Harris makes surprise trip to New York in final days of U.S. election campaign
USA-ELECTION:Harris makes surprise trip to New York in final days of U.S. election campaign
By Nandita Bose and James Oliphant
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris flew unexpectedly to New York on Saturday amid a rumor she would appear on the "Saturday Night Live" TV program just three days before her election showdown with Republican Donald Trump.
The New York Post reported that Harris would appear during the popular comedy show's opening skit. A "Saturday Night Live" appearance would add a surprise jolt to ahead of the presidential election on Tuesday.
Harris' campaign declined to say why they were traveling to New York, rather than Detroit as originally planned. NBC, the network that airs the show, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier in the day, Harris was greeted by an unusual sight as she arrived for a rally in North Carolina: Trump's red-white-and-blue airplane.
As Harris descended from the vice-presidential airplane Air Force Two at the Charlotte airport, Trump's private Boeing 757 was parked on the tarmac nearby.
The close encounter was a dramatic illustration of how the two candidates are focusing on a handful of states where Tuesday's U.S. presidential election will ultimately be won or lost.
It was the fourth day in a row that the candidates campaigned in the same state. Only seven states, including North Carolina, are seen as truly competitive.
Harris was arriving in Charlotte for a rally with rock star Bon Jovi. Trump campaigned in suburban Gastonia a few hours earlier, and it was not clear whether he was on his plane when Harris arrived.
Trump and Harris stuck to familiar themes at their appearances.
Trump said he would deport millions of immigrants if elected and warned that if Harris wins, "Every town in America would be turned into a squalid, dangerous refugee camp."
Campaigning in Atlanta, Harris said Trump would abuse his power if he returns to the White House.
“This is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and the man is out for unchecked power," she said.
More than 72 million Americans have already cast ballots, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida, short of 2020's record early-voting pace during COVID-19, but still indicating a high level of voter enthusiasm.
Some 4 million votes have already been cast in North Carolina. The state's western counties that were devastated by Hurricane Helene appeared to be voting at roughly the same rate as the rest of the state, according to Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer.
Trump criticized the federal government's response to the disaster and repeated his false claim that aid had been diverted from the state to help immigrants entering the country.
'BEAUTIFUL WHITE SKIN'
At a later rally in Salem, Virginia, a state that analysts say he is unlikely to win, Trump said he ran for office to rescue the economy from "obliteration," even though it would have been easier to relax at one of his oceanfront resorts.
"I didn't need to be here today," he said. "I could have been standing on that beach, my beautiful white skin getting nice and being smacked, being smacked in the face by a wave loaded up with salt water."
Trump was joined on stage by women from a local college swim team who have objected to competing against transgender athletes. Some of Trump's TV ads have sought to capitalize on transgender controversies.
Harris and Trump have very different policies on major issues including support for Ukraine and NATO, abortion rights, immigration, taxes, democratic principles and tariffs, which reflect the schisms between the Democratic and Republican parties.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Friday that if Trump wins and Republicans control Congress, his party would "probably" repeal the CHIPS Act, which was passed under Joe Biden's administration and provides over $50 billion in subsidies to companies for semiconductor chip manufacturing and research in the United States.
Democrats have seized on the remarks.
"It is further evidence of everything I've actually been talking about for months now, about Trump's intention to implement Project 2025," Harris said Saturday, referring to a conservative blueprint to remake U.S. government and policies that was written with the help of many of Trump's closest advisers.
Johnson revised his remarks later on Friday, saying the act would be streamlined to eliminate regulations.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Ismail Shakil; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Costas Pitas; Editing by Heather Timmons, Daniel Wallis, Cynthia Osterman and Leslie Adler)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Business NewsNewsHarris makes surprise trip to New York in final days of U.S. election campaign
First Published:3 Nov 2024, 02:19 AM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High