It has been one other whirlwind week in American politics. And with simply over two weeks left within the presidential race, candidates are getting ready to make their last appeals to voters.
What have Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, respectively, been doing as the ultimate countdown approaches?
Discover out in our newest abstract of the week’s prime political information.
Elections at a look
There are 17 days left till the presidential race on November 5.
- What is the newest within the polls?
Nationwide averages have remained just about steady since final week, and Harris maintains a slim lead, nicely inside the margin of error.
Ballot aggregator FiveThirtyEight, for instance, places Harris at 48.3 % as of October 17. In the meantime, Trump is shut behind with 46.3 %.
Nevertheless, some polls of particular person swing states have proven Trump rising. A ballot this week from CBS Information and YouGov, for instance, centered on Arizona, the place analysts famous a three-point lead for Trump over Harris.
An NPR evaluation additionally noticed the scenario tilting in Trump’s favor in battleground states, though the information outlet pressured how shut the race is. He additionally emphasised that polls not often inform the entire story and that there are undoubtedly surprises on the horizon.
Harris marketing campaign targets Trump’s age
Sunday will mark Harris’ sixtieth birthday.
However even because the Democratic candidate prepares to have fun the beginning of a brand new decade of life, her marketing campaign has taken purpose on the superior age of her Republican rival.
Trump is 78 years previous and can be the oldest particular person to be elected president if he’s profitable within the November race.
Early within the race, it was frequent for Trump to criticize a fair older politician for his age and talents: the presumptive Democratic nominee, President Joe Biden.
Biden, 81, was anticipated to prime the Democratic ticket. However after a shaky efficiency within the June presidential debate, issues about his age reached a fever pitch and Biden withdrew from the race.
Trump, who had lengthy criticized Biden as “weak” and “sleepy,” now faces a considerably youthful opponent in Harris. And Harris has flipped the script, utilizing Trump’s age in opposition to him.
“I have been listening to experiences that his workforce, not less than, says he is affected by burnout,” Harris mentioned Friday. “Should you’re uninterested in campaigning, are you match to do the job?”
His feedback got here on the heels of a sequence of canceled Trump occasions and his personal glowing well being report, launched by the White Home final week.
Trump renews threats to political rivals
Trump has a protracted historical past of threatening to jail his political rivals. Even in 2016, throughout his first profitable presidential bid, he was recognized for main crowds in chants about his rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton: “Lock her up! Lock her up!
Final month, Trump pledged to prosecute these he perceives as threats to this 12 months’s election.
“WHEN I WON, these individuals who CHEATED will likely be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the legislation, which can embody long-term jail sentences,” he wrote on social media.
However the Republican chief took his rhetoric up a notch final Sunday, in an look on Fox Information with host Maria Bartiromo. In his interview, he in contrast Democratic politicians to international adversaries.
“We’ve two enemies: we’ve got the exterior enemy after which we’ve got the inner enemy. And the enemy inside, in my view, is extra harmful than China, Russia and all these international locations,” Trump mentioned.
“What’s more durable to cope with are the lunatics inside us,” he continued, citing U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff for example. “I name it the enemy inside.”
Schiff performed Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020.
Later that week, Trump doubled down on his feedback at a Fox Information city corridor. “I am not threatening anybody. They’re those who threaten. They do false investigations.”
Fox Information Interview Will get Testy
In search of to torpedo criticism that she avoids press scrutiny, Harris has continued her media blitz this week with a stunning alternative: an interview with conservative-leaning Fox Information.
The election was, partly, a mirrored image of a broader marketing campaign technique to enchantment to middle-ground voters in addition to Republicans disillusioned with Trump.
However from its first moments, Thursday’s interview with Fox Information host Bret Baier was tense.
The journalist and the Democratic candidate fought to be heard over one another.
“Can I end answering, please?” Harris requested Baier at one level. “It’s important to let me end. Please. “I’m about to reply to the purpose you make and I want to end.”
Baier additionally grilled Harris on the problem of immigration, a problem for which President Joe Biden’s administration has acquired bipartisan criticism.
“Bret, let’s get to the purpose,” Harris responded at one level. “The purpose is that we’ve got a damaged immigration system that must be fastened.”
Democrats improve star energy
Harris and Trump have spent a lot of October touring the seven swing states that can doubtless determine the presidential race.
However whereas campaigning final week, Harris unveiled a star-studded lineup to assist her make her last speech to voters.
On Saturday, rapper and singer Lizzo opened for Harris in Detroit, Michigan, as she tried to rally help for early voting.
And later that very same day, singer Usher took a break from his live performance tour in Atlanta, Georgia, to ship a keynote speech at a rally there.
“A vital election is simply 17 days away, as everyone knows, and we’ve got the chance to elect a brand new technology of leaders for our nation,” Usher instructed the gang, repeating a standard Harris marketing campaign chorus.
JD Vance helps 2020 election denialism
All through the marketing campaign, Republican working mate JD Vance has danced across the challenge of the 2020 election: He has refused to contradict Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud, however he has additionally prevented saying Trump misplaced. undoubtedly the race.
That modified final week, when Vance led a rally in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
At Wednesday’s rally, Vance took questions and reacted strongly when requested in regards to the message he was sending by refusing to provide a direct reply in regards to the 2020 race.
“Concerning the 2020 election, I answered this query instantly one million instances: No. I believe there have been critical issues in 2020,” Vance mentioned.
“So, did Donald Trump lose the election? No, not due to the phrases I’d use.”
Election denialism has been a persistent concern because the 2020 election, when Biden defeated Trump.
Trump refused to simply accept the outcome and referred to as the election “rigged” and “stolen.” His phrases helped encourage a gaggle of supporters to storm the US Capitol in an obvious effort to cease the certification of the outcomes.
On this 12 months’s race, Trump has been evasive when requested if he would settle for one other loss. “If every thing is trustworthy, I’ll gladly settle for the outcomes,” he mentioned in Could.