Kamala Harris and Donald Trump embarked on an intense final day of campaigning Monday, focusing their efforts on crucial battleground state Pennsylvania as the volatile U.S. presidential race neared its conclusion.
At his first rally in North Carolina, 78-year-old Trump dismissed concerns about his physical and mental endurance, despite the exhausting election schedule. “I don’t even sleep. I’ve gone 62 days without a break,” he said during a fiery 90-minute speech that echoed many of his recent campaign addresses.
Meanwhile, Harris expressed confidence as she boarded her plane for a series of events in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Democratic vice president, who is hoping to make history as the country’s first female president, touted “momentum” on her side, while Trump, the Republican contender, insisted that a “landslide” victory was in reach.
Polls show the race is neck and neck, with both candidates locked in tight contests across key swing states, including Pennsylvania, which is expected to play a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the election.
The international community is closely monitoring the election, as its results will have significant consequences for global issues such as the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and climate change, a subject Trump has controversially dismissed as a hoax.
As the election nears, there are growing concerns over Trump’s rhetoric, with his campaign signaling that he may prematurely declare victory if he believes the result is favorable to him. Harris’s spokesperson, Ian Sams, warned that such actions were a sign of desperation and a tactic to undermine the credibility of the election process.
The tight race, marked by dramatic twists, including two assassination attempts on Trump and Harris’s unexpected entry into the race, is now focused on Pennsylvania. The state’s electoral votes are crucial in the fight for the presidency, and both candidates will hold rallies in Pittsburgh to make their final push for support.
Harris will spend the entire day in Pennsylvania, ending with a rally in Philadelphia alongside pop star Lady Gaga, while Trump, after his North Carolina stop, will head to Michigan. Both campaigns have expressed optimism over the high early turnout, with over 78 million people having already cast their ballots, almost half the total from the 2020 election.
As the race heads into its final stretch, the deeply divided U.S. electorate is set to decide between two starkly different candidates. Trump is aiming for a comeback that would make him the oldest president ever elected and the first convicted felon to hold the office, while Harris, 60, has risen rapidly to the top of the Democratic ticket following President Joe Biden’s unexpected exit from the race in July.
