Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are heading to several important swing states on the last weekend before the election. The Democrat can also look forward to a survey from Iowa, where the Republican has clearly won twice so far. Meanwhile, people in Washington are preparing for possible riots.
On the last campaign weekend before the US presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are giving it their all once again: Both candidates made further appearances on Saturday and tried to present themselves as the better choice for the United States. The rivals almost ran into each other: Because both were holding meetings in the state of North Carolina, the vice president’s Air Force Two plane was at Charlotte airport just a few meters away from Trump’s private jet.
Around 75 million US citizens have already cast their votes. The polls predict a neck-and-neck race between the Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate. Harris received a boost of hope with the publication of a survey on Saturday: According to this, she is three percentage points ahead of Trump in the state of Iowa, where Trump clearly won in the previous two presidential elections.
In addition to North Carolina, Harris also made campaign appearances in Georgia on Saturday, and Trump made an appearance in Virginia. The vice president flew unannounced to New York to appear on the legendary television comedy show Saturday Night Live and, if possible, to win over undecided voters.
Harris is fighting for women’s votes, Trump is bullying
Previously, in a campaign speech in Atlanta in the swing state of Georgia, Harris primarily addressed women, among whom she has a particularly large number of supporters: “Donald Trump is not finished yet. He will ban abortions nationwide. He wants to restrict access to birth control and the states force to monitor women’s pregnancies,” she warned.
The issue of abortion plays a major role in this year’s presidential election campaign. The Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion two years ago after Trump appointed three conservative judges during his presidency, giving conservatives a majority on the Supreme Court. In Washington on Saturday, it is estimated that around 15,000 people took to the streets at the National Women’s March for women’s and abortion rights.
Meanwhile, Trump warmed up his right-wing voters at an appearance in Salem in the southern state of Virginia. He described his opponent Harris as “stupid” and with a “low IQ”. If she wins the election, the USA is threatened with an economic depression: “Do you want to lose your jobs and maybe your house and your pension?”
Previously, at an appearance in Gastonia, North Carolina, Trump once again spread his central campaign message that illegal immigration brings numerous criminals and violent criminals into the country and that only he can protect women from them: “When you’re home alone and this monster is out and about , who was charged with six different murders and got out of prison, then you’d rather have Trump,” said the 78-year-old.
Washington is preparing for riots
In the city center of the capital Washington, offices and shops have already started boarding up their windows with plywood panels in recent days. The city administration spoke of a “changing, unpredictable security situation”. Four years ago, the US capital experienced violence in the wake of the election, which culminated in the storming of the Capitol by fanatical Trump supporters on January 6th.
Trump has so far refused to commit to whether he would accept defeat in the election. Four years ago he made unfounded allegations of fraud after his election defeat, and this time he is already talking about possible fraud before election day. On Saturday he claimed he could win even in majority Democratic-voting California – “if it was an honest election.”
Contributing to the extremely charged political climate is a flood of disinformation and false claims in online networks, which, according to US authorities, are partly controlled by Russia, but also by influencers from the far-right camp, including Trump ally and owner of X, Elon Musk.
