Election 2024 updates: Harris zeroes in on Wisconsin, Trump to attend Al Smith dinner
By Marina Pitofsky, Mary Spicuzza, Hope Karnopp, Kinsey Crowley, David Jackson, Gray Rohrer, Aysha Bagchi, Erin Mansfield, Riley Beggin, Zac Anderson and Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY,
On Thursday, Harris focused her campaign on a pivotal state: Wisconsin . Meanwhile, Trump is attending a longtime political tradition in New York City, known as the Al Smith dinner.
Regardless of where they're hitting the campaign trail, Harris and Trump will spend the weeks leading up to Election Day making their final pitches to voters across the country, outlining how they'd approach issues ranging from inflation to the southern border and abortion rights.
Check back here for live coverage from across the USA TODAY network.
Donald Trump is planning another campaign stop in the Philadelphia suburbs, this time at a McDonald’s in Lower Southampton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the visit.
The 2024 presidential candidate plans to stop at the fast food chain in the early afternoon, according to a source who did not have permission to publicly comment.
Trump reportedly plans to “work the fryer” behind the counter, a stop he referenced at a rally in Indiana , Pennsylvania, late last month – a job Harris said she had when she was growing up.
About 20 minutes into Harris' remarks at a Thursday campaign rally in La Crosse, Wisconsin, some members of the crowd shouted as the vice president talked about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally,” Harris joked before taking a jab at Donald Trump. “No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.”
– Marina Pitofsky, Francesca Chambers
Harris says Americans are 'exhausted' with Trump
Kamala Harris took a swipe at Donald Trump over his claim at a Univision town hall that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was "a day of love."
"It points out something that everyone here knows: the American people are exhausted with his gaslighting," she said. "Enough."
Harris also made light of her combative interview on Fox News at the campaign stop in La Crosse, saying that she is campaigning for the vote of every American, "no matter their political party, where they live or where they get their news."
"And on that point, last night, you may have seen I went on Fox News," she said, laughing.
She used the aside as a set up for her comments about Trump.
– Francesca Chambers
Mark Cuban calls Trump ‘The Grinch’ in attack on tariff plan
Harris got an assist Thursday from billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who excoriated Trump’s plan for across-the-board tariffs on China as he sought to bolster the Democratic nominee’s economic pitch to voters.
Cuban, a host of ABC’s “Shark Tank” and minority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, coined Trump “The Grinch” at a campaign rally in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The campaign surrogate argued Trump’s plan for 60% tariffs on all imports from China will result in higher costs for consumers come holiday season.
“Donald Trump wants you to have a lousy Christmas,” Cuban said. “Donald Trump is ‘The Grinch’ that wants to steal your Christmas.” Cuban said Trump has “so little understanding of tariffs, he thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall."
The Harris campaign is using a swing Thursday and Friday through the Midwest battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan to drive home an economic message. That includes emphasizing Harris’ proposal for tax deductions for new small businesses. While most polls suggest Trump has an advantage on who voters perceive is better equipped the economy, Harris has made up ground.
“This election is a battle for entrepreneurs. This election is a battle for small businesses,” Cuban said, highlighting Harris’ goal to grow the number of small businesses in the U.S. from 33 million to more than 50 million.
It's not clear. Voters from coast to coast will want to know whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris won the 2024 race for the White House on Election Day, but it's not likely.
Election officials will have millions of votes to tabulate, following specific procedures, and the candidates could launch legal challenges in some states.
– Marina Pitofsky
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Vance on whether Trump lost in 2020: ' No '
Joe Biden may be in the White House, but Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance stated unequivocally Wednesday that he believes Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election.
Vance was asked by a reporter during an event in Pennsylvania what message it sends “to independent voters when you do not answer the question, did Donald Trump lose in 2020?”
“I’ve answered this question directly a million times,” Vance said. “No. I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.”
The crowd cheers on Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance during his speech Wednesday Oct. 16, 2024 in Wilmington, N.C. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS, KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Trump has insisted without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged. Vance often has parried questions about Trump’s unfounded election fraud claims, such as during his debate with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz.
Walz asked Vance “Did Trump lose the 2020 election?” Vance responded that he is “focused on the future,” leading Walz to call it a “damning non answer.”
Vance’s comments at the event in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, were an unambiguous embrace of Trump’s claim that he didn’t lose, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
The remarks, recorded by McConnell and shared with Associated Press Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Michael Tackett, are McConnell's strongest condemnation yet of the former president, despite years of a famously frosty relationship between the two men.
In the weeks following Election Day in 2020, when Trump and his campaign were working to overturn the election results, McConnell said in his recordings that “it’s not just the Democrats who are counting the days” until Trump left office, according to the AP.
Kamala Harris won't be at the Al Smith charity dinner, a white tie event that raises money for Catholic charities and typically features candidates trading jabs. But she is going to address the dinner by video on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
Harris' campaign had previously said she was focusing on campaigning in battleground states and wouldn't travel to the event. The vice president is in Wisconsin today, one of the states that could ultimately decide the 2024 election.
Trump is set to attend the dinner in person in New York City.
− Marina Pitofsky
Former U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City, U.S. May 30, 2024 and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2024 in a combination of file photos. Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS
Harris says Sinwar’s death presents moment for ‘day after’ in Middle East
Kamala Harris said “justice has been served” following the death of Hamas Yahya Sinwar in a brief statement to reporters on the campaign trail in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent including the victims of October 7 and hostages killed in Gaza. He had American blood on his hands,” Harris said. “Today, I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief.”
Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, commended the work of U.S. intelligence officials who worked in tandem with Israeli to locate Sinwar.
“And I will say, to any terrorist who kills Americans, threatens the American people, or threatens our troops or our interests, know this: We will always bring you to justice,” Harris said. “Israel has a right to defend itself, and the threat Hamas poses to Israel must be eliminated today. There is clear progress toward that goal.”
She said Sinwar’s death “gives us an opportunity" to end the conflict in Gaza. “And it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” Harris said.
Many have delayed and voted against certifying elections since former President Donald Trump falsely claimed his 2020 loss was due to voter fraud. In Nevada , a commissioner of a key swing county said she learned information that warranted "further investigation."
In Mohave County, Arizona , a commissioner who voted to delay a certification vote said it was a statement of solidarity with other counties that were delaying certification. In Michigan , two members of a county board of canvassers in the Upper Peninsula didn't believe three recall elections all could have had a similar margin.
An official in Colorado breached her own county’s voting machines, and another in Ohio was investigated for a potential attempted breach.
Then there are counties that attempt to replace machine-counting ballots with having humans hand-count their ballots, a practice that studies show is less accurate and timely than using machines.
Some of these counties are in key swing states, or blue states where Vice President Kamala Harris is dependent on electoral votes to win.
Check out the full report here on the three swing-state counties where officials have created controversy over elections, and how they could affect the presidential election.
There are still holes that could be exploited, however, especially at the local level. Some of those holes are already being tested by local officials, such as refusing to certify elections at the county level , according to Matthew Seligman, a fellow at Stanford's Constitutional Law Center and co-author of the 2024 book "How to Steal a Presidential Election."
Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over the certification of Electoral College votes at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Pool photo
"Due to the changes in the Electoral Count Reform Act, the effort has shifted to try to get county boards of elections, and then potentially state-level boards of election, to have some kind of authority to refuse to certify the election results," Seligman told USA TODAY.
Check out the full report here on what the Electoral Count Reform Act did and three possible strategies for overturning the election in spite of it.
- Aysha Bagchi
Trump visits a Bronx barbershop
While preparing for Thursday night's appearance at the Al Smith dinner in New York City, Trump made an unscheduled visit to a Bronx barbershop.
The former president arrived to the Knockout Barbershop at around 1:45 p.m., according to video posted on social media.
No word yet on whether the famously coiffed Trump is actually getting a hair cut.
“Another hurricane. More devastation. And Rick Scott is making it worse,” Mucarsel-Powell stated in an ad released Oct. 2, six days after Helene made landfall at Dekle Beach in Taylor County. She went on to criticize Scott for receiving $3 million in campaign donations from property insurance companies as premiums skyrocketed in recent years.
Scott responded two days later – six days before Milton barreled into Sarasota County – with his own ad blasting Mucarsel-Powell for claiming he “doesn’t care about hurricane victims.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) delivers comments to Bay County residents about Hurricane Helene after receiving briefings from local law enforcement leaders and emergency management officials at the Bay County Emergency Operations Center in Southport, Fla., Sept. 25, 2024. Tyler Orsburn/News Herald, Tyler Orsburn/News Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Each candidate has sought to help victims of the disasters.
Scott, in his trademark U.S. Navy hat familiar from his days overseeing recovery efforts as Governor, viewed the devastation, met with local officials and pressed President Joe Biden to issue a disaster declaration to release FEMA money.
Mucarsel-Powell helped clear beaches in Pinellas after Helene and helped fill sandbags for residents ahead of Milton. She also toured damage in Palm Beach County from one of the tornados spawned by Milton.
- Gary Rohrer
Trump blames Ukraine's Zelenskyy for Putin's invasion
Trump, long sympathetic toward Russia President Vladimir Putin, is casting blame on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the invasion of Ukraine that was in fact authorized by Putin.
Criticizing Zelenskyy's requests for U.S. aid to Ukraine, Trump told the PBD Podcast released Thursday: "I feel very badly for those people - but he should never have let that war start ... that war is a loser."
Trump, as he often does, also blamed President Joe Biden for the war on Ukraine, saying the American president "instigated" the war begun by Putin and Russia.
"An administrative agency can only act to implement existing statutory schemes; they hold no authority to create new requirements or otherwise expand their own authority," Cox wrote.
The board has come under increasing scrutiny after its Republican majority passed a flurry of new requirements within weeks of the election, despite being cautioned by the state's Republican attorney general that some rules were likely unlawful.
- Aysha Bagchi
Former President Donald Trump takes the stage Friday, April 14, 2023, during the NRA convention at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Luke Johnson, Luke Johnson / USA TODAY NETWORK
Trump cancels NRA appearance
The Republican nominee has canceled an Oct. 22 appearance before the National Rifle Association because of scheduling conflicts, the campaign and the NRA said Wednesday.
Trump had been scheduled to attend a "Defend the 2nd" (amendment) gun rights event Tuesday in Savannah, Ga.
While the Harris campaign tries to use gun violence as an issue against Trump, the NRA said in its cancellation notice that it still backs Trump.
"The NRA is committed to ensuring Donald Trump wins in November and returns to the White House," the organization said.
US President Barack Obama (L), Cardinal Timothy Dolan (C), Archbishop of New York, and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) during the 67th annual Al Smith dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel October 18, 2012 in New York, New York. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images
The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner , a white-tie charity event in New York City, is known for prominent political figures poking fun at one another and the issues of the moment.
The Al Smith dinner benefits Catholic charities. Smith was known for his sense of humor, and speakers at the event often take jabs at themselves or others.
In 2016, Trump and his opponent Hillary Clinton took swipes at one another, but some of the audience booed at Trump , feeling he went too far. Trump is scheduled to speak but Harris declined the invitation for the annual event.
- Kinsey Crowley
A sign celebrating the 100th birthday of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is seen on the North Lawn of the White House on October 1, 2024 in Washington, DC. Carter, who entered hospice care at home in February 2023, became the first former U.S. president to live to 100. The 39th president served from 1977 to 1981 and is the longest-lived former chief executive in U.S. history. Kent Nishimura, Getty Images
Kamala Harris seized the opportunity to thank a special supporter: Former President Jimmy Carter.
“President Carter, thank you for your support,” Harris said on the X social media platform.Carter, who turned 100 years old earlier this month, used Georgia’s early voting period to cast his ballot for the Democratic vice president.
While a large chunk of the national attention in the 2024 battle for control of the U.S. Senate rests in the same presidential battlegrounds - think Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada - several other states that are likely slam dunks for Kamala Harris or Trump also have potentially competitive contests too.
Without a Senate controlled by their own party, the next president will likely struggle to pass the most ambitious parts of their campaign platform . The Senate is also solely responsible for confirming a president's Cabinet officials and judges, from federal district courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where four of the nine justices will soon be in their 70s.
- Riley Beggin
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a town hall presented by Spanish-language network Univision, in Doral, Florida, U.S., October 16, 2024. Marco Bello, REUTERS
“She has a massive and irredeemable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,”Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump, who has been critical of Fox’s coverage of the Harris campaign, gave a thumbs-up to interviewer Bret Baier, who frequently interrupted and clashed with the vice president. “Great job by Bret Baier,” Trump said.
- David Jackson
Cutouts of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are displayed at a store where souvenirs of the U.S. presidential elections are sold, in Washington, U.S. October 16, 2024. Jose Luis Gonzalez, REUTERS
It's even closer when it comes to polling averages from the battleground states. Trump leads Harris by 1.1 percentage points in Arizona, for example, and Harris leads Trump by 0.3 percentage points in Wisconsin.
Donald Trump on Thursday is attending the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner , a white-tie charity event in New York City. It's known for prominent political figures poking fun at one another and the issues of the moment.
The Al Smith dinner benefits Catholic charities. Smith was known for his sense of humor, and speakers at the event often take jabs at themselves or others.
The Harris campaign confirmed with USA TODAY that the Democratic presidential nominee will not attend the dinner scheduled for Oct. 17, as they want to focus on the battleground states so close to the election.
Harris' upcoming travel to the battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan comes as the race with Donald Trump reaches its final weeks. Thursday will mark her sixth visit to Wisconsin, and her third stop in Milwaukee County. She launched her presidential campaign in Wisconsin in late July with a rally in West Allis .
Harris is the Spawn of Satan. She is interfering with God's will right from the Bible!! She is UNHOLY AND UNGODLY!! She must get out of the office of the pseudo VP seat she's trashed and go back to her hero NEWSCUM. She's also for abortions through 9 months.
Joseph Lopez
4h ago
Trump for president we won’t have a country if he doesn’t get in
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