With nine days left until Election Day in the United States, the two main contenders for the White House – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump – continue to scramble for votes in battleground states where opinion polls point to a close race.
On Saturday, Trump made a bold play for Arab-American and Muslim voters in Michigan, a swing state with nearly 400,000 voters of Arab background.
Michigan voted for Biden in 2020, but anger over Israel's genocide in Gaza and the war in Lebanon may affect Democrats' turnout for Harris' election.
Michigan is one of seven competitive US states likely to decide the winner. It is part of the “Blue Wall” that is considered the Democrats' best chance to elect Harris, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Harris also campaigned in Michigan on Saturday, warning that Trump would exercise “absolute and excessive power” if he returned to the White House.
What are the latest updates from the polls?
An Emerson College Poll released Saturday showed Harris and Trump tied at 49 percent each.
The poll, conducted on October 23 and 24, indicated that the race is closer than it was a week ago, which showed Harris leading Trump by 49 percent to 48 percent. It is also the first time since August in the weekly Emerson poll that Harris is not ahead.
Spencer Kimball said: “Male voters support Trump by 13 points, 55 percent to 42 percent, which is a larger margin than in 2020, while women support Harris by 10 points, 54 percent to 44 percent, a lower performance than Biden’s support in.” Year 2020. Executive Director of Emerson College Surveys.
The latest poll also showed that regardless of who they vote for, 50% of American voters believe that Trump will win the election while 49% believe that for Harris.
The poll also listed the most important issues for voters as the economy at 45 percent, followed by immigration (14 percent), threats to democracy (14 percent), abortion access (7 percent), health care (6 percent), and crime (4 percent). ).
Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight's latest daily average showed Harris leading in national polls, 47.9 to Trump's 46.6.
According to the same poll, Harris's negative rating rose to 47.8 percent, while her positive rating reached 46.4 percent. Trump's negative rating was 52.1 percent, while his positive rating was 43.4 percent.
What was Kamala Harris doing on Saturday?
Harris was in Michigan, where former first lady Michelle Obama stirred up a crowd of Democratic supporters by drawing a distinction between Harris and Trump on character and qualifications, saying there was a double standard in how the two were treated.
Obama warned that another term under Trump would lead to further rollbacks of abortion rights. She said Trump's promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act passed during her husband's presidency would affect “all of women's health, all of it.”
Harris had given an upbeat speech several minutes later when she was interrupted by a protester who repeatedly shouted: “No more war in Gaza.”
After Harris' supporters rejected the boycott, she responded by saying, “On the issue of Gaza, we must end that war,” then she picked up where she left off, asking voters to “turn the page on fear and division.”
What was Donald Trump doing on Saturday?
Also during his election campaign in Michigan, Trump met with a group of Muslim preachers, saying that he deserved the support of Muslim voters because he would end conflicts and bring peace to the Middle East.
Trump fully supports Israel, and asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what you have to do” in dealing with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
However, Trump appears to have the support of some Muslim Americans who are upset with President Joe Biden and Harris' policy on Gaza, and despite Trump's ban on immigration from some Muslim-majority countries as president.
Imam Bilal Al-Zuhairi of the Islamic Center of Detroit joined Trump on stage in Novi, saying, “We ask Muslims to stand with President Trump because he promises peace.”
However, during the same appearance, Trump also denigrated Detroit while trying to appeal to suburban votes.
“I think Detroit and some of our areas make us a developing country,” he said, adding that people want him to say Detroit is “great,” but he believes it “needs help.”
What's next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?
According to her campaign, Harris is spending all of Sunday in Philadelphia, crisscrossing the city at a series of neighborhood events to rally voters. Voter turnout in Philadelphia may be the deciding factor in whether Harris will be able to win the crucial state of Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Harris' day-long tour will focus on majority black and Latino neighborhoods in the Democratic-leaning city.
Harris is scheduled to attend mass Sunday morning and speak at a black church in West Philadelphia. She will also visit a West Philadelphia barber shop to have a conversation with Black youth and community leaders.
Meanwhile, Trump will take the stage at one of the country's most famous venues, hosting a rally at New York City's Madison Square Garden to deliver the closing message of his campaign against Harris.
Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City. He also built his real estate career in the city.
While some Democrats and television pundits questioned Trump's decision to hold what they described as frivolous events, the rally in Democratic-leaning New York guaranteed Trump what he so desperately craves: the spotlight, blanket coverage and a national audience.
“It's New York, but it's also, you know, it's MSG, it's Madison Square Garden,” Trump said during a recent radio interview. “Guys like you and me, those words mean a lot. Madison Square Garden, right? Don't you think so? … It's a pretty big stop.”
Trump will be joined at the rally by his supporters, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has spent tens of millions of dollars boosting his campaign.
