In the final week of the campaign, Harris, Trump accuse each other of creating divisions

2024-10-31 07:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In the final week of the campaign, Harris, Trump accuse each other of creating

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Kamala Harris accused each other of deepening divisions in a deeply polarized country as the presidential campaign entered its final week on Wednesday.

The former Republican president donned a fluorescent orange vest and climbed into the passenger seat of a garbage truck in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to draw attention to a comment Tuesday by Democratic President Joe Biden that he said he discovered the disdain that Democratic leaders feel for former President Trump's supporters.

Taking questions from reporters while sitting in his truck, former President Trump said President Biden "should be ashamed of himself" and that Vice President Harris was also to blame. Trump's supporters are "not trash," the former president said.

President Trump, however, distanced himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at his Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, who caused this week's political firestorm by saying Puerto Rico is "a floating island of garbage."

"I don't know who he is...I don't know anything about him," said former President Trump, adding that: "I love Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico loves me."

Vice President Harris, meanwhile, called on voters in North Carolina to choose a fresh start by "closing the chapter" on the Republican nominee, who she said was focused on his grievances rather than the needs of Americans.

"If he's elected, on day one, Donald Trump is going to walk into that office with an enemies list. When I'm elected, I'm going to walk into that office with a to-do list," she said.

The race has become even closer in its final week, and a Reuters news agency and Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed Vice President Harris leading former President Trump by just 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters nationally. , well within the margin of error. Other opinion polls show narrow margins in the seven battleground states that will decide the Nov. 5 election.

Tensions are rising. Election workers in contested states are bracing for violence, and authorities in Florida arrested a man who threatened voters with a machete.

Polarization in America has fueled mistrust. According to a March poll also by Reuters/Ipsos, about 38% of Republicans said they saw the Democratic Party as an "imminent threat" to the United States, while 41% of Democrats said the same about Republicans.

Former President Trump continues to make the unsubstantiated claim that his 2020 loss to President Biden was the result of extensive manipulation and has signaled that he will challenge a possible loss this year if he deems it unfair, having raised along with supporters a wave of lawsuits to challenge the various election rules around the country.

Much of the legal effort has focused on the risk of non-citizens voting, although private and state audits have consistently shown that this illegal practice is very rare. The campaign to focus on the issue scored a victory Wednesday when the Supreme Court upheld the state of Virginia's decision to purge from its voter rolls 1,600 people who state officials concluded may not be citizens. Americans, a claim that President Biden's administration disputed.

PRESIDENT BIDEN'S COMMENT

President Biden's comments on Tuesday, in which he appeared to describe one or several supporters of former President Trump as "garbage," hurt Vice President Harris' campaign's efforts to work with those who disagree with him and bridge bitter divisions. that define American politics.

President Biden, at age 81, ended his re-election bid in July after a disastrous debate with former President Trump. He then said he was referring to racist comments made by a single speaker at a former President Trump rally on Sunday, while former President Trump accused President Biden of referring to all his supporters.

"We are the 'trash'. And I call you the heart and soul of America," said former President Trump.

Since the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump has built broad appeal among white, working-class Americans, while Democrats have consolidated their support among wealthier and better-educated voters. Control of the White House and Congress has switched sides regularly during recent elections, preventing either side from long claiming control over both branches of government.

A BATTLEFIELD IN THE SOUTH

Parallel rallies in North Carolina highlighted the crucial role this southern US state can play in the election. It was the only battleground state to support former President Trump in 2020. It last voted for a Democratic candidate for president in 2008, though it has had a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, since 2017.

Former President Trump leads Vice President Harris by just one percentage point in the state, according to a FiveThirtyEight polling average.

Last month's hurricane damage has made North Carolina's results particularly difficult to predict.

The hard-hit western region leans Republican and has about 9% of the votes cast in 2020, according to an analysis by Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini.

While some state officials - including some Republicans - have praised the efforts of federal agencies to clean up the damage, former President Trump has made the unsubstantiated claim that disaster aid intended for this state has been diverted to help immigrants.

According to Catawba College political science professor Michael Blitzer, about 43% of North Carolina's registered voters have already voted, and they are more likely to be white, suburban and female than the general electorate.

The result may not be known immediately, as mail-in ballots can be counted up to 10 days after the election./ Voa