narrow lead of just one point, compared to 44% of voters who back her. Trump has 43%.
A separate poll by The Washington Post and George Mason University, also released Wednesday, found that voters recalled the 2020 election, in which Trump’s loss precipitated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and showed that Trump expressed concern about the potential reaction if they lost.
Of more than 5,000 registered voters in key battleground states, 57% said they were “very” or “somewhat” worried that Trump’s supporters would turn violent if he lost. By contrast, only 31% believe Harris’ supporters will react similarly.
Additionally, as of Wednesday, Harris continued to lead the nation by about 1.4 percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national poll tracker. However, this lead is within the margin of error, indicating the race remains competitive.
In battleground states (important states that will determine the election outcome), the election battles are even more intense. Key battleground states include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.
Harris’ narrow lead in Michigan has widened from 0.2 points to 1 point, according to FiveThirtyEight’s daily poll tracker. She also has a slight advantage in Nevada. In Wisconsin, the lead expanded to 0.8 points.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump had a slight advantage in Pennsylvania, increasing slightly from 0.2 points to 0.4 points. North Carolina’s lead narrowed from 1.3 points to 1.1 points.
Mr. Trump currently leads Ms. Harris by 2.2 points in Arizona, and Mr. Trump has a 1.8 point lead in Georgia.
In six of the seven battleground states, the difference between the candidates is less than two points, within the poll’s margin of error, and each state is in a state of turmoil just days before the election. Even though Trump leads Arizona by 2.1 percentage points, this difference is still very close to a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
What was Kamala Harris doing on Wednesday?
Harris held rallies in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
She emphasized unity and common ground. “I’m not trying to score political points,” the vice president said. “I aim for progress.”
Separately, the White House rushed to explain President Biden’s “garbage” gaffe.
The controversy began on Tuesday when Biden participated in a campaign event organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. During the phone conversation, Biden criticized the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments during Sunday’s Madison Square Garden rally in which he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of trash.”
“The only trash floating around is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American,” Biden said. “It’s completely contrary to everything we’ve done and have done.”
Before boarding Air Force Two for Raleigh, Harris told reporters that she disagreed with “any criticism of people based on their voting choices.”
“I represent all Americans, even those who don’t vote for me,” she added.
With less than a week until Election Day, polls show that the presidential race is a close race between Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump (EPA)
Harris was holding rallies on Wednesday and was confronted by pro-Palestinian protesters at all three events.
“We all want the war in Gaza to end and the hostages to be rescued, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make that known and make it known,” Harris said in Wisconsin. “And everyone has a right to be heard, but right now I’m the one speaking.”
Harris’ supporters were outraged by her comments, which referred to what she said to then-Vice President Mike Pence during a 2020 debate, but the response largely drowned out the protesters. .
Harris speaks at a campaign rally (Eloisa López/Reuters)
What was Donald Trump doing on Wednesday?
Trump descended the stairs of his Boeing 757 and climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also had his name on it.
“What about my garbage truck?” Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over a white dress shirt and red tie. “This is a tribute to Kamala and Joe Biden.”
President Trump’s reaction as he sits on a garbage truck (Brendan McDiarmid/Reuters)
Trump and other Republicans faced backlash after Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”
The former president distanced himself from the comedian, but stopped short of condemning his comments. He also said there is no need to apologize to Puerto Ricans.
“I don’t know anything about that comedian,” Trump said. “I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard him say something, but that’s what he said. He’s a comedian, so what can I say?” I don’t know anything about him.” Trump’s press secretary said the joke did not reflect Trump’s views, but the former president himself has not addressed the matter. .
“I love Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico loves me,” Trump said from a garbage truck.
He ended his brief appearance by telling reporters: “I hope you enjoy this garbage truck. Thank you very much.”
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Chou-Castro reported that “(the truck scene) has been quite topical among Trump supporters.”
But, she added, “voters here are saying they’re simply tired of the rhetoric that this campaign has developed…and they value their vote.”
“Harris certainly has an advantage here in places like Milwaukee. But in rural parts of the state, you’re more likely to find supporters of President Trump.”
President Trump speaks at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Brendan McDiarmid/Reuters)
What will happen to the Harris campaign and the Trump campaign?
Harris plans to stop in two swing states
Democrats will head to the western United States tomorrow to campaign in two battleground states. Harris will hold events in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona.
Mexican bands Mana and Los Tigres del Norte are scheduled to perform at Harris’ rallies in Las Vegas and Phoenix, respectively, ostensibly to drum up support for Latinos.
Singer Jennifer Lopez will also reportedly perform at Harris’ Las Vegas rally. Amid backlash over Hinchliffe’s comments, the artist shared Harris’ plans to build Puerto Rico’s economy and energy grid on her Instagram Story on Sunday.
In the final days of her campaign, Harris relied heavily on celebrities and performers, headlining events with such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Maggie Rogers. Thursday’s event comes just days before early voting ends in Nevada on Nov. 1.
Rolling Stone reports that Mexican music is helping mobilize Latino voters in battleground states. On Thursday, La Original Banda El Limón unveiled a gallery dedicated to Harris, titled “Señora Presidenta.”
President Trump visits Nevada and New Mexico
Trump will be staying in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Henderson, Nevada. And in Glendale, Arizona, he will speak with Tucker Carlson at Desert Island Arena.
Nevada and Arizona are two of the seven battleground states that will decide this election.
A recent poll released by CNN on Tuesday found that voters in these two key battleground areas in the Southwest are undecided about which is the better choice.
Both states offer early voting, with polls showing 55% of likely voters have already cast their ballots in Arizona and 42% in Nevada. So far, more registered Republicans than registered Democrats have voted in both states.
