Trump and Harris campaign in battleground states with less than a week until Election Day: Live updates
Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump both rallied in North Carolina on Wednesday after Democrat delivered ‘closing argument’ speech and defends Joe Biden over latest gaffe
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With less than a week to go in the US presidential election race, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are making their final pitches to voters, with both appearing in battleground North Carolina on Wednesday.
The Democratic presidential nominee has been forced to respond to Joe Biden inadvertently whipping up a conservative media storm by seemingly calling Trump’s supporters “garbage” in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s already-notorious Madison Square Garden joke about Puerto Rico.
Harris told reporters on Wednesday that she “strongly” disagrees with any criticism of the public based on their voting intentions.
Elsewhere, at a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Trump also addressed the president’s comments.
“Last night, Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters,” he said. “He called them garbage and they mean it... even though, without question, my supporters are far higher quality than Crooked Joe or Lyin’ Kamala.”
He added: “My response to Joe and Kamla is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans, you just can’t.”
On Tuesday, Harris delivered her “closing argument” in Washington DC, speaking on the very same spot from which Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell” on January 6, 2021.
Republicans will ‘go big’ in Trump’s first 100 days and ‘take a blowtorch’ to federal agencies, says Speaker Johnson
In a video obtained by NBC News, House Speaker Mike Johnson can be seen addressing an event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday promising that his side will “take a blowtorch” to federal agencies in the first 100 days of a Donald Trump presidency.
“Healthcare reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda,” Johnson tells his audience.
“When I say we’re going to have a very aggressive first 100 days agenda, we got a lot of things still on the table.”
Asked if that would mean no Obamacare, Johnson rolled his eyes and answered: “No Obamacare. The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”
This is what Harris-Walz spokesperson Sarafina Chitika had to say in response:
“Healthcare is on the ballot this November. Speaker Mike Johnson is making it clear – if Donald Trump wins, he and his Project 2025 allies in Congress will make sure there is ‘no Obamacare.’
“That means higher healthcare costs for millions of families and ripping away protections from Americans with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, asthma, or cancer.
“Voters see Trump’s ‘concepts of a plan’ for what they are: Ending the Affordable Care Act, jacking up prices, and leaving millions of Americans without the care they need.”
How close are Trump and Harris in Arizona and Nevada?
Just one point separates the two presidential candidates in those two must-win battleground states, a new poll finds.
James Liddell has the details.
How close are Trump and Harris in swing states Arizona and Nevada? New poll reveals
Just one point separates the presidential candidates in two must-win battleground states, new poll finds
Tim Walz tells Good Morning America: ‘We’re winning this thing’
Harris’s running mate was on the breakfast show a little while ago talking to George Stephanopoulos and said of her Ellipse speech last night: “The vice president’s rhetoric is the rhetoric that the president of the United States gives. One that understands we’re all in this together. One that welcomes robust debate about the issues.”
Asked about Joe Biden’s “garbage” blunder, Walz said: “The president has clarified his remarks. Let’s be very clear, the vice president and I have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this. Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric is what needs to end.”
On their ticket’s supposed struggle to attract male voters, he said: “I think folks are still undecided. We go again back to those kitchen table issues. Men care about the lives of the women they love in their lives and they do care about the issue of reproductive care.
“They also want to make sure manufacturing jobs are coming back to Michigan. They want to make sure their kids are safe in schools from gun violence. Men are no different than women in that they want to live safe and secure lives. They want an opportunity to thrive.”
Asked how optimistic he was about next Tuesday, Walz declared: “We’re winning this thing... There’s energy out there. People are ready.
“There will be a clear result. My biggest concern is that Donald Trump has brought pessimism to folks. That folks don’t believe that their votes don’t matter. Those votes do matter.”
Elon Musk agrees that Trump’s economic plans will lead to ‘hardship’ and cause markets to ‘tumble’
The world’s wealthiest man appears to believe that a Trump presidency must crash the economy in order to benefit Americans.
Elon Musk agreed on Tuesday that proposed drastic cuts to the federal government, coupled with Trump’s sweeping deportations, will likely cause global markets to “tumble”.
Alex Woodward has more.
Elon Musk agrees: Trump’s economic plans will lead to ‘hardship’
The former president’s wealthy allies are promoting the idea of economic collapse and high prices as a necessary side effect of Trump’s economic agenda
‘Nostradamus’ of presidential races reveals why there’s ‘more election anxiety this year than ever’ before
Allan Lichtman, the American political historian is known as the “Nostradamus” of elections because he has successfully predicted the last nine out of 10 presidential races since 1984, has revealed why he believes there is “more election anxiety this year” than ever before.
In a new episode on his YouTube channel, marking one week to go until voters elect either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as the next president, Lichtman spoke of the “election anxiety” this time around.
“There was more election anxiety this year than I’ve ever seen, and I go back to Kennedy – Nixon in 1960,” Lichtman said.
“I’ve never seen this kind of election anxiety,” he added.
“A lot of people believe the future of the country is on the line here, and the democracy of America could be a thing of the past. I don’t think that’s an illegitimate fear.
“I’m so worried about the future of our election, you know, I think I’ve said this before – democracy is precious but like all precious things, it can be destroyed.”
Rhian Lubin has more.
Election Nostradamus reveals why there’s ‘more anxiety this year than ever’ before
In his latest broadcast, Allan Lichtman urges viewers to ‘ignore the polls’ and keep the faith in his method
Nikki Haley on Trump: ‘I am choosing policy over personality’
Which policy? Mass deportations?
Trump’s former primary rival was not even invited to speak at Madison Square Garden – shunned in favor of Tony Hinchcliffe, Hulk Hogan, Rudy Giuliani and the crucifix guy – but is nevertheless still out there backing the man who trashed and taunted her for months last winter.
Speaking to Bret Baier on Fox News, “Birdbrain” did at least criticize the Republican nominee for his rhetoric on Puerto Rico and women but are even conservatives listening to her at this point?
Honestly, how embarrassing is this?
Here’s more on her appearance from James Liddell.
Nikki Haley rips Trump and his team for ‘bromance’ MSG rally
Former UN ambassador warned that the Trump campaign’s ‘overly masculine’ rhetoric risks alienating women
Trump slams Biden for supposedly calling MAGA garbage – after he called entire US a ‘garbage can’
Here’s James Liddell to offer some timely perspective on the president’s gaffe on Tuesday, given that his would-be Republican successor twice referred to their country as a “garbage can” yesterday.
Trump slams Biden for ‘calling MAGA garbage’ – after he called US a ‘garbage can’
White House has said Biden was referring to Trump’s ‘hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage’ – and not the GOP candidate’s supporters
J Lo to give speech at Harris Vegas rally as Puerto Rico’s biggest newspaper endorses Democrat
In the latest fallout from the Tony Hinchcliffe crack, pop superstar and actress Jennifer Lopez has revealed she will speak at Kamala Harris’s event in Nevada tomorrow to urge her fellow Latinos to back the Democrat rather than a candidate whose surrogates consider Puerto Rico a “floating garbage island”.
The territory’s biggest newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, has meanwhile moved to back Harris in response to the Trump comic’s insult.
And, for good measure, here’s Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro dismissing Trump’s attempts to walk away from Hinchcliffe in conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Rhian Lubin has more.
J Lo to speak at Harris rally after racist Puerto Rico joke at Trump’s MSG event
The singer has publicly thrown her support behind Kamala Harris following Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist joke calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’
Truth Social: Trump urges law enforcement to intervene in Pennsylvania ‘cheating’
Sigh. It’s going to be a long winter.
Here’s the Republican nominee’s latest early morning social media outpouring, offered with no context or evidence:
RFK Jr hits out over Supreme Court’s decision to leave him on ballot in Michigan and Wisconsin
The aspiring Trump health secretary (shudder) has accused SCOTUS of “undermining election integrity” by upholding a decision by the secretaries of state in the above swing states to leave him on their ballot papers, despite his decision to suspend his campaign, in accordance with state law.
Here he is insinuating a Democratic conspiracy while urging the public not to vote for him – a message he should have started out with, if you ask me.
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