CNN
The latest on the 2024 presidential race
By Michelle Shen and Paul LeBlanc, CNN
Updated 11:51 AM EDT, Sun September 15, 2024
What we’re covering
- GOP ticket: Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday doubled down on false claims about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio, in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
- Harris-Walz: Vice President Kamala Harris spoke alongside President Joe Biden at an event in Washington, DC, last night, warning that a second Trump term poses a “profound threat” to the vision of the nation. Democrats will hold a canvassing event in Michigan today as the party focuses on turnout in key battlegrounds.
- Early voting: Absentee ballots have started going out in Alabama, and other states begin sending mail-in ballots later this month. Visit CNN’s voter handbook and read up on the 2024 candidates and their key policy issues here.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro calls Vance “pathetic” over baseless claims about Haitian migrants
From CNN’s Jalen Beckford
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Sunday condemned Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance for refusing to walk back his baseless claims that migrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
“This guy is so pathetic,” Shapiro said Sunday on “State of the Union,” adding “JD Vance should be ashamed of himself.”
Shapiro’s comments came after Vance defended false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets earlier Sunday in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. Officials at the city and state level have repeatedly tried to end the rumor. Springfield officials have told press and city commission meetings that there are no credible reports of animal abuse by immigrants in the area.
Shapiro also told CNN that he anticipates a close race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania but noted that he’s optimistic his state will show up for Harris.
“I think what I’m seeing more and more of is not just the folks who are lining up to vote for her, but those who are enthusiastic about her candidacy in communities that oftentimes are not enthusiastic about Democratic candidates — and encouraging their neighbors to be for them as well,” Shapiro said. “So I’m really hopeful.”
Trump claims without evidence its “not possible” for USPS to “run the 2024 Presidential Election”
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday continued raising doubts about election integrity and claimed, without evidence, that it was “not possible” for the US Postal Service to properly “run the 2024 Presidential Election.”
“The United States Postal Service has admitted that it is a poorly run mess that is experiencing mail loss and delays at a level never seen before. With this being the FACT, how can we possibly be expected to allow or trust the U.S. Postal Service to run the 2024 Presidential Election? It is not possible for them to do so. HELP!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
While election officials have warned that the US Postal Service may delay mail-in voting, citing systemic issues in the postal service as more Americans prepare to cast their ballots by mail, there is no evidence that its “not possible” for the postal service to handle mail-in ballots.
Republican Ohio governor denies false rumor about pet-eating and praises Haitian immigrants
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine takes part in a sound check at the Fiserv Forum ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 14, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday flatly denied the false rumor spread by Donald Trump that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Ohio and praised immigrants for their positive influence on the community.
“No. Absolutely not,” DeWine said when asked if he’d seen any evidence of the pet-eating rumor, a tale many Republicans, including Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have promoted.
“Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal,” the governor said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“They came to Springfield to work.”
DeWine acknowledged the city was having some issues adjusting to the influx of mostly Haitian immigrants through a federal immigration program, but he said they were working to deal with the issues.
“When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you’re going to have some challenges and some problems,” the governor said. “And we’re addressing those. We’re working on those every single day.”
But the governor said the Haitian immigrants in Springfield are “positive influences” on the community and “any comment about that otherwise, I think is hurtful and is not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield.”
Vance says “I’ve learned my lesson” on speaking for Trump
From CNN’s Kit Maher
JD Vance attends Charity Day 2024 hosted by The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund at BGC Group on September 11, in New York City Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday said he learned his lesson about speaking for Donald Trump after previously stating the former president would veto a national abortion ban.
“I think that I’ve learned my lesson on speaking for the president before he and I have actually talked about an issue. What he has said at the debate, which is quite explicit, is he doesn’t support a national ban. He thinks it’s ridiculous to talk about vetoing a piece of legislation that isn’t going to come before the president in the first place,” Vance said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
On the debate stage, Trump said that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban, but wouldn’t explicitly say he would veto one, rather that it wouldn’t make it through Congress.
“We hadn’t discussed it,” Vance said. “We still haven’t discussed it, by the way, because it’s not realistic.”
“I think that was the point that he made during the debate is he’s been incredibly clear that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban. He wants abortion policy to be made by the states, because he thinks, look, Alabama is going to make a different decision from California, and that’s okay. We’re a big country. We can disagree. The best way to actually facilitate us coming together despite that disagreement is by allowing each individual, individual state to make their own abortion policy,” Vance continued.
Vance seeks to distance Trump campaign from far-right agitator Laura Loomer
From CNN’s Kit Maher
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday sought to distance the Trump campaign from far-right agitator Laura Loomer, stating that while he doesn’t agree with her comments about Vice President Kamala Harris, it is not “an issue of national import” or insulting to talk about “dietary preferences.”
Two days before the ABC presidential debate, Loomer said if Harris, whose mother was from India, wins the 2024 election, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”
“Laura Loomer is not affiliated with the Trump campaign. She said something about curry in the White House that I first read about this morning, actually, because I knew that you would ask me about it,” Vance said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I make a mean chicken curry. I don’t think that it’s insulting for anybody to talk about their dietary preferences or what they want to do in the White House.”
Pressed on whether he disavows those comments, especially considering his wife is the daughter of Indian immigrants, Vance said, “I just told you I don’t like those comments, and I think that we ought to focus on Kamala Harris’ policy failures.”
When Trump landed in Philadelphia on Tuesday before his debate against Vice Kamala Harris, Loomer was among the close allies seen deboarding his private plane. He said Friday that he doesn’t control Loomer, whom he described as a “free spirit” and “supporter.”
Trump posts, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday said he hates Taylor Swift, days after the pop megastar endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform
Swift endorsed Harris after the ABC presidential debate on Tuesday, ending speculation about whether she would share her political views ahead of November’s election.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift posted on Instagram.
“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift continued. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Asked about the endorsement on Fox News Wednesday morning, Trump cast Swift as a “very liberal person” and said she will “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
Fact check: Trump falsely claims Harris is talking about bringing back the military draft
From CNN’s Daniel Dale
Former President Donald Trump has conjured up an inflammatory false claim about Vice President Kamala Harris’ policy positions — baselessly saying Friday that Harris is talking about forcing Americans to serve in the military.
Trump claimed at a rally in Las Vegas that voting for Harris means voting for war with Russia and voting to bring back the draft, a system in which some men are conscripted into involuntary service in the armed forces.
Trump continued: “Would anybody like to be drafted, in the audience? Because that’s what they’re doing. She’s already talking about bringing back the draft. She wants to bring back the draft, and draft your child, and put them in a war that should never have happened.”
Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Harris is not talking about bringing back the draft and has not put forward any proposals to bring back the draft.
Trump’s campaign did not respond Saturday to CNN’s requests for any evidence for his claim. A Harris campaign aide said, “We have no idea what he’s talking about.”
The US has not had a draft since 1973, the year it completed its military withdrawal from Vietnam. (Trump received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War draft, four because he was a college student and a fifth on account of a doctor’s diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels.) Since 1973, the country has used an all-volunteer force.
Regardless of the wishes of any president, launching a new draft would require Congress to pass legislation.
JD Vance defends baseless rumor about Haitian immigrants eating pets
From CNN’s Kit Maher
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday defended false claims about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
Asked to support his claims, Vance pointed to what he said are firsthand accounts from constituents who have told him this is happening, though he didn’t provide the evidence.
“The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Vance said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Bash replied, “You just said that this is a story that you created.”
Vance said, “It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it. I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.”
The city of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, and that Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States.
Local officials at the city and state level have repeatedly tried to end the rumor about immigrants eating pets. Springfield officials have told press and city commission meetings that there are no credible reports of animal abuse by immigrants in the area.
On Tuesday, Vance said it’s possible the false claim might not be true, but he encouraged his followers to continue posting “cat memes.”
As CNN reported, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said Thursday that the claims are “hurting our citizens and hurting our community,” adding it’s “frustrating” that some of the rhetoric is coming from Vance.
Buttigieg swipes at Trump campaign over baseless claims of immigrants eating pets in Ohio
From CNN’s Sam Fossum
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 6. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday swiped at former President Donald Trump over the baseless claims he’s pushed that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets.
“Let’s be very clear that community and the very real people who are dealing with some really ugly stuff right now, like the bomb threats, are having that inflicted on them as part of the strategy from a campaign that wants to talk about anything but their actual record and their actual agenda,” Buttigieg said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Local officials at the city and state level have repeatedly tried to end the rumor. Springfield officials have told press and city commission meetings that there are no credible reports of animal abuse by immigrants in the area.
Buttigieg continued, “They go for something that is so outrageous that you actually can’t ignore it. The media can’t ignore what’s going on, because very real pain has been inflicted on and fear, by the way, on people in this community and other communities around the country.”
Manchin signals he could endorse Harris while Romney stays coy
By CNN’s Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer
Senator Joe Manchin speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on June 4, in Washington, DC. Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty Images
Sen. Joe Manchin, the conservative Democrat-turned-independent who had toyed with a presidential run and has long been a thorn in the side of the left, has been mum about the candidate he’s backing in November.
But that could soon change, as Manchin signaled he may get off the sidelines and plans to speak to Vice President Kamala Harris soon.
“Oh I could see that, yes,” Manchin told CNN when asked if he’d endorse a candidate before November.
Sen. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee who voted twice to convict former President Donald Trump in his impeachment trials, reiterated his disdain for Trump – and objected to the former president’s refusal to say at last week’s debate that he wanted Ukraine to win its war against Russia.
Asked twice if he could endorse Harris, Romney pointedly refused to say.
“I’m certainly not going to be voting for former President Trump, and I think that’s been very clear,” Romney said.
The comments by Manchin and Romney – two retiring senators who have been on the outs with their respective party’s base – underscore how Trump has turned off some more moderate voters but also how Harris herself has yet to close the deal with right-leaning voters turned off by the former president.
A third Trump detractor, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, doesn’t plan to vote for Harris, even as she said of the former president’s debate performance, “I don’t think it was Donald Trump’s best evening.”
Read more here.
University in Springfield, Ohio taking “extreme precautions” after campus shooting threat targeting Haitians
From CNN’s Paradise Afshar
Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, is taking “extreme precautions” in response to an email that threatened an on-campus shooting targeting Haitians on Sunday, according to university officials.
The threat comes as several prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have promoted false claims that Haitian migrants in Ohio are killing and eating family pets.
Local officials at the city and state level have repeatedly tried to end the rumor. Springfield officials have told press and city commission meetings that there are no credible reports of animal abuse by immigrants in the area.
The threat to Wittenberg University “targeted Haitian members of our community,” a statement released Saturday said. “Wittenberg Police are cooperating with the Springfield Police Division and the FBI to investigate this threat.”
All activities have been canceled on Sunday, and the Springfield Police Division will increase patrols on campus, the university’s statement said, adding that those who are on or near campus should “prepare for additional instructions or a lockdown if we learn more from the ongoing investigation.”
“University administrators recognize that the city of Springfield has experienced an increase of threats to local government, businesses, and schools in the past week,” the statement from Wittenberg University said. “We take this threat seriously and will provide updates to the campus as we learn more about the situation.”
Wittenberg University had 1,288 undergraduate students enrolled in the fall 2023 term, according to its website.
CNN has reached out to the Wittenberg Police Department for additional information.
How a false rumor about pets in Ohio and Laura Loomer’s presence helped derail Trump’s planned attacks on Harris
From CNN’s Eric Bradner
Donald Trump wanted to spend this week attacking one of Democratic rival Kamala Harris’ biggest political vulnerabilities. Instead, he spent most of the week falsely claiming that migrants are eating pets in a small town in Ohio and defending his embrace of a far-right agitator whose presence is causing concern among his allies.
Trump’s repeated parroting of unfounded social media rumors about Haitian migrants in Ohio eating pets stole headlines during a trip West, including stops in Arizona and Nevada, late this week. The promotion of the claims overshadowed a series of speeches aimed at the economy and blaming Harris for border security failures.
Trump, in a news conference in California on Friday, promised “large deportations” from Springfield, Ohio — the town that has become a political flashpoint as Republicans, including Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, spread false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
The city of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, and that Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States.
Read more here.
New poll finds no change in presidential race post-debate
From CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Getty Images
New polling post-debate from ABC News and Ipsos finds Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump among likely voters, with the margin in the race unchanged from ABC News polling conducted in late August.
Overall, 52% of likely voters back Harris, 46% Trump in the poll, the same margin the pollsters found among likely voters in an August 23 through 27 poll.
- Among likely voters, Harris holds an edge among independent likely voters (53% to 44%).
- Women who are likely to vote break for Harris 55% to 44%, while men likely voters split evenly, 49% for each.
- The survey suggests Harris holds a wide advantage among likely voters younger than 30, 59% back her compared with 40% for Trump, including a 38-point advantage among younger women in that group (68% Harris to 30% Trump) even though men in that same category split almost evenly, 51% Harris to 48% Trump.
Among adults, the survey suggests little change in the dynamic between the candidates on the campaign’s central issues. Trump continues to be more widely trusted to handle the economy (46% Trump to 39% Harris) and immigration (47% Trump to 37% Harris), while Harris is broadly more trusted on abortion (48% Harris to 34% Trump) and protecting American democracy (45% Harris to 38% Trump).
The ABC News poll was conducted online Sept. 11-13 among a random national sample of 3,276 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 points. For results among the 2,196 likely voters, the error margin is plus or minus 2 points.
How a battle over Nebraska’s election laws could have a major impact on the presidential race
From CNN’s Jeff Zeleny
This screengrab from a video shows yard signs with blue circles in Omaha, Nebraska. The signs, made by Kamala Harris supporter Jason Brown, represent the “blue dot” of Omaha in a sea of Nebraska red. CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and Nebraska Democratic officials are keeping a close eye on any last-minute efforts to change the election law that awards the state’s electoral votes by congressional district, rather than statewide winner.
Nebraska’s unique law presents an opportunity for Democrats to secure one of the state’s votes by winning the district surrounding Omaha — a critical blue dot in a sea of red.
The state’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen made it clear Friday that he is willing to call a special legislative session on changing the state to a “winner takes all” model before the November election — but said in a statement that he doesn’t yet have “concrete and public indication” that enough lawmakers would back the move.
Nebraska Democratic chairwoman Jane Kleeb said Saturday that Pillen’s statement signals Republicans “do not have the votes to change the fair electoral system we have in Nebraska.”
“Both Trump and Harris have the ability to compete for Nebraskans’ votes,” Kleeb told CNN. “Democrats take our responsibilities seriously and are spending our time knocking doors, calling voters and putting out yard signs rather than wasting our time bullying elected officials, which is all the Republicans seem to be doing these days.”
When the matter of changing the law came up for a vote in the state legislature earlier this year, it was 17 votes shy of passing. Kleeb said Saturday that those 17 votes remain “very solid.”
Bottom line: If Vice President Kamala Harris can win the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, plus the blue dot vote in Nebraska, she can likely reach 270 electoral votes without winning a single other contested battleground state.
That means a potential change to the law — which would be a shocking development so close to the election — could have serious implications for each presidential campaign.
Walz appeals to voters considering leaving Harris over Gaza, saying Trump offers them “nothing”
From CNN’s Aaron Pellish
Pro-Palestine signs are displayed in the street near the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, where the Democratic National Convention is being held, on August 22. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images/File
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz made a direct pitch to Muslim and Arab American voters in Michigan, addressing those concerned about the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza.
The Minnesota governor used an interview Friday to reiterate Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for a ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, and argued Trump’s record of targeting Muslim Americans is “not in your best interest.”
Harris is more cognizant of the suffering of Palestinians than Trump, Walz said in the interview with WXMI in Grand Rapids, Michigan, addressing those from the “Abandon Harris” movement.
Illustrating the constant balancing act for the Democratic ticket on the Middle East, Walz also emphasized the importance of Israel’s self-defense.
“Kamala Harris has been clear. She’ll defend Israel’s right to defend itself — making sure, though, that we need to get a ceasefire that returns these hostages as part of that, and understands that the human suffering that’s happening in Gaza has to end,” Walz said.
“That’s why she’s the person to move us toward a two-state solution, where Israel can be protected, we get our hostages back, and Gaza can be self-determined,” he added.
Walz contrasted Harris’ view with Trump’s previous support of a travel ban that targeted people from Muslim-majority countries, and his calls to send some Muslim members of Congress to their countries of origin.
“Donald Trump is offering you nothing,” Walz said, to voters skeptical of Harris over the issue. “That is not in your best interest.”
By Alayna Treene and Kate Sullivan, CNN
2 minute read
Published 9:43 PM EST, Mon November 4, 2024
Joe Rogan is seen at the ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC 292 mixed martial arts event, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Boston. Gregory Payan/AP/FileCNN —
Popular podcast host Joe Rogan officially endorsed Donald Trump on the eve of the election, a move Trump’s team swiftly touted as a major win in the final hours of their campaign.
Rogan on Monday released his latest podcast featuring a two-and-a-half-hour interview with billionaire X owner and top Trump surrogate Elon Musk. Rogan then posted on X: “The great and powerful @elonmusk. If it wasn’t for him we’d be f**ked. He makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you’ll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way.”
“For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump. Enjoy the podcast,” he added.
The endorsement comes just weeks after Rogan interviewed Trump on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” an interview that was months in the making for the Trump campaign and viewed widely by the former president’s advisers as the crowning achievement of their media strategy to target young men and low-propensity voters by having Trump appear on podcasts catering to the demographic.
Trump, who was onstage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for his penultimate rally when Rogan made the endorsement, swiftly touted the development.
“It just came over the wires that Joe Rogan just endorsed me, is that great. Thank you, Joe. That’s so nice. And he doesn’t do that, he doesn’t do that stuff,” Trump said.
Trump said, “And he tends to be a little bit more liberal than some of the people in this room.”
Last week, Rogan posted on X that he had declined an offer from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to do an interview.
“Also, for the record the Harris campaign has not passed on doing the podcast. They offered a date for Tuesday, but I would have had to travel to her and they only wanted to do an hour. I strongly feel the best way to do it is in the studio in Austin,” Rogan said. “My sincere wish is to just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being. I really hope we can make it happen.”
The Harris campaign declined to comment on Rogan’s post.
By Eric Bradner and Kate Sullivan, CNN
4 minute read
Updated 2:10 AM EST, Tue November 5, 2024
Former President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday, November 4. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty ImagesCNN —
Donald Trump described the United States as an “occupied country,” pointing to both undocumented and legal migrants as he pledged Monday to “rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered.”
The former president’s comments, at his election eve rally in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, underscore the dark and dystopian image he is portraying as he and Vice President Kamala Harris make their final arguments to voters ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Trump made little distinction between undocumented immigrants he said had overrun an apartment complex in Colorado and thousands of Haitian migrants who entered the United States legally and live in Springfield, Ohio.
“These are military invasions without the uniforms. That’s all it is,” Trump said, as he vowed to launch a massive deportation effort.
Trump was closing his third presidential campaign Monday with the same anti-immigration rhetoric that he used to launch his first White House bid. He described a nation in decline, overrun by migrant crime, much as he did in his first inaugural address, when he vowed to stop the “American carnage.”
The former president said he would target migrant gangs, ban sanctuary cities and seek the death penalty for any migrant that kills a US citizen. He invited conservative commentator Megyn Kelly on stage. Kelly listed several people killed by undocumented immigrants. Her appearance was particularly notable after Trump ripped Kelly for the way she asked him tough questions while moderating a Republican presidential primary debate in 2015, starting off months of sparring over social media and in subsequent interviews.
Trump also said he would rejuvenate US manufacturing by imposing steep tariffs on automotive products manufactured in Mexico, steel made in China and more – a proposal that economists have said would increase inflation, because the businesses charged those tariffs for importing foreign-made goods would pass the additional costs on to American consumers.
“Four years of Kamala have delivered nothing but economic hell for the American workers,” Trump said.
And Trump railed against the length of time it takes for votes to be counted and the usage of electronic voting machines, calling for single-day voting that would all be done on paper. It was a long discussion that is contrary to previous messaging from Trump and his campaign, which has encouraged people to vote early.
“I do believe it is too big to rig. I think it’s too big to rig. They’ll try. And they are trying, you know, but it’s too big to rig. This is a big movement. This is, you know, we did great in 2016, we did much better in 2020 but a lot of bad things happened,” Trump said. “This is that big, powerful, vicious party, though. No, it’s a vicious machine. I mean, they can take all these bad ideas and win elections. It’s like, there’s only a way you can do that. One way, there’s only one way.”
He added, “We have to win the old fashioned way and then fix it. But we have to fix it. We can’t allow this to happen. And remember, the states are essentially an agent, if I can use that term, but they’re an agent of the federal government. The states are doing the collecting, so to speak, and they have to take their orders from the federal government. And how can they do this when they say it’s going to take days long.”
The former president’s closing message of the 2024 race was a familiar one, as he delivered a lengthy speech in Pittsburgh – his third of four rallies scheduled for Monday after visits to North Carolina and eastern Pennsylvania with one more stop in Michigan. In a nod to the city’s sporting history, Trump discussed Pittsburgh Pirates’ star Roberto Clemente for an extended period near the end of his speech and brought the late Puerto Rican star’s son on stage for a few words.
Harris also ended her campaign with a blitz across Pennsylvania. The two candidates’ time spent in the Keystone State underscores the importance of its 19 electoral college votes — without which both candidates’ paths to the 270 necessary to win the presidency would be much more daunting.
Both campaigns have largely focused on seven battlegrounds: the “blue wall” of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which Trump won in 2016 but President Joe Biden reclaimed in 2020, and four Sun Belt states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.
CNN
Trump argues he’s really running against “an evil Democrat system,” not Harris, during his final rally
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 5. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump argued during the final rally of his campaign that his real opponent this election was not Vice President Kamala Harris but instead “an evil Democrat system.”
“We will defeat the corrupt system in Washington. Because I’m not running against Kamala, I’m running against an evil Democrat system. These are evil people,” Trump said during his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that started well after midnight.
“The silent majority is back and tomorrow you need to get out and vote,” Trump said.
“This has been an incredible journey. And it’s very sad in a way, because, you know, we’ve done all these, and this is the last one, but here’s the good news, all we were doing is putting ourselves in a position to win, which we can do tomorrow very easily if we show up,” he added.
It’s decision day in America. Here’s what to watch for
From CNN’s Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. AP
It’s decision day for voters in America’s battle for the White House and control of Congress — even if the results could take days or weeks to sort through.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are hoping to win over seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three Great Lakes states that make up the “blue wall” that Trump cracked in 2016 but President Joe Biden carried in 2020, and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, the four Sun Belt battlegrounds.
While the election of either candidate would be historic, there’s much more being decided Tuesday, including five states — Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota — voting on whether to turn back abortion bans with constitutional amendments.
Republicans hope to take advantage of a favorable Senate map, with Democrats defending seats in the red-leaning states of Montana, Ohio and West Virginia. The party’s hopes of holding onto its narrow House majority winds from the coast of Maine through New York’s Hudson Valley, the rolling hills of Virginia’s Piedmont, a “blue dot” in Nebraska and into California’s Orange County, where the political ebbs and flows of the Trump era have been on vivid display.
The initial results in the hours after polls close might not be determinative. States decide their own election procedures, and the order in which states count early, mail-in and Election Day votes varies across the map — as does how quickly certain cities, counties and regions report their results.
Read more about what to expect from the day.
Trump finishes final campaign rally after speaking for nearly 2 hours
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Tuesday. Paul Sancya/AP
Former President Donald Trump has ended his final campaign rally after speaking for nearly two hours in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He repeated many of his campaign promises, such as vowing to impose hefty tariffs and to crack down on illegal immigration.
At one point he also brought several of his children and their spouses to the stage, who delivered brief remarks, including Tiffany, Eric and Donald Jr.
His marathon address ends a long campaign trail — with Trump saying he had attended more than 900 rallies this year.
Walz says he’s disappointed but not surprised the race is so closely contested
From CNN’s Aaron Pellish
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz participates in an interview with Stephen Colbert. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/CBS
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he’s disappointed the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is so closely contested.
In an interview on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” taped in Bucks County, Pennsylvania last Thursday, Walz laid out the contrast between the two candidates to show that the difference is “stark.”
He said of the election being so closely contested: “It disappoints me, I think, because I think that the choice is so stark, but it’s not surprising.”
“The country’s really divided. There’s been a group of people out there who figured that out, and I think they’ve done a wonderful job of making people think it doesn’t matter, everybody’s the same,” Walz said.
Walz then laid out how he saw the differences between Harris and Trump, particularly noting insults directed toward Puerto Rico made by a speaker at a Trump rally in October.
“In this case, you’ve got the Constitution versus not the Constitution. You’ve got reproductive rights versus I don’t care if you like it or not. I’ll tell you what to do, from Donald Trump in closing with insulting people. I know we’re sitting in Pennsylvania, there’s — there’s 500,000 Puerto Ricans here, and Puerto Ricans, as all Americans, are very proud of where they come from,” he said.
In the past, Walz has expressed some disbelief at the competitiveness of the presidential election. He has regularly mused at private fundraisers and campaign stops that “I’ll go to my grave not understanding” how the election is so close.
Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake says “silent majority” will back her and Trump
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
Kari Lake speaks at a campaign rally, Monday, November 4, in Prescott, Arizona. Julio Cortez/AP
Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake has held her final campaign rally, telling supporters that on Tuesday they have “a chance to change the trajectory of this country and save this Republic.”
Campaigning on the steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott, Arizona on Monday — where US Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona launched his presidential campaign — Lake, a former TV newscaster up against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in a key Senate race, argued that the “Make America Great Again” movement “is not dead,” and claimed that a “silent majority” will back her and former President Donald Trump tomorrow.
Lake and Gallego, a Marine veteran who represents Arizona’s 3rd congressional district, are vying for the pivotal Senate seat held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
Lake, who did not concede her 2022 election loss and promoted Trump’s false theories about the 2020 election, said she believes in “fair and honest elections” and argued “I really believe that our Founding Fathers never envisioned we’d have elections that are run so horribly.”
“That’s why they never put in term limits because they figured we’d be able to vote the people that we didn’t respect out of office. And unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that. And we’re going to change that after January. But the only way to change that is to show up in such a massive movement that we have their heads spinning,” she said, pointing to the media.
She also thanked GOP congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh and said: “When they did to us what they did to us in 2022, and everyone else ran and hid, guess who stood with me and said, damn it, we’re going to fight — Abe Hamadeh.”
She argued the election is not “Republican-Democrat anymore” but “Americanism versus communism.”
Trump teases using sexist language to refer to Nancy Pelosi
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Tuesday, November 5. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump slammed US Rep. Nancy Pelosi during his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, verging on using a profanity to describe the former House Speaker.
“She’s a crooked person, she’s a bad person. Evil, she’s an evil, sick, crazy bi— It starts with a ‘B’ but I won’t say it. I wanna say it,” Trump said to cheers from the crowd.
“I don’t use much (foul language), you know, every once in a while, and it’s never a real bad word, it’s never bad … But it is a little better when you use foul language. These are bad people,” he said.
Trump constantly rails against Pelosi and recently called the California Democrat “an enemy from within.”
Throughout the end of his campaign trail, Trump’s message has gotten increasingly dark and often offensive. At an event in North Carolina last week, Trump chuckled approvingly at an audience member’s suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris worked as a sex worker.
Harris will spend Election Day doing radio interviews
From CNN’s Brian Rokus
Vice President Kamala Harris will spend Election Day in Washington, DC and participate in radio interviews, according to her office.
Trump has held his final campaign rally in Grand Rapids in 3 presidential races
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Former President Donald Trump has taken the stage in Grand Rapids, Michigan — giving the city a special shout-out for being the location of his final rallies in past presidential campaigns.
“I want to say a very special hello to Grand Rapids, it’s been a special place, remember 2016?” he said to a cheering crowd that chanted his name.
Trump previously also finished his campaign trail in the city in 2016 and 2020.
NOW: Trump is speaking at his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan
From CNN staff
Former President Donald Trump walks on stage for his final campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday, November 4. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump is speaking at his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he ended both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. His remarks were originally slated for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Grand Rapids is a Western Michigan city in Kent County, which swung from Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020.
Harris and Trump tie in Dixville Notch midnight vote to kick off Election Day
From CNN’s Gary Tuchman
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have tied with three votes each in the tiny New Hampshire township of Dixville Notch, kicking off Election Day in one of the first places in the country to report its presidential preference.
Four Republicans and two undeclared voters participated.
The unincorporated township, located along the US-Canada border in New Hampshire’s northern tip, opened and closed its poll just after midnight ET in a tradition that dates back to 1960.
Read more about how Dixville Notch voted.
Harris calls on Pennsylvania voters to turn out, saying “the race ain’t over yet”
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, November 4. Hannah McKay/Reutes
Speaking at her final campaign rally in Philadelphia before Election Day on Monday night, Vice President Kamala Harris said her team was “optimistic and excited” — but urged voters to make their voices heard, saying Pennsylvania could “decide the outcome” of the election.
“The race ain’t over yet, and we must finish strong. This could be one of the closest races in history. Every single vote matters,” she said.
“With only a few hours left, we still have work to do, and as you’ve heard me say before, we like hard work,” she added.
At points, the crowd broke into cheers of “We will win” and “We’re not going back.”
Harris reiterated several campaign promises, such as lowering the cost of living, housing, childcare, elderly home care, and taxes for workers and small businesses. She also vowed to pass a bill to restore reproductive freedoms after the rolling back of Roe v. Wade.
She sought to contrast herself with Donald Trump by using several familiar refrains — such as promising a seat at the table to those who disagree with her, compared to the former president’s often vehement rhetoric against his political opponents.
“We started this campaign 107 days ago,” she said. “From the beginning, ours has not been a fight against something, it has been a fight for something. A fight for a future with freedom, with opportunity, and with dignity for all Americans.”
“Tonight, we finish as we started — with optimism, with energy, with joy, knowing that we the people have the power to shape our future, and that we can confront any challenge we face when we do it together.”
NOW: Harris speaking in Philadelphia in final rally before Election Day
From CNN staff
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday,November 4. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking at a rally in Philadelphia, her final stop in front of voters before Election Day.
Harris has made the key battleground of Pennsylvania her priority on Monday with several stops across the state culminating in her final one in the state’s largest city.
She was joined by Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga, among other celebrities, musicians and elected officials at the famous “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of the Arts.
Oprah takes the stage at Harris rally with 10 first-time young voters
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
US television producer Oprah Winfrey arrives on stage with 10 first-time Philadelphia voters during a rally for Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 2024. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Oprah Winfrey took the stage at Kamala Harris’ final rally in Philadelphia on Monday night alongside 10 young people – all first time voters.
“The policies that Kamala Harris has proposed for women’s reproductive rights and education equality are what led me to cast my ballot for her,” one voter told Winfrey.
Another first-time voter said it was especially significant for him as an African American to “exercise my right to vote, which my ancestors fought so hard for.”
“We don’t get to sit this one out,” Oprah said.
“If we don’t show up tomorrow, it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again.”
“We are voting for healing over hate,” she said.
“What you can do for your country, what you can do for democracy here, and what you can do for the spirit of John Lewis and all the others who dared to walk across that bridge in Selma and fight for justice for us all … What you can do for every pregnant young woman who has died bc she was not eligible to receive the emergency medical care she desperately needed bc of an abortion ban, what you can do for everyone and everything you cherish — is vote.”
Lady Gaga performs “God Bless America” at Harris’ final rally in Philadelphia
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Lady Gaga waves before performing during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, November 4. ( Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Musical superstar Lady Gaga appeared at Vice President Kamala Harris’ final rally in Philadelphia, performing a rendition of “God Bless America.”
“For more than half of this country’s life, women didn’t have a voice. Yet we raised children, we held our families together, we supported men as they made the decisions,” she said in brief remarks after her performance. “But tomorrow, women will be a part of making this decision.”
Oprah Winfrey is also expected to make an appearance tonight, before Harris delivers remarks.
Walz focuses on abortion during final campaign rally in Michigan
From CNN’s Aaron Pellish
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz focused heavily on access to abortion and reproductive health care, driving home a core message of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in Detroit, Michigan on Monday.
In his remarks at Hart Plaza overlooking the Detroit River, Walz reiterated his attacks on former president Donald Trump, who claimed to be the “protector” of women and said he would look after women “whether they like it or not” at a campaign rally in Wisconsin last week.
He also made a direct pitch to male voters on abortion, asking them to consider the implications of abortion restrictions on the women in their lives.
“Let me speak to the guys in the crowd tonight. I want you to think about the women in your life that you love. Their lives are at stake in this election. Donald Trump appointed those Supreme Court justices who repealed Roe versus Wade, and he brags about it. He is glad that those women you’re thinking about and you love have fewer rights than their mothers and their grandmothers,” he said.
“We’re seeing women turned away from emergency rooms, miscarrying in parking lots, whether they like it or not. Survivors of rape being forced to carry those pregnancies to term, whether they like it or not. Fertility clinics turning couples away at the door, whether they like it or not,” he said.
“Now, tomorrow, women all across America of every age, both parties, are going to send a loud and clear message to Donald Trump, whether he likes it or not.”
Harris offers Americans a chance to turn the page on Trump — without mentioning him
From CNN’s Gregory Krieg
Vice President Kamala Harris appears during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday, November 4. Quinn Glabicki/Reuters
Her message has been consistent, but Kamala Harris has in the closing days of the presidential race dropped two notable words from her stump speech: Donald Trump.
The former president’s name was again absent from the vice president’s speech on Monday night in Pittsburgh, where she again promised voters a clean break from the discord of the Trump era in American politics. It was a notable switch in rhetoric for the vice president, who had mentioned Trump’s name so often in previous versions of her stump speech that the Republican’s campaign had put together a video compilation of Harris saying “Donald Trump” that he often played at rallies.
“We have an opportunity in this election to finally turn the page on a decade of politics driven by fear and division. We are done with that,” Harris said. “We’re done. We’re exhausted with it.”
That promise has been threaded through her campaign, usually implied but increasingly delivered in explicit terms.
“It can be easy to forget a simple truth,” Harris said in Washington. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
The way it is, she said in Pittsburgh, is not so good.
“So much about these last several years has been about trying to make people point their fingers at each other,” Harris said, “to have Americans point their fingers at each other, to try and make people feel alone or feel small.”
Elon Musk cancels virtual town hall event minutes after it started after technical problems
From CNN’s Clare Duffy
Elon Musk held a digital version of the town-hall-style rallies he has hosted on behalf of former President Donald Trump. But the event on X ended just a few minutes after it started on Monday night, when Musk encountered technical difficulties.
The event began streaming more than 20 minutes after its scheduled 8 p.m. ET start time. When the billionaire X owner joined, he promoted a podcast interview he did with Joe Rogan and offered to take questions. An operator then attempted to take questions from four listeners who apparently had been on hold, but the line went silent when he called on them.
The operator asked Musk if he believes “we will win” on Tuesday — presumably referring to Trump, whom Musk has supported to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
“Well, I think if people vote tomorrow, we’re definitely going to win,” he said.
Musk then called off the event, saying: “let’s cancel this, since we seem to be having some technical issues.” Musk promised to start a regular livestream spaces event on X. The X Spaces event Musk started immediately following the town hall, lasted one minute and appeared to have no audio.
Minutes later, Musk said he would not restart his Q&A and encouraged followers to listen to his Rogan interview instead, during which the podcaster endorsed Trump.
The Monday town hall is just the latest election-related event that Musk attempted to host on X that was plagued by technical difficulties.
An August interview between Musk and Trump that was streamed on X was delayed by more than 40 minutes because of glitches. Musk blamed the issue on a cyberattack, but some experts speculated it was simply caused by too many users trying to listen. A similar event last year to kick off Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign was also delayed by 25 minutes and marred by technical difficulties.
Why these 7 battleground states could determine who wins the election
From CNN’s Zachary B. Wolf
People cast their early ballots at a polling station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on November 2. Carlos Osorio/Reuters
There are thought to be seven states that could conceivably be won by either candidate. As a result, the campaigns have focused their energy in these areas. They can be broken up into two general categories:
3 Midwestern battlegrounds, aka “the blue wall” – These are the manufacturing and union-heavy states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. They used to be more reliably Democratic but have shifted in recent years as their populations have changed and as former President Donald Trump has appealed to White voters without a college degree.
When Trump won the White House in 2016, he won all three. When President Joe Biden won in 2020, he won all three. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins all three this year, she will likely have the electoral votes to be president. But polls suggest close races in all three. Turnout will be key, which for Harris means appealing to suburban women and Black voters. All three states have urban centers.
The blue wall states usually vote the same way. The last time they did not all go to the same candidate was in 1988 – notably also a year when California was red and West Virginia was blue. In those eight elections since 1988, the only time the blue wall states went to a Republican was in 2016, when they were won by Trump.
4 Sun Belt battlegrounds – These states with growing populations include Arizona and Nevada in the West and North Carolina and Georgia in the East. Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina used to be more reliably Republican. Trump won North Carolina twice, but the margins were close in 2020. The last Democrat to win there was Barack Obama in 2008. Biden was the first Democrat to win Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992 and Arizona since Clinton in 1996.
Here are more key things to know about the US election works.
Ahead of election night, meet the 2024 Democratic and Republican candidates
From CNN’s Ethan Cohen, Molly English and Matt Holt
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Getty Images
Ahead of election night, read up on the 2024 candidates on the Democratic and Republican tickets vying to win the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate for president. The daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, Harris grew up in Oakland and spent much of her political career in California’s Bay Area.
She was first elected as the San Francisco district attorney in 2004, before later serving as the attorney general of California. After that, Harris was elected to the Senate before being picked to be President Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election.
She announced her own candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president after Biden withdrew from the ticket and endorsed her on July 21. Harris is the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major political party.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is Harris’ running mate. Before being elected to Congress to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District in 2007, Walz was a high school geography teacher and an assistant football coach. He also served in the Army National Guard. Walz has been serving as Minnesota governor since 2019.
Former President Donald Trump is the Republican candidate for president, aiming to become only the second commander in chief to win two nonconsecutive terms.
Trump, who was born in New York, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Before launching his successful 2016 presidential bid, Trump was a real estate developer, businessman and a reality television star as host of “The Apprentice.”
Ohio Sen. JD Vance is Trump’s running mate. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance wrote a memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, about his upbringing and white, working-class Americans. He also attended Yale Law School, worked as a venture capitalist and served in the US Marine Corps.
Vance was elected to the Senate in 2023, outlasting a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democrat Tim Ryan and keeping the seat under GOP control.
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