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Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump by four points in the latest Economist/YouGov poll, 49-45 percent, and appears to have pulled ahead with suburban voters according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey — though one data analyst says the former president’s odds of winning have inexplicably surged.
Meanwhile, Trump has rejected Fox News’s offer to host a final presidential debate between him and his Democratic rival, having also spurned CNN’s invitation to a second contest.
“THERE WILL BE NO REMATCH,” the Republican said on Truth Social. “SO THERE IS NOTHING TO DEBATE.”
In a 2-hour speech for the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday, Trump managed to disparage the city — largest in the vital swing state of Michigan — in the same way he called Milwaukee “horrible” before the Republican National Convention.
Exclusive polling for The Independent has meanwhile indicated that Republicans are tiring of Trump and prefer his running mate, JD Vance, although they consider Democrat Tim Walz more presidential than this rival.
Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are hitting the campaign trail for Harris, with the 44th president speaking in Pittsburgh on Thursday evening and the 42nd focusing on rural voters.
Obama hits at Trump for selling merch
Obama joked about his successor’s tendency to sell merchandise with his branding on it during a campaign rally stop on behalf of Harris.
“It’s like Fidel Castro, on and on, constant attempts to sell you stuff. Who does that? Selling you gold sneakers, a $100,000 watch and most recently, a Trump Bible,” Obama said.
“He wants you to buy the Word of God, Donald Trump edition, got his name right there next to Matthew and Luke,” the former president joked.
Obama told the room of rallygoers there is “absolutely no evidence” that Trump “thinks about anybody but himself.”
Obama praises FEMA and government response to hurricanes
On the stage in Pittsburgh, former president Barack Obama made an indirect comment about the misinformation about Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
“It’s times like this that having honest, competent leadership in government really matters,” Obama said.
He praised FEMA workers for helping victims of the storms.
Trump went on an eight-minute rant calling for the death penalty
Donald Trump was asked about his family and parenting style at an event in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday.
At first, his response was on-topic. But his answer quickly devolved into an eight-minute rant about drugs that ended in him explaining why some people convicted of fentanyl-related crimes should face the death penalty.
Trump was speaking at the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday afternoon when his outburst began. Businessman John Rakolta Jr., who interviewed the former president in front of club members, complimented his parenting style before asking how he made his children “so responsible.”
“Well, I’m fortunate in that, you know, they’re smart children,” Trump responded.
Before Rakolta could say anything else, Trump then began to discuss fentanyl, claiming he “had that problem almost solved with President Xi [Jinping]” while serving as president.
“Almost all of it comes through Mexico, and the maximum penalty is the death penalty, and he was going to impose that,” Trump said.
Former president Barack Obama expected on stage soon
With just a few weeks to go until Election Day, former president Barack Obama is hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris tonight, hoping to rally support for her in the key battleground state, Pennsylvania.
The rally, which is taking place at the University of Pittsburgh, is expected to begin around 7:30 p.m. ET.
It is the first of several stops Obama is expected to make for Harris in swing states.
From JD Vance’s town hall in Greensboro, NC
They are playing the same playlist at this JD Vance town hall on a loop.
I have heard the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” twice and am now on my second go-around with “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.
Kamala Harris’s honeymoon period is over — the polls make that clear
Where will the 2024 election be decided?
In short, everywhere.
A new batch of polls came out this week, with a little less than one month to go in the presidential election. Kamala Harris’s “honeymoon” surge is now officially over.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Republicans file lawsuits to challenge overseas ballots (including those of military personnel)
Republicans have filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states to target ballots cast by American voters living abroad — including military service members.
Alex Woodward reports.
Florida MAGA Republican praises Biden and blasts Mike Johnson’s hurricane response
A MAGA Republican ally of former president Donald Trump who has persistently spread lies and misinformation about Hurricane Helene relief is now praising President Joe Biden while bashing House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who represents Florida’s 13th district that got hit by Hurricane Helene, said she spoke with Biden.
“He is personally overseeing that FEMA does not create problems with the debris removal and is supportive of the 15 Billion in FEMA funds ONLY FOR Hurricane victims,” she said on X/Twitter.
Luna had previously criticized Biden and spread lies and misinformation.
“I HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE DIED IN MY COUNTY AND FEMA GAVE FUNDING TO ILLEGALS,” she said last week. This came despite the fact that she had left Florida to campaign with Trump in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
But now, Luna praised Biden and also blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson since Congress is out of session.
“If Congress goes into a special session we can get it passed immediately,” she posted. “This needs to happen. @SpeakerJohnson call us back.”
Luna has been one of the hellraisers in Congress who initially blocked Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker early last year before she flipped her vote.
But she is feeling the heat in her home district as Whitney Fox, a Democrat, is running a competitive race.
Fellow Republican rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina responded to Luna’s post on X: “Thank you Biden for doing the right thing here. We need to put politics aside and help the American people here.”
Earlier: Harris campaign distances itself from interview editing claims
Right-wing critics on social media posted side-by-side clips of the preview of her interview — in which Harris delivered a lengthy response to 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker on whether the US lacks influence over Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — next to the same segment in the final broadcast that aired October 7.
Alex Woodward reports.
Ohioans still voting for Trump — even though they know his claims about migrants are false
Alex Woodward took a look at the numbers.
Source: independent.co.uk
