US ex-president Donald Trump and vice-president Kamala Harris continue their efforts to reach voters in key parts of the United States a day before the culmination of the presidential election. Harris is scheduled to make four appearances in Pennsylvania, and Trump will also visit two other states. According to The New York Times (NYT), he appeared tired at the first rally today.
The US has had a heated campaign full of extraordinary events, including the first trial of a former head of state, an unprecedented replacement of the Democratic Party candidate and two assassination attempts on Trump. Polls after the unpredictable development point to a very tight race between the 78-year-old Republican and the 60-year-old Democrat, both nationwide and in seven key states.
One of them is North Carolina, where today Trump started a series of the last four rallies. “Once we mobilize everybody and vote, then there’s nothing they can do,” Trump said in Raleigh. The ex-president, who never acknowledged his defeat in the last election, is once again undermining the confidence of supporters in the electoral process this year, accusing the Democrats of cheating in the elections without evidence.
At a rally in North Carolina, he again portrayed immigrants coming to the US as criminals, a strong theme of his campaign. “They go after everything that moves,” he was quoted as saying by The Washington Post. He also pointed out that Trump has threatened Mexico with a 25 percent tariff on all exports if the US’s most important trading partner does not stop “criminals and drugs coming into our country.” The ex-president, who has been campaigning for tariffs against various parties, then added that he could increase tariffs on Mexican goods.
Trump later headed to Pennsylvania and will make a similar appearance in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the eve of the main election day, as he did in 2016 and 2020. According to the NYT, he appeared tired at some points late in the campaign, and in Raleigh spoke in a “raspy” voice and “looked tired.” If he wins another mandate, he will be the oldest winner of a presidential election in US history.
Harris would be the first female president in the history of the country and at the same time the first head of state with roots in South Asia. He spends the last day of the campaign in Pennsylvania, which is the most populous of the seven key states and thus has the most weight in the electorate. According to the AP agency, her program today includes performances in Allentown and an evening rally in Philadelphia, where she will be supported, among others, by presenter Oprah Winfrey and singer Lady Gaga.
She started the series of rallies in the city of Scranton, which is the birthplace of outgoing President Joe Biden. There she met with a group of activists supporting her campaign. “Let’s do it. Only 24 hours left,” she urged the volunteers.
About 80 million people, roughly a third of eligible voters, have already cast their votes in the American elections, either by mail or directly in voting booths during early voting. That’s about half of the total number of voters in 2020. The last day of voting is Tuesday, but the winner of the race for the White House might not be known immediately after election night, like four years ago.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
