2 weeks Ago
PHILADELPHIA — The vibes on the eve of the 2024 election are offering mixed messages about what to expect Tuesday: The polls are deadlocked, and both sides are projecting confidence. In Pittsburgh, former President Donald Trump predicted he has a “96.2%” chance of winning a second term.
On Monday night, Joe Rogan, one of the country’s most popular podcasters, endorsed Trump on the heels of Trump’s three-hour interview with Rogan last month. Rogan said Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a top Trump surrogate, helped him come to the decision . Democrats don’t seem to be sweating the outcome.
Harris campaign adviser David Plouffe claimed Vice President Kamala Harris has a path to carry all seven battleground states and is “positioned to win” late-breaking undecided voters. Trump hosted four rallies across battleground states, nearly crossing paths with Harris in southeast Pennsylvania , where Harris rallied supporters in Allentown just after Trump spoke in Reading. That part of the state is home to a large Latino population, including many Puerto Ricans, who were the target of a racist joke from a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York City last weekend.
Trump’s appearances provided more fodder for his critics to say his campaign lacks direction and momentum. Trump spoke at a venue that was only about 70% full in Raleigh, North Carolina, with thousands of empty seats and no line to get inside, according to NBC News. These smaller crowds are becoming more common at Trump events, NBC reported.
Trump went off on bizarre and nasty tangents throughout the day, such as wondering aloud whether he should “hit back” at former first lady Michelle Obama. He seemed annoyed at his top campaign adviser, Susie Wiles. The day before in North Carolina, Trump seemed to forget where he was as he name-checked the GOP nominee for U.
S. Senate in Pennsylvania , Dave McCormick. “If you vote for Kamala, you will have four more years of misery, failure and disaster, and our country may never recover,” Trump said in Pittsburgh .
“Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. And make no mistake, we will win!” In his rally earlier on Monday in Reading, Trump also returned to his familiar tactic of playing up crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, even though the data shows that undocumented immigrants have a lower crime rate than the native-born population.
He promised not to let “savages” and “animals” ― his terms for immigrants who commit violent crimes ― come in to “take out” the United States’ “incredible people.” The Democratic nominee capped off election eve with back-to-back rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia which carried an upbeat tone that could not have been more different than Trump’s gloomy characterization of the status quo. The Philly rally, teeming with tens of thousands of people and symbolically located in front of Philadelphia Museum of Art’s famous “Rocky” steps, interspersed speeches from top Pennsylvania Democrats with high-profile musical acts from the likes of The Roots, Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga, and contemporaneous video transmissions from pro-Harris rallies in the other battleground states.
Oprah Winfrey introduced Harris following the performance of an original song by Will.i.am, “Yes She Can.
” The rally was draped in patriotic colors and imagery. Lit up behind Harris on the “Rocky” steps themselves was a blue sign with white letters with the words, “A president for all,” as rows of supporters waved placards in red, white and blue behind her. Some placards advertised the Harris campaign; others simply said, “USA.
” Harris began by acknowledging the symbolism of the location ― in the city where the Founding Fathers declared independence from England and at the foot of the steps where a plucky fictional boxer began his journey to an upset victory. Then she made a prediction. “Hard work is good work.
Hard work is joyful work. And make no mistake, we will win!” Harris said. Harris’ speech, just shy of 20 minutes, focused less on policy details and more on the opportunity to move forward from the divisive rhetoric of Trump, whom she did not mention by name, toward a future that reflects the country’s promise.
“We are done with that. We’re done! We’re exhausted with it,” Harris said of Trump’s routine. “America is ready for a fresh start.
” “Tonight we finish as we started ― with optimism, with energy, with joy ― knowing that we the people have the power to shape our future,” she concluded. The Harris supporters who converged on the iconic 1976 film’s steps arrived bundled up for chilly weather as temperatures dipped into the low 50s. But numerous camouflage baseball caps naming Harris and running mate Tim Walz, blue Harris pins and smiles were visible among the hoodies, flannels and scarves.
Summer Cirino, an aide to Pennsylvania state Rep. Melissa Schusterman (D) from the Chester County suburbs, expressed cautious optimism about the outcome after weeks of canvassing. “There’s definitely a silent majority that is going to carry Harris over the finish line that people aren’t talking about,” said Cirino, who was wearing a Harris campaign scarf with an American flag pattern and a matching American flag sweater.
“Obviously, it’s a silent majority, but it’s been hard to convince people from the other side ― people are sticking to their guns this election.” Janiyah Bryan, a cashier from South Philadelphia wearing the Harris-Walz camo hat backwards, said she came to the rally because she wanted to be a “part of history.” “Voting for her, it means a lot to me as a Black woman, because representation is very important to me, and being here tonight is very, very important, because a lot of people are showing up for someone who is ready to take on the job,” Bryan said.
Mariama Diallo, a registered nurse and immigrant from Guinea, said she appreciates Harris because she is the daughter of immigrants. “When I see her, I think about my children,” said Diallo, a southwest Philadelphia resident. Underneath the joyful atmosphere, though, there was an undercurrent of anxiety about the possibility of a Trump victory after Tuesday’s vote.
Marcia Ruberg, a retired school psychologist from Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood, was attending with her husband, Gary Goldberg, a retired software developer. “I’m here to support her,” Goldberg said. Ruberg, who was sporting a Planned Parenthood stocking hat, interjected: “And be with other people who share our ideals ― the alternative is just too horrible to bear!” Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls.
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Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Ruberg fears that Trump will use a second term to exact “retribution” on federal employees and journalists, undo Biden’s climate policies, make vaccines “no longer available” and, of course, erode American democracy. That final scenario, Ruberg said, “may not happen overnight, but it could be built.
And the people who are smart and evil, who are behind him already, have it planned out.” Related From Our Partner.
