Former President Donald Trump is set to host a rally in Tempe in the battleground state of Arizona today, concentrating on housing and the economy, as stated on his campaign website. The event will take place at Mullett Arena on the ASU campus at 2 p.m. The former president has visited Arizona multiple times during his 2024 campaign, with his latest stop in Prescott Valley on October 13. He also traveled to Tucson last month and held a rally in Glendale in August, where he visited Arizona’s southern border. For Vice President Kamala Harris’s part, she is hosting a rally in Georgia today. Meanwhile, approximately 26.5 million Americans have participated in early voting, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida. As of Wednesday night, 15.7 million mail ballots have been returned, while another 10.7 million voters have cast their votes early in person. Several states are set to begin offering early voting options in the coming days.
09:18 AM EDT
Tucker Carlson: ‘There has to be a point at which Dad comes home’
Tucker Carlson likened Trump to a “dad” at a Georgia rally yesterday, saying, “There has to be a point at which Dad comes home. And he’s pissed. Dad is pissed.
“He’s not vengeful. He loves his children. Disobedient as they may be, he loves them, because they’re his children. They live in his house. But he’s very disappointed in their behavior. And he’s going to have to let them know.”
He added: “When Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl. You’ve been a bad little girl, and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now. And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. It’s going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this.'”
09:03 AM EDT
Anderson Cooper gives Kamala Harris a bruising CNN town hall
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper challenged Vice President Kamala Harris over the Biden administration’s record on illegal immigration and her personal attitude toward a border wall during the network’s town hall on Wednesday.
Cooper asked Harris to explain her support for a bipartisan immigration deal that included $650 million in spending on a border wall—though she previously “criticized the wall more than 50 times” and labeled a wall “stupid,” “useless” and “a medieval vanity project.”
Harris responded: “So let’s talk about Donald Trump and that border wall. Remember Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it? Come on, they didn’t. How much of that wall did he build? I think the last number I saw is about 2 percent. And then when it came time for him to do a photo op you know where he did it? In the part of the wall that President Obama built.”
Harris also used her CNN appearance to call former President Donald Trump a fascist, echoing comments from John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff who said Trump had praised Adolf Hitler’s generals. The former president’s team strongly denies the allegation. The Republican nominee hit back on Truth Social, writing that Harris is “a Threat to Democracy” and “not fit to be President of the United States.”
Read More: Anderson Cooper Gives Kamala Harris a Bruising CNN Town Hall
08:56 AM EDT
Harris is ‘a threat to democracy,’ Trump says
Donald Trump wrote an attack post against Kamala Harris on his Truth Social account last night, writing that she is a “threat to democracy.”
“Comrade Kamala Harris sees that she is losing,” he wrote, “and losing badly, especially after stealing the Race from Crooked Joe Biden, so now she is increasingly raising her rhetoric, going so far as to call me Adolf Hitler, and anything else that comes to her warped mind. She is a Threat to Democracy, and not fit to be President of the United States — And her Polling so indicates!”
08:53 AM EDT
Trump leads Harris in North Carolina and Wisconsin, new poll shows
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Divine Faith Ministries International on October 20, 2024 in Jonesboro, Georgia. Vice President Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, have been campaigning this week in the key battleground state of Georgia. Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Greensboro Coliseum on October 22, 2024, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Trump continues to crisscross the country campaigning to return to office. Trump is now leading Harris in North Carolina and Wisconsin
Megan Varner and Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
According to new polling data from Emerson College Polling/RealClearWorld, Trump is leading Harris in two of the seven battleground states in the 2024 election. A poll among likely North Carolina voters shows that Trump is ahead of Harris by two percentage points, leaving her at 48%, him at 50%, and 3% of voters remaining undecided.
“There is a clear gender divide, with men favoring Trump more strongly than women for Harris,” said executive director of Emerson College Polling, Spencer Kimball. “In North Carolina, men back Trump by 13 points, while women support Harris by seven points. In Wisconsin, men support Trump by 12, while women favor Harris by nine points.”
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the same poll among likely Wisconsin voters shows that Trump leads Harris by one percentage point, putting him at 49% and her at 48% while 2% are undecided.
08:39 AM EDT
Campaign tracker: Where are the candidates today?
With less than two weeks left for the election, the candidates are making their final pitches to voters. Trump is hosting a rally in Tempe, Arizona today, focusing on the economy and housing, as stated on his campaign website. Meanwhile, Vance will be addressing the auto industry in Michigan.
Trump’s trip to Arizona is significant because it is a critical battleground state. The 11 electoral votes from Arizona are essential, and its varied electorate, including suburban and Hispanic voters, can influence the election outcome. Additionally, with a high-stakes Senate race happening alongside the presidential election, Trump’s efforts aim to drive turnout and support for both his campaign and lower-ticket contests.
Meanwhile, Harris is leading a rally in Georgia today, featuring former President Barack Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen. This marks the first occasion that Obama has joined the vice president at a campaign event since she was named the Democratic nominee. Walz is traveling across North Carolina, with three planned events today in the Tar Heel State, one of which is a rally in Wilmington.
Harris’s campaign efforts in Georgia are vital as the state has emerged as a key battleground in national elections.
Georgia’s transition from a historically Republican stronghold to a competitive swing state was highlighted in the 2020 election, when it significantly contributed to Joe Biden’s victory. For Harris and the Democratic Party, sustaining and increasing support in Georgia may be crucial for winning the state’s 16 electoral votes in 2024.
