Democrat Kamala Harris gave her final speech in support of the US presidency at a historically black church and to Arab-Americans in Michigan on Sunday, while her Republican rival Donald Trump unleashed aggressive rhetoric at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Harris appeals to Gaza war critics
Opinion polls show a tight battle between the candidates, with 60-year-old Vice President Harris drawing strong support from female voters, while 78-year-old former President Trump is gaining ground among Hispanic voters, especially men.
At a rally in East Lansing, Michigan, Harris addressed the state’s 200,000 Arab-Americans, beginning her speech by addressing civilian victims of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. She said:
“This year has been difficult, given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon, it is devastating. And as president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza.”
Many Arab and Muslim Americans and anti-war activists condemned US support for Israel amid the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon and the displacement of millions. Israel has said its targets are the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
On Friday, Trump visited Dearborn, Michigan, the heart of the Arab American community, and vowed to end the conflict in the Middle East without saying exactly how.
Instead of mentioning Trump by name, Harris chose to emphasise her opponent’s record on the final Sunday of the campaign.
Trump is going off script
Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in July when a gunman’s bullet pierced his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, complained to supporters on Sunday about the gaps in the bulletproof glass surrounding him during his speech and thought the assassin would have had to shoot through the media to get to him. Trump, who has long criticised the media and sought to stir up public sentiment against it, said:
“To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news and I don’t mind that so much.”
Last week, he suggested a prominent Republican critic, former congresswoman Liz Cheney, fired back over her hawkish foreign policy, prompting an Arizona prosecutor to launch an investigation.
Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung issued a statement saying Trump’s comment was not directed at the media, but at “threats against him that were prompted by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats.”
Trump later spoke in Kinston, North Carolina, and Macon, Georgia, where he took advantage of last week’s jobs report, which showed the US economy created just 12,000 jobs last month. He told a large crowd gathered in the amphitheatre that the report showed the US was “a nation in decline” and warned gloomily of a potentially impending repeat of the Great Depression of 1929, when “people were jumping off buildings.”
Senior Harris campaign officials said her closing argument is aimed at a narrow segment of undecided voters. That contrasts with Trump, who has differed little from his standard speech aimed at inspiring his loyal supporters. Trump said:
“Kamala’s campaign is run on hate and demonisation.”
“US is occupied by illegal immigrants”
Trump also said at the rally that the US is occupied by illegal immigrants who want to harm Americans.
Trump, referring to gangs of illegal immigrants from Venezuela and other countries, told supporters of cities and towns across the country that have been taken over by illegals and where crime rates have skyrocketed. He said:
“If I win, the American people will be the rulers of this country. Again, the United States is now an occupied country. Can you imagine? I say that, and nobody disputes it.”
During his speech, Trump said the election results should be announced on election night, despite warnings from officials in several states that it could take several days to establish the final results. He also added:
“If you take a look at what’s happening in Colorado – Aurora, take a look at that. They’re taking over complexes of apartments and big swaths of area, but all over the country, it’s happening.”
Trump said many cities and towns across the country did not like to say it was happening in their communities because it was “bad publicity” and people would not move to that city or town. He added:
“It’s New York and Chicago and Los Angeles, but it will soon be an occupied country no longer. It’s not going to take long. You know, these guys come in. They’re vicious, violent and like military age. But they have military-quality equipment, military-quality guns.”
America’s Liberation Day
Trump promised that if he wins the election, November 5, 2024 will be known as America’s Liberation Day. He said:
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history, I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered. These towns are being invaded and conquered. And we will put the vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail or kick them the hell out of our country as fast as we can.”
The National Border Patrol Council endorsed Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump told NBPC president Paul Perez at a rally in Arizona in October that he wanted to hire 10,000 more Border Patrol agents. As president, he called for hiring 5,000 agents, but Congress never appropriated money for that.
He has also pledged to complete the half-built border wall, revive the “Stay in Mexico” policy and make new asylum agreements with Central American states.
Trump said he would end the widespread use of “parole,” a legal right that the Biden-Harris administration has used to admit millions of migrants who are inadmissible aliens under the law.
