CNN
Trump to rally in Pennsylvania as he and Harris campaign in key states this week
The fight for the youth vote in Pennsylvania intensifies as momentum shifts toward Harris
From CNN’s Danny Freeman and Nicki Brown in Johnston, Pennsylvania
The College Democrats at the University of Pittsburgh. CNN
As the November election nears, the campaigns of both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are working hard to energize younger voters.
But while polls showed Trump gaining ground with this powerful voting bloc when he was running against President Joe Biden, momentum among younger voters appears to have shifted back to the Democrats with Harris at the top of the ticket.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Thursday found that 58% of nationwide likely voters ages 18-29 supported Harris, while 37% backed Trump in a two-way race.
The same poll conducted in July — before Biden dropped out of the race — found that 48% of that age group supported Biden and 45% backed Trump.
“I was not, I would say, as invigorated as I feel today,” said Mariam Bangurah, the secretary of the College Democrats at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
A daughter of immigrants, Bangurah said Harris’ background and relative youth have galvanized younger voters, but she knows supporters of the vice president can’t become complacent.
“We are doing well, but we really need to keep that energy, and that’s what I’m worried about,” Bangurah said.
Some Republicans are seeing the shift in momentum too.
“I think she’s helping young voters get out, and for that I am grateful, regardless of who you are voting for,” said Electra Janis, a commissioner in Washington County, outside Pittsburgh.
Read more about the fight for the youth vote in Pennsylvania.
Georgia election board split along party lines amid controversial hand-counting rule and TV interviews
From CNN’s Jason Morris
The Georgia State Election Board meets on Monday. CNN
A Georgia State Election Board meeting became contentious on Monday as two members of the Republican-controlled board defended their reasons for approving a controversial new election rule requiring county election officials to hand-count the number of ballots cast on Election Day.
Friday’s vote was 3-2, with three Donald Trump allies supporting the move, and a Democratic and independent GOP-appointed member of the board strongly opposing it, calling it an added step that could delay the results of the presidential election in the battleground state.
Trump last month praised the three GOP members for their efforts.
Monday, one of those Republicans, Dr. Janice Johnson, decried what she said were media inaccuracies and partisan attacks.
“The so-called news is delivered as a scary fairy tale or perhaps an end-of-the-world apocalypse tale,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s speech was followed by a contentious back-and-forth between Republican Janelle King and Sara Tindall Ghazal, the board’s lone sitting Democrat. King took issue with Ghazal’s appearance on MSNBC, where she questioned her colleagues’ agendas.
“You are creating a conspiracy based off an assumption … you are alluding to the fact that we are doing something that is somehow dishonest, just because you disagree,” King said.
“I am expressing concern about the fact that this board is acting in a way that the attorney general has stated is unlawful,” Ghazal replied.
Read more about the contentious election board meeting.
CNN’s Mounira Elsamra contributed to this post.
Robinson set to speak alongside Trump campaign official in North Carolina on Saturday
From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher
North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson talks to the media outside a campaign event in Boone, North Carolina, on Monday. CNN
Mark Robinson, the GOP’s scandal-plagued nominee in the North Carolina governor’s race, is still scheduled to speak alongside Dr. Ben Carson, the Trump campaign’s national faith chairman, at a conference Saturday, an organizer told CNN.
Both men are set to speak at the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Salt & Light Conference on Saturday afternoon, an organizer told CNN.
It may be the first time a Trump campaign official appears at an event with Robinson since a bombshell CNN report revealed inflammatory comments he made on a porn website.
Robinson returned to the campaign trail Monday, the day after his campaign confirmed that several top operatives had quit.
Speaking to reporters outside an event in Boone, Robinson said he would not directly answer questions about the CNN report.
“You folks want to focus on tabloid trash, and quite frankly I am sick of it, and every time I get in front of you, I’m going to cut you off and tell you, you need to refocus yourself on the issues that matter to people,” he said.
Some background: The Trump campaign did not invite Robinson to Donald Trump’s rally Saturday in North Carolina, and the former president made no mention of the lieutenant governor in his remarks. Before Saturday, Robinson had been to most, if not all, of Trump’s recent North Carolina events.
On Friday, Trump’s Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, launched a television advertisement tying Trump to Robinson — the first time the Harris campaign has used an ad to connect the former president with a down-ballot candidate.
CNN’s Eric Bradner contributed to this post.
This post has been updated with additional information.
House task force expands to officially investigate second Trump assassination attempt
From CNN’s Annie Grayer
The House formally expanded the jurisdiction of the task force investigating the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump to include both attempts.
The task force was initially created to investigate the attempt at Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
In order to formally expand that investigation to include the September 15 attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the House needed to sign off.
Prosecutors to seek attempted assassination indictment against Ryan Wesley Routh
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
A sketch of Ryan Routh as he appears at a hearing on Monday. Lothar Speer
Federal prosecutors said Monday that they plan to seek an indictment charging Ryan Wesley Routh with attempting to kill former President Donald Trump in Florida this month.
Prosecutor Mark Dispoto told Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe that “there is probable cause to believe that the defendant tried to assassinate … Donald Trump,” adding that prosecutors plan to present the new charge to a grand jury. So far, Routh has been charged with two firearms offenses.
Dispoto told the judge that Routh had traveled to West Palm Beach “for one reason and one reason only, and that was to kill the former president of the United States.” Dispoto also said Routh engaged in a “monthlong plan to assassinate the former president.”
Routh had a “clear line of fire” from his “sniper’s nest” from the fence bordering the Trump International Golf Club, Dispoto said. The prosecutor added that Trump was 12 to 15 minutes away from arriving at the sixth hole, where Routh had a clear shot just 100 feet away.
The setup from Routh’s position, which included bags hung on the fence with armored plates inside that were able to withstand shots from the pistols Secret Service agents carry, was “nothing short of a sniper position,” Dispoto said. “Something you might see in a movie or a war zone.”
Defense attorneys for Routh argued that the crude way a scope was attached to the rifle — with tape — indicated the work of an “unsophisticated” and unknowledgeable individual.
“I’m not interested in his level of skill” to “carry out these acts,” the judge later added.
The judge ordered Routh to remain detained pending further proceedings.
Trump says Catholics who vote for Harris “should have their head examined”
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump said Monday he thought any Catholic who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris “should have their head examined,” as he criticized her decision not to attend the Al Smith charity dinner in New York City next month.
Trump said on Truth Social that it would be an “honor” to attend the Catholic fundraiser on October 17. CNN previously reported Harris’ campaign had informed organizers she would not attend.
The comments about Catholics echo what Trump has said about Jewish Americans. The former president has repeatedly said any Jewish person who votes for Harris “should have their head examined.”
Trump claimed Harris has a “History of anti-Catholic actions,” and falsely claimed that “Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Administration.”
Some background: The historic Al Smith dinner traditionally features light roasts by the two major-party nominees in presidential election years. Trump stunned attendees in 2016 when he abandoned the collegial banter and launched a series of personal attacks on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who in her own remarks had offered the expected round of self-deprecating humor.
The affair, which is sold out this year, is named after the first major-party Catholic presidential nominee, four-term New York Gov. Al Smith, the Democratic standard-bearer in 1928.
Man accused of attempted assassination of Trump on golf course will remain detained, judge rules
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
Ryan Routh, fourth from left, is depicted in a scene from a federal courtroom in Florida on Monday. Lothar Speer
A federal magistrate judge has ruled that Ryan Routh will remain detailed pending trial after being charged with two firearms offenses in connection with what prosecutors have indicated was an attempted assassination of Donald Trump while golfing in Florida earlier this month.
“I find that the weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong,” Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe said at the end of the nearly three-hour hearing.
The judge cited the letter Routh allegedly wrote about the assassination attempt as well as other evidence prosecutors presented, including that agents found a fingerprint belonging to Routh on tape used to attach a scope to the rifle found outside the golf course.
A witness told investigators that Routh had dropped off a box at his home months before, which “contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters.” After learning of the apparent assassination attempt, the witness opened the box, according to the filing.
One letter, addressed to “The World” said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”
The judge added that Routh’s travels to Ukraine “shows skill in crossing borders” and that evidence presented by prosecutors showed “substantial….efforts to stalk former president Donald Trump in an attempt to assassinate him.”
Trump accuses Democrats, without evidence, of preparing to cheat by using process that allows overseas voting
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump on Monday accused Democrats, without evidence, of “getting ready to CHEAT” by using a legal process that has allowed US service members and other US citizens living overseas to cast their ballots for decades.
Trump pointed to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA, which was enacted in 1986 and allows US service members, their families and other US citizens residing abroad to register and vote absentee in elections for federal offices.
“The Democrats are talking about how they’re working so hard to get millions of votes from Americans living overseas. Actually, they are getting ready to CHEAT! They are going to use UOCAVA to get ballots, a program that emails ballots overseas without any citizenship check or verification of identity, whatsoever,” Trump said in the post.
The post is the latest example of Trump accusing Democrats, without evidence, of preparing to cheat in the 2024 contest and raising doubts about the integrity of the election as November barrels closer. Trump regularly spreads baseless conspiracy theories about voting in the 2020 presidential election and lies about its outcome.
Pivotal Nebraska state senator says he will not support changing state election law
From CNN’s Jeff Zeleny
Nebraska State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Democrat who joined the Republican Party earlier this year, was seen as one of the last best hopes from Republicans to change the law before November. Nati Harnik/AP/File
A pressure campaign from Donald Trump and Republican allies to change Nebraska election law was dealt a significant setback Monday as a pivotal state senator said he would not support overturning a law that awards electoral votes by congressional district, rather than statewide winner-take-all.
State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha said in a statement Monday that he would not vote to change the law in Nebraska before the November election.
“After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change,” McDonnell said. “I have notified Governor Pillen that I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our electoral college system before the 2024 election.”
McDonnell was seen as one of the last best hopes from Republicans to change the law before November. He made clear that he had no interest in supporting a change so close to the election.
“Nebraska voters, not politicians of either party, should have the final say on how we pick a President,” McDonnell said.
The fight over a single electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which has become known as Omaha’s blue dot, has emerged as a symbol of just how close the race between Trump and Kamala Harris has become. Even if Harris won the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, but carried no other key battlegrounds, she would still need the electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd District to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.
Trump believes he will win four electoral votes from Nebraska, but it’s the fifth one that he has been increasingly fretting about — leading him and Republican allies to mount a last-ditch effort to try to change state election law only weeks before ballots are cast.
The state’s Republican governor, Jim Pillen, has said he was still prepared to convene a special session of the Nebraska Legislature before the election to change the law, but he would do so only if there was sufficient support. The statement from McDonnell seemed to close the door to the issue this year, officials said.
Neither Pillen nor the Trump campaign immediately responded to a request for comment.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Robinson loses key support as Republican Governors Association signals it won’t spend more on race
From CNN’s David Wright and Andrew Kaczynski
North Carolina gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson speaks to the media Monday in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. CNN
North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson will be without key outside support in what has been the most expensive governor’s race of the year so far, as national Republicans are indicating they won’t spend any more to support the scandal-plagued candidate.
In a statement Monday, the Republican Governors Association acknowledged that after its current media buy expires Tuesday, “no further placements have been made.”
“We don’t comment on internal strategy or investment decisions, but we can confirm what’s public — our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made. RGA remains committed to electing Republican Governors all across the country,” RGA communications director Courtney Alexander said in a statement.
Through Tuesday, the RGA and its affiliated PAC had combined to spend almost $16 million on the North Carolina governor’s race, one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests of the cycle.
Outside spending from those Republican groups, in addition to a series of Democratic outside groups, helped push the race to rank as the most expensive gubernatorial contest of the year. Since the primary on March 5 through today, the parties — including campaigns and outside groups — had combined to spend nearly $87 million on the race, with Democrats outspending Republicans by about $57.9 million to $28.7 million.
With national Republicans pulling out of the race, that disparity is set to expand over the final weeks of the contest.
Some background: The news comes a day after several top operatives on Robinson’s campaign stepped down in the aftermath of a CNN report uncovering inflammatory comments he made on a porn website. The lewd comments included Robinson describing himself as a “black Nazi” and how he used to go “peeping” on women at a public gym when he was 14 years old.
RFK Jr. asks Supreme Court to keep his name on New York ballot despite suspending campaign
From CNN’s John Fritze
Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Glendale, Arizona, on August 23. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the Supreme Court on Monday to keep his name on New York’s presidential ballot, even though he suspended his campaign in August and backed former President Donald Trump.
In an emergency appeal, Kennedy argued that New York voters who signed petitions supporting him “have a constitutional right to have Kennedy placed on the ballot — and to vote for him, whether he is campaigning for their vote or not.”
Kennedy suspended his independent presidential campaign in August and endorsed Trump, pledging to remove his name from the ballot in a handful of battleground states yet encouraging supporters in noncompetitive states traditionally won by Republicans or Democrats to vote for him.
But in the weeks since he dropped out, Kennedy has made more direct appeals to his supporters to back Trump regardless of where they live, while also withdrawing his name from the ballot in some deeply Republican states.
“A lot of people are asking me, if they live in a red state or a blue state, should they still vote for me? What about swing states?” Kennedy wrote in a fundraising email earlier this month. “The answer is easy. No matter what state you live in, I urge you to vote for Donald Trump. The reason is that is the only way we can get me and everything I stand for into Washington DC and fulfill the mission that motivated my campaign.”
Kennedy was removed from the ballot in New York because, election officials said, he included an invalid address on his nominating petition. Lower courts, including the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, have rejected his efforts to challenge that decision.
Read more about Kennedy’s efforts to remain on the New York ballot.
Harris will “make things worse” for Jewish Americans, GOP advocacy group says in ad
From CNN’s David Wright
A Republican Jewish advocacy group launched an ad on Monday claiming Vice President Kamala Harris would “make things worse” for Jewish Americans.
The spot comes just days after former President Donald Trump suggested that “the Jewish people” would be partially to blame if he loses in November.
“Antisemitism at home, terrorist massacres overseas — Kamala Harris would make things worse,” the ad from the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund opens, over images of Hamas fighters and pro-Palestinian protests in the US.
According to AdImpact data, RJC Victory Fund has about $500,000 worth of airtime booked this week, and about $5 million booked through Election Day.
The new spot, which began airing on Fox News in the Philadelphia media market on Monday, demonstrates how the conflict between Israel and Hamas has injected turmoil into the 2024 race and shaped its messaging — though foreign policy in general accounts for a small share of campaign advertising compared with top issues such as the economy, immigration and abortion rights.
Some background: Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks last year, Trump has repeatedly admonished Jewish Americans to vote for Republicans, blasting the Democratic Party and members who have criticized Israel’s policy.
The former president has suggested that “any Jewish person who votes for Democrats “hates their religion” and hates “everything about Israel”; said, before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, that any Jewish person who votes for him doesn’t love Israel and “should be spoken to”; and argued that “if you’re Jewish and vote for a Democrat, you’re a fool.”
Vance enlists allies for debate prep ahead of next week’s showdown with Walz
From CNN’s Annie Grayer
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer takes the stage to speak at a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in July. He will be playing Walz in a mock debate with vice presidential candidate JD Vance later this week, two sources familiar with the planning said. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has spent the last month engaging in intense prep sessions ahead of the debate with his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on October 1.
That preparation includes reviewing footage of the governor’s previous speeches and studying binders of research regarding his policies, a person directly involved in the debate prep told CNN.
The preparation is also expected to include a mock debate later this week with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer playing the role of Walz, while Monica Crowley – Donald Trump’s former assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department – will sit in as the mock moderator, two sources familiar with the planning said.
Vance’s team approached Emmer, a Republican congressman from Minnesota who has known Walz for years, to aid in the Ohio senator’s debate preparation, the sources said. Emmer has spent the last month studying Walz’s mannerisms and rhetoric to prepare for the role. The New York Times first reported Emmer’s involvement with Vance’s debate preparation.
Vance has been working closely with his top political aides and with senior Trump adviser Jason Miller, who took the lead on the former president’s debate prep, to study for the October 1 showdown. The group has met in person at Vance’s Cincinnati home, as well as on Zoom over the last several weeks, with a focus on helping the Ohio senator better understand Walz stylistically, as well as on familiarizing Vance with Walz’s record as both a Minnesota congressman and governor, the person said.
Read more about Vance’s debate preparations.
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this post.
This post and headline have been updated with additional developments.
Republicans gain over Democrats in voter registration across 4 key states since 2020
From CNN’s Molly English
Republicans have gained in voter registration compared to Democrats across four key battleground states since the 2020 election.
In Arizona, Republicans have built their registration lead over Democrats from a three-point lead in November 2020 to a six-point lead in the latest available data.
Across the key states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Nevada, Democrats still have a registration lead, but Republicans have overall shrunk their deficit since the 2020 election. Democrats in Pennsylvania have halved their lead in voter registration, only leading by four points now compared to eight in 2020.
In both Nevada and North Carolina, Democrats only lead Republicans in voter registration by one point. Those leads were much larger in 2020 in both states, with a five-point advantage for Democrats in Nevada and a six-point lead in North Carolina.
More context: These numbers aren’t necessarily predictive of election results, and in all of these states, especially in Nevada and North Carolina, the share of voters who aren’t registered with either party has increased since November 2020.
In the other three core presidential battlegrounds: Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, voters don’t register by party.
There is still plenty of time to register in these states. People wanting to cast a ballot in Arizona, North Carolina and Pennsylvania can continue registering to vote into October. Nevada has Election Day voter registration.
Visit CNN’s voter handbook to find out how to vote in your state.
Some ballots in Palm Beach County, Florida, had to be reissued after misspelling Tim Walz’s name
From CNN’s Carlos Suarez
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on September 12. Al Goldis/AP
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections said Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, was misspelled as “Tom” Walz in some ballots that were emailed to overseas voters last Friday.
“The error was isolated to 257 electronic ballots,” the Florida county’s elections supervisor Wendy Sartory Link said in a statement to CNN.
The office was made aware of the error less than 18 hours after the ballots were sent and the error was “immediately corrected.” Link said the vendor made a manual change to the approved ballot “without authorization” and incorrectly typed “Tom” instead of “Tim” Walz.
The affected voters were emailed a recommendation to download the updated ballot.
Link said the error would not affect the counting of the votes.
Young voters say that these are the top issues for them in the 2024 election
From CNN’s Elise Hammond and Shania Shelton
Photo Illustration by Jason Lancaster/CNN/Getty Images/Adobe Stock
Dozens of young voters told CNN that the economy is a key issue for them this election. Along with the economy, young voters also name abortion, immigration, foreign policy, climate and gun control as other priorities.
A recent GenForward survey conducted by the University of Chicago supports what those voters told CNN. Asked what was the most important problem facing the country, 12% of US adults ages 18-26 picked economic growth, 11% said income inequality and 10% chose poverty.
The two presidential nominees — former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris — seem to be aware of how crucial young Americans will be this fall as they’ve looked to reach these voters where they are, whether that is Trump posting TikToks with Gen Z internet personalities or Harris embracing her own memes.
Here’s what the young voters CNN spoke with said about some the issues they care about this election:
- Economy and cost of living: After the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump earlier this month, Vivek Rallabandi, 21, said he’s still “not thrilled with either” of the candidates. In an email, he said he didn’t think Trump articulated his vision for the economy very well and was instead circling back to other topics like immigration. As for Harris, Rallabandi said she “displayed verbal poise,” but he wonders why she hasn’t implemented her economic proposals as vice president.
- Abortion: Following the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, Ava Pallotta felt helpless during finals week of her first year at Harvard University and decided she wanted to turn that feeling into action. Pallotta, 20, hosted a rally in support of abortion rights and has since made an effort to engage in civil discourse with the anti-abortion group at her college, push abortion rights visibility and do grassroots voting work on campus. “It’s very scary to me that I live in a world where I don’t have access to the same reproductive rights that my mother and my grandmother had for the entirety of their adult lives,” she said.
Read more about what issues are motivating young voters this election cycle.
Trump argues it would be “a bad thing for the country” to debate while Americans are already voting
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump argued in an interview that aired on Monday that it would be “a bad thing for the country” for him and Vice President Kamala Harris to debate again while Americans are already voting.
“I’ve already done two debates and they, you know, were good. But to do a third one, everybody’s voting now and it’s very late to be doing a third debate. But once the election starts, and it’s started, it’s a very bad thing to be doing a debate in the middle of the vote counting. And this would really be late into the election, so I think it would be a very bad thing, I think it would actually be a bad thing for the country,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Trump said Saturday at a campaign rally he thought it was “too late” to have another presidential debate because Americans have begun casting their ballots in the 2024 election after Harris accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in another presidential debate in October.
Days after debating Harris earlier this month, Trump declared on Truth Social that there would not be another presidential debate.
Melania Trump got six-figure paycheck from speaking engagement, a highly unusual move
From CNN’s Pamela Brown, Jeremy Herb and Shoshana Dubnow
Former first lady Melania Trump attends the final night of the Republican National Convention in July. Carolyn Kaster/AP
Melania Trump has barely been seen on the campaign trail this year. One of the few times she has appeared at a political event, she’s received a six-figure paycheck – a highly unusual move for the spouse of a candidate.
The former first lady spoke at two political fundraisers for the Log Cabin Republicans this year, and she was paid $237,500 for an April event, according to former President Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure form. The payment was listed as a “speaking engagement.”
Trump’s latest disclosure form said Melania Trump was paid by the Log Cabin Republicans for the April fundraiser. But it’s a mystery who actually cut the check: Charles Moran, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, told CNN earlier this month the group did not put up the money for her to speak, and the disclosure form did not give any more information about the source of the payment.
Ahead of the other fundraiser in July for the conservative LGBTQ group, a person familiar said at least one request was made to a donor about a similar payment. It’s unclear whether Melania Trump was ultimately paid. The campaign has not put out the financial disclosure for that period.
Campaign finance and government ethics experts say a payment to a presidential candidate’s spouse to appear at political fundraisers in an election is unusual, ethically questionable and should, at the very least, be properly noted in the disclosure forms.
“It seems pretty self-serving. From my own general observation, I’m not used to seeing that,” said Virginia Canter, the chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.
A spokesperson for Melania Trump declined to comment in response to CNN’s questions.
Read more about the paid appearance here
Suspect in Trump assassination attempt expected to appear in court as prosecutors argue he remain detained
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
Law enforcement officers patrol outside the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and US Courthouse, where Ryan Wesley Routh is expected to attend a hearing Monday in West Palm Beach, Florida. Wilfredo Lee/AP
Ahead of Ryan Routh’s detention hearing Monday morning, Department of Homeland Security agents have posted themselves around the West Palm Beach federal courthouse.
Bomb-sniffing dogs and dozens of agents surround the courthouse, with rifleman posted on a second-floor balcony surrounding the building.
Routh, the man suspected of the second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, is expected to appear before the magistrate judge at 11 a.m. ET to determine whether he will remain behind bars pending an outcome in the case.
He has been charged with two counts — possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Prosecutors are asking that Routh continue to be detained.
Harris and her allies are swamping Trump’s network on digital advertising
From CNN’s David Wright
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday. Morry Gash/AP
Vice President Kamala Harris and her allies are dramatically outspending former President Donald Trump and his political network on digital advertising, opening a $100 million lead on digital platforms since she became the Democratic nominee.
Since July 22, the day after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, through today, Harris and allied Democratic groups have spent nearly $144 million on digital advertising, while Trump and allied GOP groups have spent just $40.2 million, according to AdImpact data.
The Harris Victory Fund — a joint fundraising committee that splits its proceeds between the Harris campaign and dozens of allied Democratic Party committees — accounts for most of the spending, more than $78 million, targeting voters across the country with a blitz of online ads soliciting campaign contributions. It’s a massive investment that has helped power Harris’ record-breaking grassroots fundraising since taking over the ticket.
The Harris campaign, meanwhile, has spent more than $38 million on digital advertising of its own, which includes more than $10 million targeting voters nationally, but also millions in key swing states – the campaign has spent between $3.1 and $3.5 million on digital advertising in each of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada. In addition, Harris campaign has spent $2.8 million on digital advertising targeting Nebraska, aimed at the state’s up-for-grabs electoral vote.
On the GOP side, the Trump National Joint Fundraising Committee — the Republican equivalent of The Harris Victory Fund — accounts for most of the digital advertising over the last two months, about $18.8 million total. Nearly $16 million has targeted voters nationally, aimed at online fundraising, while the joint fundraising committee has also spent about $1.3 million on digital advertising in Pennsylvania, the linchpin battleground.
In addition, the committee has spent around $200,000 to $300,000 on digital advertising in the other key swing states like: Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada.
Second gentleman will campaign in North Carolina and Virginia on Wednesday
From CNN’s Aaron Pellish
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks in support of his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, at a campaign event in The Villages, Florida, on September 13. Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will campaign in North Carolina and Virginia on Wednesday, the Harris campaign announced on Monday.
Emhoff will speak at campaign rallies in Wilmington, North Carolina and Charlottesville, Virginia before attending a fundraiser in Charlottesville.
The two-state swing will mark the first trip for Emhoff, who is Jewish, to North Carolina since CNN reported that North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson made antisemitic and racist remarks in a porn forum years ago.
This comes as campaign official said Harris will travel to blue wall and Sun Belt states this week as she continues her aggressive campaign schedule.
Fox News interview with Melania will air Thursday
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt said Monday she would be interviewing former first lady Melania Trump about her forthcoming book and that the interview would air on Thursday.
The former first lady has kept a low profile throughout her husband’s presidential campaign and this will be her first television interview this campaign cycle.
Her memoir is set to publish next month, and the former first lady has been posting videos on X promoting her book in recent weeks.
On Sunday she posted a new video that appeared to be her reading a passage from her forthcoming book about a time during the Trump administration when “violent protests across the country had finally reached Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Biden administration announces initiatives to support American autoworkers
From CNN’s Kyle Feldscher
The White House announced a number of new initiatives aimed at supporting autoworkers, particularly in the key battleground state of Michigan – a crucial state in President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
The initiatives announced by the White House on Monday include $1 billion in financing for small- and medium-sized auto suppliers, a new pilot program to train workers in the state’s most populous county for jobs in the automobile supply chain, funding to support more training for workers to install electric vehicle chargers and another initiatives across the state.
Harris has taken up that mantle and has already made multiple trips to Michigan after she took over the top of the ticket. The White House fact sheet announcing the new initiatives notably includes a quote from the vice president touting the programs. It includes zero quotes from Biden.
“I believe in an economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed. Investing in the ambitions and aspirations of our people is the best way to grow the American economy and the middle class,” Harris said in the statement. “Yet for far too long, we have seen lack of investment in communities across America and profound obstacles to economic opportunity — including in communities with historic manufacturing expertise such as Detroit.”
Harris says she’ll deliver speech later this week laying out her economic vision
From CNN’s Sam Fossum
\ice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the media after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sunday. Matt Rourke/Pool/AP
Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday that she will deliver a speech later this week aimed at laying out her “vision” for the economy.
“I’m going to be giving a speech this week … to outline my vision for the economy,” she told reporters in Washington, DC. “I’ve named it an opportunity economy, which really, in short form, is about what we can do more to invest in the aspirations, the ambitions, the dreams of the American people while addressing the challenges that they face — whether it be the high price of groceries or the difficulty in being able to acquire home ownership.”
Since entering the race, Harris has unveiled economic proposals focused on making housing, groceries, child-rearing and prescription drugs more affordable. And earlier this month, she added tax relief for small businesses to her economic policy platform.
Many of the proposals build upon efforts the Biden administration has already unveiled.
Harris will also travel to blue wall and Sun Belt states this week as she continues her aggressive campaign schedule, according to a campaign official.
Analysis: Harris vs. Trump is the closest presidential race of the century
From CNN’s Harry Enten
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump Reuters, Getty Images
The 2024 presidential election continues to be the closest of the century. In fact, it is the closest race for the White House in the past 60 years.
Polling since the September 10 debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris shows that while the vice president seems to have opened up a slight national edge over her Republican rival, their race remains well within the margin of error and too close to call. This is especially the case when looking at the Electoral College.
On average, according to the latest CNN Poll of Polls, Harris is ahead by 3 points.
You’d have to go back to the 1960 campaign to find a race in which the major-party nominees were always within 5 points of each other in an average of the national polling. Every presidential year since then has had at least three weeks when one candidate was up by 5 points or more.
But perhaps the more important reason this election is too close to call is that this isn’t a national election. Instead, it is a race to 270 electoral votes through the Electoral College.
Indeed, neither Harris nor Trump has a big leg up when you look at the state-level data. Per CNN’s race ratings, Harris starts at 225 electoral votes to Trump’s 219. Seven states and the one electoral vote in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District remain up for grabs.
The bottom line is that this year’s presidential race is as close as it could be. One tiny shift in either direction could make all the difference in the world.
Routh’s position along fence was in direct line on Trump golfing, prosecutors say
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
Prosecutors detailed in a court filing that Ryan Wesley Routh’s position “was directly in line with” the very next hole from where former President Donald Trump was golfing earlier this month.
Prosecutors also noted how a Secret Service agent allegedly spotted and fired at Routh —who had his rifle pointed through a chain link fence.
While Trump was golfing on the fifth hole of his West Palm Beach golf course in Florida, a Secret Service agent was clearing the area of the sixth hole, riding a golf cart along the fence, which drew a boundary between the course and a major road on the other side.
When clearing the area, “the Agent spotted the partially obscured face of a man in the brush along the fence line,” prosecutors wrote.
The man’s position “was directly in line with the 6th hole green,” according to the filing.
After spotting the man and realizing his rifle was pointed at the agent, prosecutors said “the Agent jumped out of the golf cart, drew his weapon, and began backing away.” Then, when the Secret Service agent saw the barrel of the rifle move, the agent fired at the man and then moved behind a tree to reload his gun, according to the filing. When the agent looked back, the man, later identified by authorities as Routh, was gone.
“The Agent called out over his radio that shots had been fired by the Agent and that there was a subject with a rifle,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Routh’s rifle had a scope attached, as well as an extended magazine, allowing the gun to hold more ammunition. The rifle was loaded with 11 bullets, one in the chamber, ready to fire, according to the court filing.
Prosecutors: Man suspected of Trump assassination attempt was near Mar-a-Lago before incident
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office released body cam video of the apprehension of Ryan Wesley Routh. From Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
In their filing asking for the suspect in the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump to remain behind bars, prosecutors say he was in the area of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago residence across multiple days in the month before he was arrested and had a Google search of how to travel from Florida to Mexico in one of his phones.
The man, Ryan Wesley Routh, also had a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump has or was expected to appear in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, according to the filing.
Prosecutors wrote that Routh had travelled to West Palm Beach from North Carolina on August 14, one month before taking his position on the outskirts of Trump’s golf course with an SKS rifle when Secret Service spotted him.
Cell phone data shows him near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and the golf course “multiple days and times” between August 18 and September 15, the day he was arrested, prosecutors say.
Man suspected of Trump assassination attempt left a letter detailing his plans, prosecutors say
From CNN’s Holmes Lybrand
A new filing by federal prosecutors shows a letter that they say was written by Ryan Wesley Routh. From Department of Justice
The man who authorities say sat with a rifle in the trees where Donald Trump was golfing earlier this month in West Palm Beach, Florida, previously wrote a letter stating “this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” according to a new filing by federal prosecutors.
A witness told investigators that Ryan Wesley Routh had dropped off a box at his home months before, which “contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters.” After learning of the apparent assassination attempt, the witness opened the box, according to the filing.
One letter, addressed to “The World” said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”
Trump “ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled,” the letter says.
Read more about the letter here.
Where you can expect to see the presidential candidates today
From CNN staff
With less than 40 days until Election Day, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are hitting the campaign trail this week in a sprint toward November.
Here’s where you can expect to see the presidential candidates today:
Trump is set to visit battleground Pennsylvania on Monday. He will appear as a special guest at an event in Smithton, hosted by “The Protect America Initiative,” a conservative nonprofit organization. Later, he will deliver remarks at a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Harris will meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahya, the president of the United Arab Emirates, at the White House to discuss ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the crisis in Sudan and a “number of bilateral and regional matters.”
Later this week, the vice president will travel to blue wall and sun belt states as she continues her aggressive campaign schedule, according to a campaign official. On Wednesday, she is set to travel to Pennsylvania, and on Friday she will travel to Arizona, followed by Nevada on Sunday.
Harris also confirmed Sunday that she will be delivering an economic speech later this week aimed at laying out her “vision” for the economy.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will attend a series of campaign fundraisers in New York City today before returning to Minnesota this evening.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will deliver remarks at two events in Charlotte, North Carolina.
New polls show Trump’s advantage in the Sun Belt
From CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta
Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris among likely voters in Arizona, while the two are locked in closer races within the margin of error in Georgia and North Carolina in New York Times/Siena College polling there. Across all three states, the polling points to Trump’s advantages on key metrics, especially on handling the economy.
In Arizona, Trump tops Harris 48% to 43% in a matchup including the names of third-party candidates who will appear on the ballot there. In Georgia, Trump holds 47% support to Harris’ 44% and in North Carolina, it stands at 47% Trump to 45% Harris. There is no clear leader in the race in Georgia and in North Carolina.
In North Carolina, the poll finds Democrat Josh Stein leading in the gubernatorial contest there, with 47% support to 37% for Republican Mark Robinson. The poll was conducted September 17-21 and was mostly complete before CNN reporting on Robinson’s past comments on a porn website emerged.
Across the three states, Trump holds double-digit advantages over Harris among likely voters as more trusted to handle the economy (up 14 points on this score in Arizona, 13 in North Carolina and 12 in Georgia), and is more broadly seen as having policies that have “helped people like you” than Harris is (across all three states, 45% say Trump’s policies have helped people like themselves, 34% that they’ve hurt; for Harris, 42% say her policies would hurt people like themselves, 37% that they would help).
In all three, likely voters are narrowly more likely to say that they trust Trump over Harris to handle whichever issue they name as the most important (50% say they trust Trump on that, 46% Harris).
The two candidates are about even in favorability across the three states, a contrast with some recent national polling finding Harris viewed more positively than Trump (across all three, Trump stands at 47% favorable to 50% unfavorable, while Harris is at 46% favorable to 51% unfavorable).
More on the polls: The polls were conducted by telephone Sept. 17-21 among 713 voters in Arizona, and 682 each in Georgia and North Carolina. Results among likely voters have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 points in Arizona, 4.6 in Georgia and 4.2 in North Carolina. For results combined across the three states, the error margin is plus or minus 2.5 points.
Harris will campaign in blue wall and Sun Belt states this week
From CNN’s Ebony Davis
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to blue wall and Sun Belt states this week as she continues her aggressive campaign schedule, according to a campaign official.
On Wednesday, she is set to travel to Pennsylvania, and on Friday she will travel to Arizona, followed by Nevada on Sunday.
The campaign believes this week’s events “reflects the many paths to 270 electoral votes that Vice President Harris has available.”
It also believes the upcoming schedule outlines “her commitment to winning these states,” and argued the infrastructure is “far outpacing Trump’s” in these key swing states.
Since launching her presidential bid, the campaign team has made over 13.5 million phone calls and knocked on nearly 600,000 doors in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada, according to the campaign.
A recent CNN Poll of Polls average in Pennsylvania finds no clear leader in the crucial state, with the vice president averaging 49% support compared to 47% for the former president, as other polls also show a tight race nationally.
In recent days, Harris has reiterated that she expects November’s election to be a tight race.
“This race is as close as it could be. This is a margin of error race,” Harris told donors at a fundraiser in New York on Sunday. “I am running, and we are running as the underdog.”
Included in her week of travel will be an economic speech aimed at laying out her vision for the economy.
Analysis: Trump is getting wilder and wilder, but the White House race remains a toss-up
From CNN’s Stephen Collinson
Democrats have bet the destiny of the White House on the premise that once voters remember the chaos and divisiveness of Donald Trump’s presidency, he’d suffer an election-defining slump.
Wild weeks of outlandish rhetoric by the ex-president have revived memories of the cacophony of his four White House years and shattered perceptions that he’s running a more disciplined campaign than in 2020 or 2016. But the nature of the race — a toss-up contest in swing states — has not budged.
Trump has peddled baseless rumors that immigrants in Ohio are eating pets. He’s warned that Jewish voters will be to blame if he loses in November. He’s refused to openly condemn a protege in the North Carolina gubernatorial contest who described himself as “black Nazi” on a porn site, as CNN’s KFile reported last week.
Trump also reacted to a second apparent assassination attempt by implying that Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats are inviting such attacks when they highlight his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and say he’s a danger to democracy.
Despite everything, the ex-president remains locked in what CNN senior political data reporter Harry Enten described Sunday as the closest presidential race since Democrat John F. Kennedy’s narrow win over Vice President Richard Nixon.
New Harris ad features Arizona military spouse worried about future of IVF
From CNN’s Eva McKend
With a continued emphasis on reproductive rights, the Harris-Walz campaign is up with a new ad this morning featuring the testimony of a military spouse and her concern about access to fertility care.
In the spot, Yesenia Gomez, living in Tucson, voices anxiety that her husband could be relocated to a state that could curtail her ability to grow her family.
“My husband is in the military. He volunteered to serve. We are patriots, and we go where he is assigned. What if we end up in a state where IVF is no longer legal. What will we do then?” Gomez says in the ad.
It comes as the campaign’s Reproductive Freedom bus tour continues this week in Flint, Michigan, another battleground state.
The “Yesenia” ad is part of the Harris-Walz campaign’s $370 million investment in TV and digital reservations between Labor Day and Election Day.
Biden to tout administration’s climate agenda during speech at New York City forum
From CNN’s Ella Nilsen
President Joe Biden will speak at Climate Week NYC on Tuesday, touting his administration’s climate agenda and drawing contrasts between Democratic action and Republicans who voted against his 2022 climate law, according to a White House official.
Biden will appear at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, according to the official, where he’ll speak about his work to lower planet-warming pollution in the US and create clean energy jobs while saving Americans money with energy tax subsidies.
While there, in the final weeks of a neck-and-neck race for the White House between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Biden will draw a sharp contrast between Democrats and Republicans on energy and climate. The president will point out that Republicans voted unanimously against his climate bill, and many voted against Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
Throughout his term, Biden has worked to cement his legacy as the most pro-climate president after making the fight against climate change a central pillar of his administration. He signed billions of new clean energy tax credits and federal grant money into law in 2022 and oversaw dozens of ambitious federal regulations designed to slash pollution from US plants.
Read more about Biden’s speech.
Harris raises $27 million during New York fundraiser, campaign says
From CNN’s Sam Fossum
Vice President Kamala Harris raised $27 million during a Sunday fundraiser in New York, the largest amount raised from a single event since she entered the race for president, according to a campaign official.
Harris, speaking to reporters on the tarmac after landing back in Washington, DC, said she believes the high numbers show support for her campaign.
“It’s showing there’s a lot of support for our message and what we need to do in terms of moving forward and charting a new way forward and dispensing with all the ways to divide our country,” Harris told reporters.
Some context: The high-dollar fundraising will be critical for the campaign as she and Donald Trump remain locked in one of the closest presidential races in the past 60 years. Sunday’s total comes as Harris entered the month with significantly more campaign cash than Trump, federal filings show.
Harris accepts CNN invitation for October 23 debate — Trump says “it’s just too late” for another matchup
From CNN staff
Former President Donald Trump debates Vice President Kamala Harris on September 10. Alex Brandon/AP
Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.
“Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”
Harris tweeted Saturday that she “will gladly accept a second presidential debate” and that she hopes Trump “will join” her on October 23.
Trump on Saturday argued it was “too late” to have another presidential debate because Americans have begun casting their ballots in the 2024 election.
“The problem with another debate is that it’s just too late, voting has already started,” Trump said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Presidential nominees have traditionally had the final word in a nationally televised October debate following the vice presidential nominees’ debate. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is set to square off against Harris’ vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on October 1 in a debate hosted by CBS.
Trump suggested last week that he might be open to participating in a third presidential debate following his September 10 face-off with Harris hosted by ABC in Philadelphia. “Maybe if I got in the right mood,” he told reporters during a stop in California, after previously posting on Truth Social, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
Keep reading here about where things stand with the debate.
Trump urges supporters to vote early and by mail despite spreading false claims of fraud
From CNN’s Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump, in remarks at virtual rallies on Sunday, urged supporters in Virginia and Minnesota to vote early and by mail, despite his false claims that mail-in voting caused election fraud during the last presidential race.
“Early voting in your commonwealth is now underway right now. … You’re the first group, first little group,” Trump said on the call with Virginia voters.
He told Virginia supporters, “Another way you can cast the ballot early is to vote by mail. And you’ve heard a lot about voting by mail, but that’s what we have right now.”
During a virtual rally with Minnesota voters, Trump echoed past claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election but encouraged voters to vote by mail anyway.
“Our country is in big trouble. And you can do it by mail or early in person or on Election Day, but make sure your ballot counts and check it. You can check it because, you know, bad things go on and bad things went on the last election,” he said.
Some background: The Trump campaign in June announced a program aimed at promoting absentee, mail-in and early in-person voting — practices the former president has disparaged for years while promoting false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
It marked a sharp reversal from Trump’s repeated calls to end the practice of mail-in voting altogether and his discouragement of Republicans from voting any other way but at the polls on Election Day.
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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00:52 – Source: CNN
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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