In the final phase of the US election campaign, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned for votes in the state of Wisconsin at the same time – only about eight kilometers apart as the crow flies.
In the final phase of the US election campaign, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned for votes in the state of Wisconsin at the same time – only about eight kilometers apart as the crow flies.
While US rapper Cardi B welcomed the Democrat on stage in a suburb of Milwaukee and explained that Harris had motivated her to vote, the Republican began his speech in the city center.
Wisconsin is one of the hotly contested “swing states”: in 2016, Trump won here against Hillary Clinton by a margin of 0.7 percentage points. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump by a margin of 0.6 percentage points. This year there will probably be a head-to-head race again.
Trump at the campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, November 1, 2024.Bild: keystone
Trump did not spare insults in his speech: When technical problems arose with the microphone, he called his own team backstage “stupid”; As he has often done, he called Harris a “person with a very low IQ.”
At the same time, Harris warned of another Trump presidency:
“This is not someone who thinks about how they can make your life better.”
And further: “This is someone who is increasingly unstable, driven by a desire for revenge and resentment. And this man is out for unbridled power.” She promised a policy of unity that was focused on people: “I come on the first day with my to-do list – not with a list of enemies.” Her priorities included affordable health care and women’s right to self-determination.
Kamala Harris delivers a speech in West Allis, Wisconsin, November 1, 2024. Bild: keystone
As usual, Trump spoke for much longer. When Harris left the stage after about 30 minutes, he had only warmed up. The Republican promised tax cuts and a “missile shield” for the USA. He also repeated unsubstantiated claims about allegedly manipulated labor market reports and railed against migrants, the media and political opponents. Regarding the consequences of climate change, he said:
“Who the hell cares?”
After around 90 minutes he ended his speech.
Sharp criticism for language glorifying violence
Outside of the appearances, the election campaign came to a head on Friday. When she arrived in Wisconsin, Harris reacted sharply to a statement by Trump in which he had glorified his Republican colleague Liz Cheney and said she should look down nine gun barrels during a firefight – rhetoric that, according to Harris, disqualified anyone from being president. The White House also warned of the potential explosive nature of such comments.
But that didn’t stop Trump from upping his ante at an appearance in Michigan. He claimed that Cheney would not have the courage to face the enemy in a real combat situation. Instead, she is sitting in Washington and wants to wage wars with other countries. He described Harris as the “candidate of endless wars,” while he himself was a “candidate of peace.”
Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and supporter of Harris, was often criticized for her interventionist foreign policy position. However, observers emphasize that Trump himself ordered military action several times during his term in office.
US authorities warn of Russian interference
Meanwhile, concerns remain about possible Russian influence in the election campaign. A video circulated on the X platform this week showing an alleged migrant from Haiti who is said to have voted several times in the state of Georgia. US security authorities said the video was fake and part of a Russian campaign aimed at sowing doubts about the integrity of US elections.
Since its takeover by tech billionaire Elon Musk, X – formerly Twitter – has taken less strict action against misinformation. Musk, who appears as a prominent Trump supporter, also supports him financially. The video, which has since been deleted, served Trump’s narrative of alleged election fraud by migrants – a topic he regularly addresses.
Supreme Court thwarts Republican plans in Pennsylvania
Shortly before the weekend, the US Supreme Court also addressed a question of election integrity and initially stopped an attempt by Republicans to exclude certain ballot papers in Pennsylvania from being counted – the state, as the most populous of the seven “swing states”, could be decisive for the election outcome .
The decision means that voters whose postal voting documents were rejected due to formal deficiencies can still vote in person using a provisional ballot paper. This could have saved thousands of votes, which tend to be attributed to Democratic voters, from being invalidated. With one caveat: The Supreme Court rejected the Republicans’ request – but could deal with the matter again later. (cst/sda/dpa)
