Democrat Kamala Harris made her final appeal for the presidency at a historically Black church and to Arab Americans in key battleground Michigan, while her Republican contender Donald Trump resorted to violent rhetoric at a rally in Pennsylvania.
According to opinion polls, both candidates are in a closely contested race, with Vice President Harris, 60, gaining strong support from female voters, whereas former President Trump, 78, is making strides among Hispanic voters, particularly men.
Overall, voters hold unfavorable views of both candidates, as shown by Reuters/Ipsos polling, but that hasn’t deterred them from voting.
Over 77 million Americans have already cast their votes before Tuesday’s Election Day, as reported by the University of Florida’s Election Lab, nearing half of the total 160 million votes registered in 2020, which saw the highest voter turnout in over a century.
Kamala Harris arrives for a campaign event in Michigan
“In just two days, we have the power to determine the future of our nation for generations,” Ms. Harris stated to parishioners at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit. “We must take action. It’s not enough to just pray or talk; we need to bring the plans He has for us to life through our actions, daily choices, community service, and in our democracy.”
Later, at a rally in East Lansing, Michigan, she spoke to the state’s 200,000 Arab Americans, beginning her address by acknowledging the civilian casualties resulting from Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“This year has been incredibly tough given the immense death and destruction in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. It is heartbreaking. As president, I will do everything in my power to bring an end to the war in Gaza,” Ms. Harris said, drawing applause.
She encounters skepticism from some who feel she hasn’t done enough to help resolve the conflict in Gaza and to limit aid to Israel. Mr. Trump visited Dearborn, Michigan, a focal point of the Arab American community, on Friday, pledging to resolve the Middle East conflict without detailing how.
Samah Noureddine, 44, a Lebanese American from Grosse Ile near Detroit, mentioned that she voted for Joe Biden in 2020 but plans to support Jill Stein of the Green Party this year.
“I’m frustrated because Harris is supporting the genocide, and if Trump wins, we are going to suffer too,” she expressed. “I’m tired of both of them.”
Off script
Mr. Trump, during his first of three rallies, often deviated from his scripted remarks, frequently making improvisational comments where he criticized opinion polls indicating support for Ms. Harris. He labeled Democrats as a “demonic party,” mocked Democratic President Joe Biden, and lamented the rising cost of apples.
Donald Trump during a campaign event in Georgia
Mr. Trump, who narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in July when a gunman’s bullet grazed his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, expressed concerns about gaps in the bulletproof glass around him during his speech and speculated that an assassin would have to shoot through the media to reach him.
“To get to me, someone would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that too much,” said Mr. Trump, who has consistently criticized the media and sought to incite public sentiment against them.
Last week, he suggested that prominent Republican critic Liz Cheney should face gunfire in combat due to her aggressive foreign policy stance, prompting an investigation by an Arizona prosecutor.
Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung clarified that Mr. Trump’s comments were not directed at the media but rather, “It was about threats against him that were incited by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats.”
Mr. Trump later spoke in Kinston, North Carolina, concluding his day with an evening rally in Macon, Georgia.
Among the seven US states considered competitive, Georgia and North Carolina are the second most significant opportunities available on Tuesday, with each state possessing 16 of the 270 electoral votes necessary for a candidate to secure the presidency. Pennsylvania leads with 19 electoral votes.
Near the conclusion of his Pennsylvania speech, Mr. Trump—the architect of false claims that his 2020 loss was due to fraud, which incited his supporters’ assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021—suggested he would have preferred not to relinquish power.
“We had the safest border in our country’s history on the day I left. I shouldn’t have left. Honestly, because we did exceptionally well,” Mr. Trump remarked.
During his speech, Mr. Trump asserted that election results should be reported on Election Night, despite multiple state officials warning that it may take days to finalize the outcomes.
Democrats have expressed that they are prepared with plans should Mr. Trump attempt to claim victory prematurely this time.
