Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, the United States at a time of choice

For these last hours of a breathtaking campaign for the White House, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were on stage for their final electoral rallies, on the eve of a vote with crucial issues for the United States and the rest of the world. “This could be one of the closest elections in history. Every vote counts,” warned the Democratic candidate on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a few hours before the opening of the polling stations.

On one side, the current Democratic vice-president, who in July replaced aging leader Joe Biden at short notice. Kamala Harris, 60, can become on Tuesday the first woman to lead the largest economic and military power on the planet.

On the other, former President Donald Trump, 78, author of a spectacular political comeback after leaving the White House in 2021 in a chaotic context, having escaped two impeachment procedures and having been convicted in court. “We’ve been waiting for this for four years. Four years,” the Republican said Monday during a meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Interspersed with dramatic events, first and foremost two assassination attempts targeting Donald Trump, this race for the White House was also marked by all the outbidding in a fractured country. Each of the two rivals says they are confident in their victory.

If we believe the polls, everything will be decided by just a few tens of thousands of votes, in seven so-called pivotal states. It is therefore logically in Pennsylvania, which offers the most electors of these “swing states”, that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are throwing their last forces.

For her last meeting, which according to her team brought together 30,000 people, Kamala Harris carefully chose the decor. She spoke in Philadelphia, the cradle of American democracy, at the foot of a large staircase immortalized in the film “Rocky”, wanting to see there “a symbol of those who are given losers at the start and who climb to the top. victory.”

A little before, the star Lady Gaga had called on stage to vote for Kamala Harris, emphasizing that “women would participate in the decision” on Tuesday. Defending the right to abortion is a major campaign theme for the vice-president.

The former president further fueled tensions in a country on edge by beginning to question the integrity of voting operations. Kamala Harris’ team said they “expect” the Republican to declare himself the winner prematurely, as he did in 2020.

The former real estate mogul, who describes his opponents as “enemies from within,” is a “fascist” driven by revenge and his thirst for “unlimited power” is hammering Democrats.

Nearly 80 million Americans, including Kamala Harris, have already voted early, out of 244 million voters. His rival is expected to vote for him in person on Tuesday near his residence in Florida. What happens next remains the great unknown. Donald Trump has never acknowledged his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, after which his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

At least three states, Washington, Nevada and Oregon, have mobilized National Guard reservists. Elsewhere in the country, some polling stations will be monitored by drones and snipers on rooftops. In the federal capital, metal barriers are erected around the White House, the Capitol and other sensitive sites.