Trump, Harris hit swing states; latest polls

With just 15 days until Election Day, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are hitting the battleground states that could determine the race for the White House.

Trump on Monday toured damage from Hurricane Helene in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. He then hosted a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, located in the eastern part of the Tar Heel state. In the early evening, Trump is scheduled to meet with faith leaders near Charlotte.

Harris is making a 3-state swing with former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Monday with stops in key suburban counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Republican and Democratic nominees will lay out their plans on the economy, the southern border and other top issues facing the nation as they court voters in these pivotal states, which could be make-or-break in November.

Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live election coverage.

Harris mocks Trump’s dancing, suggests he’s ‘hiding’ a condition

Vice President Kamala Harris sought to turn the tables on former President Donald Trump at a Monday evening event, where she questioned his mental soundness and suggested he and his staff are hiding something.

Trump and his allies have accused Harris of participating in a cover-up since President Joe Biden, 81, struggled to get his points across at a June presidential debate. Harris has, in turn, questioned why Trump has not released his medical records and backed out of interviews.

“I wonder what is he hiding. I also wonder what his staff is trying to hide by preventing or suggesting he not debate me again, not do these interviews,” Harris told conservative commentator Charlie Sykes on Monday during a moderated conversation in Wisconsin.

The jab came amid a sharpened pitch from Harris, 60, that Trump, 78, is unstable and unfit for the presidency.

At the event in Waukesha County with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Harris also mocked Trump’s lengthy dancing at a town hall event this month.

“Would it be called just a solo dance?” she asked. Cheney said, “Dance is really generous.”

— Francesca Chambers

Trump (again) throws shade at Abraham Lincoln

Less than a week after questioning President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership for not settling the Civil War, Trump again hit Honest Abe on Monday – over border issues.

In what may have been a joke, Trump also managed to mock President George Washington while discussing the endorsement of a border patrol union during a rally in Greenville, N.C.

A union official supposedly said “I’m the greatest president there’s ever been,” according to Trump. “I said, ‘what about George Washington?’ … Nah, you’re better … ‘What about Lincoln? What about Abraham Lincoln?’ … Nope, you’re better.”

“He said I’m tougher on the border than Abraham Lincoln, right, than Honest Abe.”

Perhaps he was referring to the Confederate army’s incursions into Maryland and Pennsylvania (where it met defeat at Antietam and Gettysburg). Who knows?

– David Jackson

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on Monday said she’s certainly not using one potential wellness technique to deal with anxiety during her presidential campaign: edible marijuana.

The topic came up during a town hall style exchange in Royal Oak, Michigan, between Harris and journalist Maria Shriver.

“Everybody I talk to says you know, I have to turn off the news I can’t read anything, I’m mediating, I’m doing yoga. I’m so anxious . . . I’m eating gummies. All kinds of things. What are you doing?” Shriver asked.

Harris, the incumbent Democratic vice president, replied, “Not eating gummies.”

“Okay! We got that clear!” Shriver said in response.

Elaborating on her efforts to stay healthy, Harris said she’s working out daily, but added: “I wake up in the middle of the night usually these days, just to be honest with you.”  

– Darren Samuelsohn and Karissa Waddick

Trump touts his odds in betting markets

Donald Trump has his eye on the gambling lines. 

Trump told supporters at a rally in Concord, North Carolina that he’s doing “really well” against Kamala Harris and pointed to political betting markets as proof.  

“I know nobody in this room gambles, but some of the gambling polls are really at that like 65 to 35 or something like that,” Trump said.  

Overseas bettors on sites like the crypto trading platform Polymarket are predicting that Trump will win the election by a wide margin against Harris.

“Does anybody in this room gamble? No, no, no great Christians don’t gamble, do they?” Trump said. 

Traditional polls, meanwhile, show Trump and Harris locked in a close race. The latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found Harris at at 45% and Trump at 44% nationally. 

– Karissa Waddick

Donald Trump, who is leading in the polls with male voters, over the weekend referenced a golfing legend’s manhood, interspersed his speeches with curse words and attended an NFL game to ensure he holds onto that key constituency. 

It’s a strategy that involves doubling down on exciting the Republican presidential nominee’s most ardent supporters and emphasizing turnout among low propensity male voters with a hyper-masculine style, one his critics call a corrosive version of masculinity. Meanwhile, he is barely nodding at – and may be alienating – the suburban women swing voters once considered key campaign targets.

Still, Trump’s approach has him competitive in the polls − neck-and-neck with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris – and it’s one he’s long employed, even if it’s unusual for most politicians.

“I’ve never seen anyone focus more strenuously on current supporters rather than trying to expand the pool of potential voters,” said Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster and frequent Fox News contributor with more than three decades of political experience.

Check out the full report here on Trump’s efforts to double down with male voters.

– Zac Anderson

Trump blames the media for questions about ‘cognitive decline’

All that odd Trump behavior in recent days?

The former president blames the media, denouncing its “level of meanness.”

At a rally in Greenville, N.C., Trump did not discuss incidents in the past week, including a 40-minute music-and-dance-a-thon after a truncated town hall in Oaks, Pa., his use of profanity at Catholic charity dinner in New York City, and his locker room tribute to the physical attributes of legendary golfer Arnold Palmer in his hometown of Latrobe, Pa.

In Trump’s telling, the stories are all about him misusing words.

“All these idiots back there will say ‘he’s cognitively impaired,'” Trump told supporters, referring to the press pen. “‘Oh, I heard a word that wasn’t exactly proper. He’s cognitive.’ They’re sick people.”

Trump did pull back to say it wasn’t every reporter – “not all of them … I’d say 92%.”

– David Jackson

A pro-Trump group is secretly behind a website, texts and ads in swing states that lie about Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ positions on a range of topics.

The connection between the website and political non-profit organization named “Building America’s Future,” which has connections to several prominent Republicans backing Republican nominee Donald Trump in 2024 was first reported by campaign spending and government transparency organization Open Secrets.

Billed as Progress 2028, the site purports to be Kamala Harris’ liberal counter to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a guide of proposals for a second Trump term that has drawn scrutiny and outrage from the left.

The policies listed on the Progress 2028 website include disproven and misleading claims about Harris’ positions. Policies listed include providing Medicaid to immigrants here illegally, banning fracking for natural gas and a mandatory gun buy back program.

While the website is bare bones, the group has spread the information through text messages and nearly $191,769 in Facebook and Instagram ads targeted at voters in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan

Building America’s Future filed its fictitious name “Project 2028” in Virginia back in September. The website was created three days later.

As a political nonprofit, Building America’s Future is not legally required to report its finances until after Election Day. By law, it is not required to disclose its donors.

-Sarah D. Wire

Vice President Kamala Harris began a three-state swing on Monday that focuses on anti-Trump Republicans and suburban women in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney at her side. 

President Joe Biden won the Philadelphia suburb four years ago, and former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley performed well there during the Republican primary contest in April, which was held after she’d already ended her campaign.

Cheney emphasized at the event that she is a conservative and a lifelong Republican.

“You have to choose in this race between someone who has been faithful to the Constitution, who will be faithful, and Donald Trump,” Cheney said, bringing up the Jan. 6 insurrection and the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the last election.

Harris and Cheney, who previously endorsed Harris, participated in a moderated conversation with Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, a prominent Trump critic, in Malvern, taking questions on issues such as child care, elder care and maternal health. They’ll be in Michigan and Wisconsin later in the day.

− Francesca Chambers

Traveling Monday to western North Carolina, Trump combined a disaster recovery tour with a get-out-the-vote plea to supporters.

Trump also pledged to help North Carolinians with hurricane recovery – “if” he wins the election.

“We have to vote,” Trump told reporters at the top of remarks in Asheville, N.C., saying his supporters need to find ways to cast ballots despite the massive damage to the area wrought by Hurricane Helene. “They have to get out and vote.”

Trump said aides would prefer him say he would do things “when” he regains the presidency, but he feels better saying “if” because “you never want to take something like that for granted.”

Then he mentioned turnout.

North Carolina, which Trump carried in 2016 and 2020, is probably an essential state for him in 2024; polls show a close race with Harris in the Tar Heel state.

The former president has two more events Monday in North Carolina.

−David Jackson

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz made his debut appearance on ABC’s “The View” Monday morning and defended his long history of misstatements and gaffes, arguing there is a stark difference between him and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Co-host Alyssa Farrah, and former Trump White House assistant and director of strategic communications, questioned Walz on his trustworthiness as his short time on the campaign trail has and produced a number of inconsistencies and exaggerations.

“I think people do separate (misspeaking about when he was in China) between a pathological liar, like Donald Trump, they get it out there. But I do think it’s important that we’re careful about how we speak,” Walz said.

The former educator has largely chalked up his inaccuracies, like saying he was present for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests when he wasn’t, to speaking off-the-cuff and his lack of political polishing.

“I think being a teacher, being a coach, I just speak from my heart,” he said.

He added: “I think the public sees this, just the massive amount of misinformation that gets poured out there, (are the misspeaks) important to be detailed?” he said as he abruptly ended the response.

− Sam Woodward

Walz suggests Republicans for possible Harris Cabinet contenders on ‘SmartLess’ podcast

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz during a Monday podcast interview endorsed Kamala Harris’ pledge to appoint a Republican Cabinet member if elected.

“Well, she said, and I agree with her, she needs to appoint a Republican to the Cabinet,” he said on the “SmartLess” podcast, hosted by comedians Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. “To a position of authority, there’s a lot of them out there. These folks who are coming out and speaking on behalf of these Republicans, I disagree with many of them, but their values are there.”

He even named some names, applauding conservative figures known to reach across the aisle such as former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.,

He added: “Some of these people need to be put in a position where they truly have the ability to influence things because they are ethical and they care about this country and I think that’s something that really sets (Harris) apart to make a high profile appointment to the Cabinet.”

Podcast co-host and actor Jason Bateman interjected, “or two, or three?”

“Yes! Bring ’em,” Walz agreed.

– Sam Woodward

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The Supreme Court on Monday put an end to Michael Cohen’s attempt to sue Donald Trump for being abruptly sent back to prison in 2020 as retaliation for writing a tell-all book about him.

The justices rejected Cohen’s appeal of a lower court’s dismissal of his suit. Cohen said Trump and others tried to silence him by revoking his home release and putting him in solitary confinement. Cohen, who had served as Trump’s loyal personal attorney and fixer, was serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to coordinating payoffs to buy the silence of women who said they had sexual affairs with Trump before he was elected.

A federal judge ordered Cohen released back to his family, saying his return to prison had been in retaliation for his criticism of Trump. But when Cohen also sought damages from Trump, Attorney General William Barr and from prisons officials, another federal judge said Supreme Court precedents prevented the suit.

– Maureen Groppe

CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ rejects accusation Harris interview was deceptively edited

CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which recently held its traditional pre-election interview with Kamala Harris, rejected accusations from Donald Trump and his allies that it deceptively edited a clip of the conversation.

Trump’s campaign has alleged that CBS edited different responses for different shows on the network, including “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation.”

However, the longtime news program said in a statement this week that: “60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” the network explained in a statement. 

“When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment,” they added.

Trump declined to participate in an interview with “60 Minutes” ahead of Election Day.

− Sudiksha Kochi

Harris and Trump tied in USA TODAY poll amid battle for Black and Latino voters

An exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found that among 1,000 likely voters, Harris has earned 45% of support, while Trump has earned 44%, a closer race than the poll found in August. Then, in the wake of the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Harris led the former president by five percentage points, 48% to 43%.

Harris has also lost ground among Latino voters, who now support Trump by 49% to 38%, and among Black voters. They favor Harris by 72% to 17%, a 55-point advantage that is well below where Democrats traditionally fare.

Trump has made a concerted bid for the votes of Hispanic and Black voters, especially men, focusing on issues of the economy and crime. His success at eroding the Democrats’ typical advantage has raised alarm in Harris’ camp and a rebuke on the stump from former President Barack Obama of Black men, who he said might be reluctant to vote for a woman.

− Sudiksha Kochi, Susan Page and Maya Marchell Hoff

When will the election results be announced?

It is not clear exactly when the election results will be announced, as the timing depends on a variety of factors. Each state handles its elections differently, ranging from weeks-long early voting to strict voter ID laws.

But you can anticipate delays.

Some key swing states that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are vying for, like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, aren’t permitted to start processing absentee and mail-in ballots until Election Day, which is expected to slow down the count.

— Sudiksha Kochi and Sam Woodward

When can you vote for the president?

There are several ways you can vote in the general election. Depending on where you live, you can vote early either by mail or in person. You can also wait to go to a polling location on Nov. 5, which is Election Day, to cast your ballot. 

USA TODAY has a breakdown of when early voting has started or will begin in the states. The first state in the country to begin voting was Alabama, which sent around absentee ballots on Sept. 11. Alabama does not have an option for in-person early voting.

Seven states are expected to open up options for in-person early voting or in-person absentee early voting on Monday, including Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, South Carolina and Texas.

— Sudiksha Kochi and Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Elon Musk’s $1 million reward plan raises questions about election interference

Elon Musk’s pledge to give away $1 million to a person who signed his online petition every day until Election Day is raising some concerns from some election law experts, who say it may be election interference.

Musk, the world’s richest person, announced the lottery at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as he handed out the first $1 million check to an attendee named John Dreher.

“The only thing that we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition,” Musk said as Dreher held up a cardboard cutout of the million-dollar check.

Giving out a reward to people for casting a vote or registering to vote is a federal crime that could incur prison time, legal experts say.

“Making a million dollar prize contingent on registering to vote is illegal,” Rick Hasen, an election law expert and the director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, wrote in a widely-viewed post to X on Saturday. “Also, with PA registration soon closing for this election it may not accomplish what Musk wants.”

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called the giveaways “deeply concerning.”

“When you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions,” he said.

“It’s something that law enforcement could take a look at,” he added.

— Cybele Mayes-Osterman 

Is Election Day a federal holiday?

Election Day, Nov. 5, is not a federal holiday.

But some states observe it as a holiday, closing state offices on the date, including New York, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, and at least eight others.

The District of Columbia and 24 states offer workers paid time off to cast their ballot. Some other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, offer time off to vote, but without pay guaranteed.

— Cybele Mayes-Osterman

As the 2024 presidential race heads into the homestretch, the latest Real Clear Politics polling average shows a tight contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. As of Sunday afternoon, Harris leads Trump by 0.9 percentage points in the national polling average.

In key battleground states, Trump holds narrow leads. He’s up by 0.7 percentage points in averages of Pennsylvania polls, 1.2 in Michigan averages and 0.2 in Wisconsin. These swing states are expected to play a pivotal role in determining the outcome next month

– Jeremy Yurow 

Where is Harris campaigning? 

Kamala Harris will be in Wisconsin Monday, campaigning alongside former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo, one of Donald Trump’s most vocal critics.

The pair plans to appear together in a series of three “moderated conversations” in suburban swing state communities, according to the Harris campaign.  

Beginning in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia, Harris and Cheney will then make stops in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, west of Milwaukee, and Oakland County, Michigan, northwest of Detroit. 

Cheney joined Harris on the campaign trail this month, after endorsing the vice president in September. 

– Savannah Kuchar 

Where is Trump campaigning? 

Trump kicks off a southern swing early this week, beginning with appearances across North Carolina on Monday. 

The former president plans to visit Asheville and give remarks from the Appalachian city hard hit by Hurricane Helene. 

Also in the Tar Heel State, Trump will hold a rally in Greenville Monday afternoon and an event in Concord with faith leaders, his son Eric Trump and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson. 

– Savannah Kuchar