Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are sweeping the “Blue Wall” states that are expected to determine the outcome of the US electionbetting that high-profile events over the weekend will help drive voters to the polls on November 5.
Former first lady Michelle Obama, one of the most popular figures in Democratic politics, joined the vice president at a rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday night. Trump also visited the Wolverine State, where he held a noon rally before heading to an event in Pennsylvania ahead of his Sunday appearance at Madison Square Garden in New York.. His advisers have announced that appearance as the launch of his closing argument.
President Joe Biden rejoined the campaign trail with a visit to Pittsburgh. Democrats hope the president can help bolster support for Harris in her home state of Pennsylvania. as Harris clings to a 1.7 percentage point lead in the critical battleground according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
Trump talks about cars
Trump honed his homestretch message in the Detroit suburb of Novi, saying he will bring Michigan’s auto industry “roaring back” with the “smart use of tariffs, taxes and incentives,” and mocked Harris for deploying superstar Beyoncé at a rally in Houston on Friday night without making her sing.
The former president boasted of his promises to prevent the entry of cars made in China, reduce energy costs and stimulate trade with tax cuts for companies that manufacture in the United States. If he is re-elected, he said, “the whole world will talk about the ‘Miracle of Michigan’ and the amazing rebirth of Detroit.”
Trump has floated a number of tax-cut ideas, including one to make auto loan interest deductible for American-made vehicles, which he repeated in Novi. Asked whether Trump was serious when he suggested eliminating income taxes in the United States, his adviser Jason Miller told reporters that “it could be something that in the future could be an ambitious goal.”
Trump’s rally included a speech aimed at Arab American voters in a state where they have traditionally been a pillar of Democratic support. Ten days before the election and with polls in key states showing the two candidates tied, Trump also offered a simpler message.
“Are you better than four years ago? “I doubt it,” he said. “This is all you need to know: Kamala broke it, I’ll fix it.”
Michelle Obama’s moment
Following a rally with pop superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter that drew a crowd of 30,000, Harris kept her focus on abortion rights. At a stop with health care providers in Portage, Michigan, he spoke about the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the constitutional right to abortion, saying that “as a country we have faced a health care crisis” since so.
The ruling has not only limited access to abortion services, but also poses a risk to clinics, “safe places people can go” for cancer screenings, HIV testing and other care, Harris said. Later on Saturday, Harris made her first joint appearance of the campaign with Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
At the rally with Beyoncé in Houston, which took the Democratic candidate out of the orbit of key states, Harris said that restrictions such as Texas’ abortion ban could be expanded nationally if Trump wins the election.
Harris will spend Sunday in Philadelphia neighborhoods encouraging key voters to go to the polls, a campaign official said. He plans to begin an outreach campaign to black voters in West Philadelphia, including a speech at church services and a visit to a hair salon to talk with young black people and community leaders.
He also plans to visit a Puerto Rican restaurant and a youth center.
Biden courts workers
President Joe Biden returned to his home state of Pennsylvania to campaign for his vice president and build support among union members, kicking off an event to get people out to vote in Pittsburgh organized by the Laborers International Union of North America. Biden said it is in the unions’ interest to defeat Trump, whom he called “a loser of a man.”
Although Biden has traveled the road to Pennsylvania several times, He hasn’t appeared with Harris since Sept. 2, when they campaigned together in Pittsburgh..
Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes make it the largest prize among potential swing states.
