Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a US Presidential campaign rally, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 18, 2024 (Paul Sancya/AP)
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I joined UK outlets on Friday and Saturday to evaluate the US Presidential election, juxtaposing Vice President Kamala Harris’s approach to the issues with Donald Trump’s approach to being weird, avoiding any coherent answers, and threatening “enemies within”.
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Friday’s chat with Georgina Godwin begins with a look at President Joe Biden’s visits to Germany and Angola, covering issues from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the American presence in Africa.
Then I evaluate Harris’s rallies and her challenge to Trump over his continued support of the January 6, 2021 Capitol Attack which tried to prevent the orderly transfer of power to Biden.
It’s not just that Trump is gaslighting Americans when he says, “Oh, it was a day of love.”
Harris is trying to highlight that Donald Trump is not just a threat on specific issues — think about women’s rights — but to the entire US system.
He tried to pursue a coup attempt less than four years ago. Far from acknowledging that, far from acknowledging his loss in 2020, both Donald Trump and his Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance still say he did not lose.
I review the seven swing states and why turnout will decide the election: “The fundamental is that in 2016 the Democrats did not get their people to the polls, and Trump won narrowly. In 2020, the Democrats did get voters out and that’s why they won. It’s a question this time of which side mobilizes people — something the polls cannot tell you.”
I also consider the likely scenario that if Trump loses this election, he will call his supporters to the streets and to violence.
If Kamala Harris wins, she has to be a President for all Americans. She has to recognize their concerns, including those of Trump voters.
She has to say firmly to them, “This is a country with a rule of law, with a Constitution. This is not a country which serves the whims of Donald John Trump.”
Watch GB News
An extract from interview on Saturday morning, in which I speak further about the danger of Trump:
If Trump loses narrowly, or even if it is not that narrow, he will say the election is illegitimate and rigged. He will then launch a series of legal attempts to try to overturn the election, as in 2020.
The worry is that he will call his supporters onto the streets and he will not check them if they turn violent.
'If Donald Trump loses, he will say the election is illegitimate and rigged…the worry is that he will call his supporters out on the streets.'
Prof Scott Lucas says there's concern that Trump supporters could turn violent if the US presidential candidate loses the election. pic.twitter.com/mHWJVsLF31
— GB News (@GBNEWS) October 19, 2024
[Editor’s Note: These are just two of many polls. Harris still has a narrow lead in national polling, with the margin in each of the 7 swing states less than 2% between the candidates.]
TRUMP SURGES PAST HARRIS NATIONALLY: https://tippinsights.com/tipp-tracking-poll-day-7-trump-surges-past-harris-seizing-2-point-lead/
“Former President Donald Trump overtakes Vice President Kamala Harris and now enjoys a two-point lead, 49% to 47%, in the TIPP tracking poll. The data from the seventh release of the 23-day TIPP tracking poll shows the underlying change in the momentum. Recognized by The Washington Post in 2020 as the most accurate national presidential poll, TIPP continues to bring you the latest insights on the race.”
Another poll by ATLAS also shows Trump ahead by 3 POINTS: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/docs/2024/Atlas-Poll-US-Elections-NATIONAL-Oct-17-2024.pdf
Immigration, Inflation and Jobs are the main issues. Foreign policy and national security are ranked quite low on the list of priorities.
[Editor’s Note: A Letter to the Editor in the Washington Post]
Black men have real reasons to doubt Harris. Scolding won’t change that: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/17/black-men-harris-immigration-obama/
“It has long been a saying among Black men and nonvoting Black communities that Democrats show up only when they want your vote.”