Trump attacks Harris at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York | 2024 US Election News
Republican President Donald Trump has rallied his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base at an event in New York City, and vowed to reduce immigration while criticizing his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
Trump repeatedly attacked immigrants during a speech at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, promising to follow through on his campaign promise to deport the most people in US history if elected.
“November 5 will be the most important day in the history of our country and together, we will make America strong again,” said the former president, who painted a picture of a country plagued by economic and social problems.
Trump was joined by dozens of Republicans and other allies during the event. Many launched ad hominem attacks against Harris — one speaker called him “the devil” — and used inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants, immigrant communities, and opponents.
Trump also blamed Harris – whom he described as a “left-wing Marxist” who was unintelligent and “unfit” to be president – for the problems facing the country. “He has destroyed our country,” he said, referring to the American vice president.
The rally comes nine days before Americans go to the polls on Nov. 5 to choose their next president, with polls showing Trump and Harris locked in a neck-and-neck battle for the White House.
The election hinges on seven critical states — including Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — where the race is too close to call.
Reporting from New York on Sunday evening, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher explained that the election will come down to a few thousand voters who will “make the final decision” in those swing states.
“And that’s where the candidates will focus their efforts in the last nine days of this election campaign,” said Fisher.
Both the Harris and Trump camps have been urging their supporters to get out and vote in the final stages of their campaigns.
More than 41 million Americans had cast early or mail-in ballots by noon Sunday, according to figures from the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
Nothing less than Donald Trump.
MAGA activists at the MSG rally called VP Harris the “Devil” and the “Antichrist” while comparing her to a prostitute.
Republicans must abandon the base and meaningless rhetoric that endangers American lives and institutions.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) October 27, 2024
Harris was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, stopping at a church, a barbershop and a Puerto Rican restaurant before spending time with young basketball players at a local community center.
During a meeting on Sunday evening, the Democratic vice president sought to portray his Republican rival as a divisive party in American politics and warned of a “tremendous increase” in the coming vote.
But he struck a more conciliatory note at some of his recent campaign events, where Harris accused Trump of being “fascist” and “inflexible”.
That may be the result of a recent warning from a leading political committee that supports Harris, which said such attacks against Republicans may not resonate with voters, the New York Times reported.
“Let’s approach this moment in such a way that when we are faced with strangers, we see a neighbor,” said Harris during his event in Philadelphia.
“Let’s talk about what we have in common,” he said.
“Let’s build a community and knock on the door. Let’s write and call potential voters. Let’s contact our family, our friends, our classmates and our neighbors, tell them about being affected by this election and tell them about their strength.”
But Harris’ camp seized on disparaging remarks by Trump and other speakers during the event at Madison Square Garden, including a comedian who said Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage”.
“Puerto Rico is home to some of the most talented, prominent and ambitious people in our nation. And Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests[s] to that power,” Harris said in a campaign video shared on social media.
The exchange could give Harris a boost, as there are large Puerto Rican populations in the key states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
As the campaign continues before election day, the Democrat will return to Michigan – another key state – on Monday to hold a rally alongside his vice presidential running mate, Tim Walz.
On the other hand, Trump will be in Atlanta, Georgia, trying to rally his supporters in the state he lost badly to Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020.
