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With the US presidential race entering its final hours, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump launched an intense campaign sprint on Monday, each making stops across Pennsylvania—a key state in the contest that could determine the election’s outcome. Polls indicate a close race as voters head to the polls.
During his first rally of the day in North Carolina, 78-year-old Donald Trump dismissed claims that his age and the demands of the election campaign had taken a toll on his physical and mental stamina, brushing aside concerns with characteristic confidence.
“I don’t even sleep. I’ve gone through 62 days without a day off,” he said in an insult-laden 90-minute stump speech that he has delivered dozens of times in recent weeks.
As she headed to her first event of the day in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Harris remarked that she was “feeling good” and gave a reassuring thumbs-up while boarding her plane, emphasizing her readiness for the day’s engagements.
Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, vowed a “landslide” in his bid for a striking return to the White House, while Democratic rival Kamala Harris expressed confidence, saying “momentum” favored her push to make history as America’s first woman president.
National polls point to a deadlock, with both candidates running even in the seven crucial swing states where the race is expected to be ultimately decided.
With eyes around the globe on the election, the outcome could shape responses to critical issues, including the Middle Eastern tensions, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and the climate crisis—an issue Trump has derided as a “hoax.”
US democracy could also be tested as Trump is expected to reject the result if he loses, raising the prospect of political chaos, civil unrest and violence.
“Donald Trump and his campaign are already telegraphing they may declare victory prematurely. We fully expect him to,” Harris spokesman Ian Sams said Monday.
“It’s a sign of weakness and concern he may lose, to sow doubt in the nonpartisan election officials.”
After many dramatic twists, including two bids to kill Trump and Harris’s shock late entrance, the race is coming down to Pennsylvania, the most fought-over battleground state.
two bids to kill Trump and Harris’s shock late entrance, the race is coming down to Pennsylvania, the most fought-over battleground state.
Trump and Harris will hold dueling rallies in the industrial city of Pittsburgh, highlighting how Pennsylvania is the single biggest swing state prize under the US Electoral College system, which awards influence in line with population.
Harris will spend the whole day campaigning in the state, culminating in a rally in Philadelphia featuring singer Lady Gaga. Trump will travel from North Carolina on to Pennsylvania and then Michigan.
Both sides say they are encouraged by early turnout, with over 78 million people having voted already, around half of the total number of ballots cast in 2020.
Read also: Western Battleground Now Focal Point For Harris, Trump
The closeness of the 2024 White House race reflects a divided United States, as it chooses between two candidates whose visions could scarcely be more different.
Former president Trump has doubled down on his dark and violent rhetoric in his pursuit of a second term which would make him the first convicted felon and the oldest major party candidate ever elected.
Vice President Harris, 60, has meanwhile made an astonishing rise to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.
Harris is hoping abortion is a key issue that can hurt Trump, especially with woman voters, while Trump has focused on migrants and the economy and dubbed political opponents the “enemy from within.”
They have both been on a zig-zag tour through the swing states, with raucous rallies, podcast interviews to reach reluctant voters, and stunts such as Trump riding in a trash truck and Harris appearing on television comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”
In the closing days of the campaign, Trump mused to supporters that he wouldn’t mind if journalists were shot, raised baseless allegations of election fraud and dwelt in gory detail on crimes by undocumented immigrants.
He resumed his regular criticisms of his competitor on Monday, once again calling her “a low IQ individual” in his latest round of personal attacks.
To the enthusiastic response of his supporters, he directed his comments at Kamala, saying, “Kamala, you’re fired. Get the hell out,” drawing applause from the gathered crowd.
