After their debate on Tuesday, which is likely to remain the only one, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are accelerating the campaign in swing states in search of valuable votes that could decide the presidential race between them in about fifty days.
After emerging victorious from the 90-minute televised debate, the vice president sought to capitalize on the momentum, asserting in North Carolina that "America is ready for a new path" and "a new generation of leaders."
Harris again accused the former president of being behind the "immoral" restrictions on the right to abortion by appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned this right at the federal level in 2022.
The 59-year-old Democrat also argued that "voters deserve a second debate."
But the 78-year-old Republican billionaire refused to engage in a new duel, considering that he won the first one.
After a brief pause to honor the victims of the September 11 attacks, Trump is organizing a campaign rally on Thursday afternoon in Arizona.
Ahead of his visit to the western state bordering Mexico, he continued to spread unsubstantiated claims on his Truth Social platform that Haitian immigrants are stealing dogs and cats to eat in the small Ohio town of Springfield.
If elected, the Republican candidate promises to fight illegal immigration with mass deportations.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the "vile" conspiracy theories put "lives at risk" after Springfield City Hall was evacuated Thursday following a bomb threat.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris is on the other side of the country, in North Carolina. The vice president is counting on the African-American and youth vote to defeat the Republican billionaire in this state on the Atlantic Ocean.
As in the last two presidential elections, the 2024 election could be decided by a few thousand votes in strategic counties in six or seven swing states, due to the indirect universal suffrage system.
But the possibility of a close election result is raising fears of a wave of potentially violent protests if Donald Trump refuses to acknowledge a possible new defeat.
Federal authorities announced Thursday that the certification of the presidential election results in Congress on January 6 will be carried out with the highest level of security possible for an official event in the United States.
On this date in 2021, supporters of Donald Trump attacked the Capitol building in an attempt to prevent US lawmakers from certifying the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidency.
The latter, through his spokeswoman, praised on Thursday the "impressive" performance of Kamala Harris in the debate after she replaced him following his historic withdrawal from the presidential race on July 21.
But can the debate, which took place on Tuesday and was watched by more than 67 million people, make a real difference, especially in the swing states where the two candidates are concentrating their efforts between now and November 5?
"Voters have short memories," University of Virginia political scientist Kyle Kondik wrote in a note, noting that there is enough time between now and the Nov. 5 election "for the debate's impact, if any, to fade."
To avoid losing momentum, Kamala Harris plans to increase her interviews with local media, after doing very little so far.
The former senator visits Pennsylvania on Friday. Donald Trump will campaign in Nevada after a morning press conference.
Exit polls show that voters have overwhelmingly decided who they will vote for, and are evenly split between the Democratic candidate and her Republican opponent.
A debate between Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz is scheduled for October 1 in New York.
0 Comments