Election 2024 Live Updates: Harris, Trump in Texas As Joe Rogan Pod To Drop

12:02 PM EDT

Johnson and McConnell call on Harris to ‘end dangerous rhetoric’ after calling Trump ‘fascist’

Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have asked Kamala Harris to “end the dangerous rhetoric” after the Vice President labelled Donald Trump a “fascist.”

In a rare joint statement, the pair claimed that calling the former president a fascist put him at risk of another assassination attempt.

“Labeling a political opponent as a ‘fascist,’ risks inviting yet another would-be assassin to try robbing voters of their choice before Election Day,” they said in the statement.

“Vice President Harris may want the American people to entrust her with the sacred duty of executive authority.

“But first, she must abandon the base and irresponsible rhetoric that endangers both American lives and institutions. We have both been briefed on the ongoing and persistent threats to former President Donald Trump by adversaries to the United States, and we call on the Vice President to take these threats seriously, stop escalating the threat environment, and help ensure President Trump has the necessary resources to be protected from those threats.”

11:59 AM EDT

Vance recording podcast interview with Tom Dillon

As Trump’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast draws nearer, vice presidential candidate JD Vance is recording one of his own with comedian Tom Dillon for Tim Dillon Show.

The interview is set to air this weekend.

11:56 AM EDT

Suspicions of fraudulent voter applications in Pennsylvania

The Lancaster County Board of Elections revealed that staff discovered around 2,500 potentially fraudulent voter registration applications submitted at the election office.

As stated by the Board of Elections, these applications were submitted in two different groups close to the deadline for submissions. Officials noted that it does not seem that the fraudulent applications supported any particular political party over another.

11:51 AM EDT

Trump has ‘real shot’ of winning popular vote

CNN’s Harry Enten says that Donald Trump has “a real shot” of winning the popular vote in this election.

This morning Enten analyzed recent polling data and discussed that the popular vote is a “very, very tight race.”

“Donald Trump is very much in a position [where] he could win the popular vote, which of course, is something he would absolutely love to do,” Enten said this morning on CNN.

11:44 AM EDT

Trump dodges question about whether he’d pardon himself if elected

Donald Trump was asked whether he’d pardon himself if re-elected as president, and in response shared his thoughts on special counsel Jack Smith and judge Aileen Cannon.

The Republican presidential candidate appeared on the “Hugh Hewitt Show” podcast on October 24 and was interviewed by Hewitt, a conservative political commentator.

Hewitt said, “You’re going to have a very tough choice the day after you take the oath of office, or maybe even the day that you take the oath of office. You’re either going to have to pardon yourself, or you’re going to have to fire Jack Smith. Which one will you do?”

Smith is leading the Justice Department’s criminal cases against the former president.

Trump responded, “Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. In fact, he’s a crooked person. He’s a …person. We had a brave, brilliant judge in Florida. She’s a brilliant judge, by the way. I don’t know her. I never spoke to her. Never spoke to her. But we had a brave and very brilliant judge.”

Trump was facing 40 federal charges regarding his alleged handling of classified documents before Florida judge Cannon dismissed the charges in July.

Read more of Newsweek’s Maya Mehrara’s article.

11:41 AM EDT

Vance says Trump’s energy is ‘off the chart’ after he does double media appearances than Harris

JD Vance has said Donald Trump’s energy levels are “off the charts” after a report finds the former president has significantly more campaign events than Kamala Harris.

The Vice President had made 31 media appearances, 13 rallies, four fundraisers, and 36 campaign events between September 1 and October 23, according to The New York Times.

In comparison, Trump made 62 media appearances, double that of Harris, and appeared at 46 campaign events, 19 rallies and six fundraisers.

“Having seen this up close, Trump’s energy level is off the charts,” Vance wrote on X.

11:41 AM EDT

Harris is ‘not the right one to be president,’ Herschel Walker says

Herschel Walker, Republican nominee in the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Georgia, said that Harris is “not the right one to be president,” and that it has nothing to do with gender in an interview with CNN.

11:25 AM EDT

No airtime yet available for Trump’s Joe Rogan interview

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to supporters as he arrives for a campaign rally at East Carolina University on October 21, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. Trump continues to campaign in…
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to supporters as he arrives for a campaign rally at East Carolina University on October 21, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. Trump continues to campaign in battleground states before the U.S. presidential election, which will take place on November 5, 2024. Joe Rogan looks on during the UFC 273 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. Rogan will be interviewing Trump in Texas today.
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Win McNamee and James Gilbert

Donald Trump’s interview with Joe Rogan on the commentator’s podcast is airing today, but there has not yet been a confirmation on when it will air.

When it does air, listeners can find it on YouTube and Spotify.

11:20 AM EDT

1600 Newsletter: Harris and Trump aren’t holding anything back

Trump has increased his personal attacks against Harris with 12 days left in the 2024 election, peppering his stump speeches with insults about her intelligence, background and professional experience. Trump even made the false accusation that Harris was “on drugs,” and also claimed Harris was “lazy as hell” in the final sprint to close out campaigning.

Harris hit back at Trump in her CNN town hall this week by calling him a “fascist.” Gone are the early, happy warrior days of Harris’ candidacy. Between now and Nov. 5, expect Harris to ramp up her closing argument that Trump is unhinged and unfit to serve as president again.

A presidential race that’s been largely devoid of substance and policy seems destined to end on a bitter note. With that, read on for news on a busy week in politics and an update on all the big storylines between now and Election Day.

Click here to sign up for the 1600 and check out Newsweek’s other newsletters.

11:14 AM EDT

New Harris ad dropped using John Kelly’s Trump comments

The Harris campaign dropped a new ad where former Trump chief of staff John Kelly’s comments to The New York Times about the former president are prominent.

“He certainly falls into the general definition of a fascist, using the military to go after American citizens. He commented more than once, ‘Hitler did some good things too,'” Kelly said in the ad.

11:11 AM EDT

Hillary Clinton calls for moving on from ‘dangerous, divisive Trump era’

Hillary Clinton quote-tweeted a clip from her interview on CNN last night where she said, “How we can be back here even entertaining the idea that someone who frankly makes Nixon looks like a lesser threat?”

11:07 AM EDT

Federal judge orders Virginia to restore 1,600 voters to roll

A federal judge has issued an injunction halting Youngkin’s directive to eliminate noncitizens from the voter rolls.

10:52 AM EDT

Sunny Hostin killed Kamala Harris’ campaign, Trump aide says

A Trump aide has claimed that The View co-host Sunny Hostin “killed” Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign.

Jason Miller, a political strategist and advisor to former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign, made the claim while appearing on Politico’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast.

“I think this Kamala Harris strategy of going out and doing a whole bunch of media has really backfired. I mean, who would’ve thought that Sunny Hostin from The View really killed Kamala Harris’ candidacy?” Miller said.

Miller was referring to a moment in the interview earlier this month when the vice president struggled to answer Hostin’s question about what she would do differently from President Joe Biden if elected.

“I mean, not exactly a trick question,” Miller said. “Voters can pick up on that. Like, wait, you can’t name one single thing that you would do different from Joe Biden?”

When Harris appeared on The View earlier this month, she responded to Hostin’s question: “There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of—and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”

Later in the interview, she noted one difference between herself and Biden: She plans to have a Republican in her cabinet as president.

Hostin has continued to be a vocal supporter of Harris despite Miller’s claims of her inadvertent negative impact on the campaign.

Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign and a representative for The View via email for comment.

Read more of Newsweek’s Alia Shoaib’s article.

10:44 AM EDT

Trump on Joe Rogan today

Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentator, Joe Rogan during UFC 274 at Footprint Center on May 07, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Rogan voted libertarian in the 2020 election.
Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentator, Joe Rogan during UFC 274 at Footprint Center on May 07, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Rogan voted libertarian in the 2020 election.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Trump is scheduled to join one of the largest national podcasts today. The Joe Rogan Experience is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Rogan has one of the world’s most-listened to podcasts, with over 14 million followers on Spotify.

10:23 AM EDT

Analysts warn not to put ‘too much stock’ into Trump’s momentum

In the final weeks of the 2024 election, former President Donald Trump has appeared to hold the spotlight.

Several election forecasters have begun to tip in the Republican presidential nominee’s direction in recent weeks. While Vice President Kamala Harris continues to hold a slight lead in the popular vote, Electoral College models by FiveThirtyEight and Decision Desk HQ at The Hill favor Trump.

The former president’s chance of victory in November has also jumped on betting platforms like Polymarket, a potential sign that Americans are preparing for a second Trump presidency. And after years of assailing mail-in ballots and other methods, the Republican National Committee’s shift on early voting appears to be paying off, with GOP voters turning up in higher numbers in key swing states.

After weeks of Harris holding the momentum—particularly after her and Trump’s first debate in September—the recent boosts for the GOP have been seen by some as a warning sign for Democrats.

Pollster Nate Silver wrote in his Silver Bulletin blog on Thursday that the shift is “not a good sign” for Harris so close to Election Day, and Trump’s team has projected a message of confidence during the final days on the campaign trail.

“Even after the Democrats have spent over $200 million trying to redefine Kamala Harris, President Trump is winning or tied in every battleground because his message is resonating with voters across the country,” RNC spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek.

Read more from Newsweek’s Kaitlyn Lewis.

10:08 AM EDT

Harris calls Trump ‘dictator’

In a tweet this morning, Kamala Harris wrote, “Donald Trump has been very clear that he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies. You know who does that?

“Dictators do that.”

10:05 AM EDT

Jill Biden and Gwen Walz to hit the trail

First Lady Jill Biden is collaborating with Gwen Walz for campaign activities in key states Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday, according to Kamala Harris’ campaign.

There will be three stops, each concentrating on reproductive rights, engaging volunteers, and education, CNN reports.

10:00 AM EDT

Elon Musk defies DOJ as he hands out another $2M to swing state voters

Elon Musk has continued to give away $1 million a day to voters as part of his petition giveaway despite a Department of Justice warning.

Legal experts have warned that the SpaceX CEO’s initiative may violate federal laws prohibiting vote-buying, potentially leading to criminal charges.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the DOJ’s public integrity section sent Musk a written notice stating that his payments “may violate federal law.”

The billionaire Tesla owner has promised to give away $1 million daily until the election to a registered voter who signs an online petition supporting the First and Second Amendments on behalf of the pro-Trump America PAC. The petition targets registered voters in key swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Read more of Sean O’Driscoll’s article.

09:55 AM EDT

Trump thanks New York Post for endorsement

Trump posted a thank you to The New York Post, which endorsed him for president of the U.S. this morning to Truth Social.

“THANK YOU TO THE NEW YORK POST!” he wrote on the platform.

09:50 AM EDT

Vote during work hours

There is currently no federal law obligating workplaces around the U.S. to provide time off to vote, but there are differing state laws across the nation that do allow some time to cast a ballot.

The following states cannot dock pay if you choose to vote during work hours, according to Fisher Phillips:

Alaska
Arizona
California*
Colorado*
District of Columbia
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
New York*
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

* = Up to two hours of leave must be without loss of pay.

09:35 AM EDT

Early voting sees Republican gains

Republicans are submitting early ballots in larger quantities than in the previous two presidential elections, based on data from consultants Sam Almy, a Democrat, and George Khalaf, a Republican.

GOP early ballot submissions have risen notably compared to the same timeframe before the 2020 election. Democratic early ballot returns are lower than they were at this stage four years ago, both in actual figures and as a percentage of total early ballot returns.

09:22 AM EDT

Harris Atlanta rally draws 23,000 attendees

The Harris campaign reported that 23,000 individuals filled the James R. Hallford Stadium near Atlanta—marking the campaign’s biggest crowd to date, according to 11Alive reporter Faith Jessie.

09:16 AM EDT

Number of partisan voters is equal

The New York Times has reported that Trump and Harris have received equal shares of partisan voters.

The former president gets 94% of Republicans while Harris gets 94% of Democrats

09:13 AM EDT

Clinton predicts that Trump will ‘reenact’ 1939 MSG rally

Hillary Clinton appeared on CNN and expressed her agreement with John Kelly that Trump fits the definition of a fascist. She also pointed out that Trump is on the verge of “reenacting” the Nazi rally held in Madison Square Garden in 1939.

09:03 AM EDT

Exclusive: Donald Trump’s deportation plan backed by Rachel Morin’s mom

The mother of Rachel Morin, whose alleged murderer had crossed the U.S. border illegally, has backed Donald Trump‘s mass deportation policy, Newsweek can disclose.

In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Patty Morin said that former president Trump’s controversial policy was “necessary” to prevent the “harming” of U.S. citizens by migrants who have arrived illegally.

Her daughter Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was reported missing by her boyfriend on August 5, 2023, after she failed to return from a walk in Bel Air, Maryland.

Authorities discovered her body the following day and launched a homicide investigation.

She was allegedly raped and murdered by 23-year-old Victor Martinez Hernandez while she was out for a run. Following a 10-month investigation, authorities located and arrested Hernandez at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 14.

Hernandez, who is originally from El Salvador, faces murder, rape and kidnapping charges when he stands trial next year.

“I am confident that President Trump can get it done. When you commit a crime in America, you face the justice system. Still, for some reason, the Biden-Harris Administration believes that if you’re from another country and you were able to sneak across the border illegally, there should be no consequences,” Patty Morin said.

“It is going to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country and, at the same time, provide less opportunity for them to harm American citizens.

“It will also send a message to anyone trying to enter our country illegally that America is not going to allow criminals to come here and harm Americans.

“We need to close the border and prevent any further criminals from entering our country.

“We need to gather all of the individuals who crossed over the border illegally, return them to their home country, or expel them to Mexico. While in Mexico or their home country, they can apply for legal entry before an immigration court,” she said.

Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign for comment.

Read more of Billal Rahman’s article.

08:59 AM EDT

Hillary Clinton says Harris ‘is doing what she needs to do’

Hillary Clinton said in an interview with CNN last night that she thinks that Vice President Kamala Harris “is doing what she needs to do” to win the election.

08:49 AM EDT

Harris leads narrowly in Michigan

A Quinnipiac poll conducted from October 17 to 21 shows Harris ahead of Trump by 49% to 46% among likely voters in Michigan. Support for Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West came from 1% of likely voters each.

Quinnipiac reports that “there is a pronounced gender gap” between Harris and Trump. In Michigan, Harris receives support from 57% of women compared to 37% for Trump, while Trump is backed by 56% of men against 40% for Harris. Meanwhile, 57% of women support Harris, whereas Trump is favored by 39%; among men, 59% back Trump, with 38% supporting Harris in Wisconsin.

08:37 AM EDT

Republican support among white women slips

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Former U.S. Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard speaks at a campaign rally at the Greensboro Coliseum on October 22, 2024, in Greensboro, North Carolina. With…
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Former U.S. Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard speaks at a campaign rally at the Greensboro Coliseum on October 22, 2024, in Greensboro, North Carolina. With 14 days to go until Election Day, Trump continues to crisscross the country campaigning to return to office. Trump is struggling to win over white women this election.
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Republican support among white women is on the decline, according to polling analysis, a trend that could impact former President Donald Trump‘s election chances.

Historically, white women have leaned Republican, with Mitt Romney winning the group by 9 points in 2012, and Trump by 6 and 7 points in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

However, this year Trump holds just a 1-point lead among white women, marking the weakest performance in this demographic for any Republican candidate this century, according to CNN political analyst Harry Enten, who cited an average of postelection surveys from 2012-2020 and preelection surveys this year.

“He’s doing the worst, if this holds, for a GOP candidate this century among white women,” said Enten, who previously worked for FiveThirtyEight.

Newsweek has contacted the campaigns of Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris via email for comment.

Read more of Newsweek’s Martha McHardy’s article.

08:34 AM EDT

Trump gaining traction among Hispanic men

Trump is beginning to rise among Hispanic voters, according to new polling data. A poll released by Reuters/Ipsos revealed that Trump is behind Harris among Hispanic men by two percentage points. This is in comparison to the 19-point lead President Joe Biden had on the former president in 2020.

At the same time, Harris’s support among white women has risen, showing how those who preferred Trump over Biden by 12 points in late 2020 now show a slight Republican lean of 3 points, at 46% to 43%, Harris holding a small lead of only 3 points, per Reuters.

08:24 AM EDT

Harris: ‘I have a to do list’

Harris shared a list of actions she plans on tackling if she wins the election, attacking her opponent, writing, “Trump has an enemies list.”

08:20 AM EDT

Trump takes Madison Square Garden on Sunday

Former President Donald Trump will be hitting Madison Square Garden in New York City this Sunday to make his closing argument ahead of the election. He will rally at the iconic venue starting at 5 p.m., though doors for the event open at noon.

Trump has frequently stated his conviction that he can secure a victory in New York, despite its strong Democratic leanings, and he has previously lost the state in the last two elections by over 20 percentage points.

08:08 AM EDT

Beyoncé to rally with Harris tonight: How to watch

Vice President Kamala Harris is rallying in Houston, Texas today, and superstar Beyoncé will be joining her. A Houston native herself, Beyoncé is expected to appear at the rally, the Associated Press reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. During her campaign, the Democratic presidential nominee used Beyoncé’s “Freedom.”

Harris will be holding the rally at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston and the event will air YouTube via a PBS live stream at 3 p.m.

07:59 AM EDT

Why can’t politicians ever admit they’ve been wrong?

No one likes to admit they were wrong. Politicians, it seems, are straight up allergic to it.

Former President Donald Trump has practically never admitted to making a mistake, while Vice President Kamala Harris has, in her three months as a presidential candidate, somersaulted and dodged questions about how her presidency would look different from that of the current administration, of which she is a part.

In a town hall with CNN on Wednesday, Harris was asked outright if she had ever made a mistake in her life. Prefaced with the qualifier that Trump has never admitted a mistake, and that “most politicians don’t,” Anderson Cooper asked the vice president: “Is there something you can point to in your life, political life or in your life in the last four years that you think is a mistake that you have learned from?”

“I’ve made many mistakes,” Harris began. “They range from, you know, if you’ve ever parented a child, you know you make lots of mistakes, too.”

She then reflected on her time in the White House, but stopped short of offering an admission of error, pivoting instead to her strengths as VP.

“In my role as vice president, I mean I probably worked very hard at making sure that I am well-versed on issues and I think that’s very important. It’s a mistake not to be well-versed on issues and feel compelled to answer a question,” Harris said.

Her answer to a question asking about a specific time she was wrong was that she works hard to understand the issues.

A week ago, at his own town hall with Univision, Trump was asked by a Republican voter to address his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 — an opportunity for the former president to distance himself or make amends about an event that a majority of Americans tell pollsters they believe was an “attack on democracy” that should never be forgotten.

His answer? The riot at the Capitol was a “day of love” in which “nothing was done wrong at all.”

So, why is it that politicians can’t seem to admit fault? That they’ve grown and changed their views based on some kind of new information? After all, it’s something all of us do with some regularity, whether with a spouse, children, friends or at work. The ability to change one’s mind in the face of new evidence is what Jeff Bezos once called the number one sign of intelligence.

Newsweek spoke with five psychoanalysts who tried to explain what prevents people from being vulnerable, how politicians are “sensitive” to it, how Trump’s brand of refusal works, and whether voters would embrace or penalize a candidate who could just own up to past mistakes.

Read more of this piece from Newsweek’s Katherine Fung.

07:55 AM EDT

Campaign tracker: Where are the candidates today?

As the election nears, the candidates are doing what they can to make their final pitches to voters. Trump is hosting a press conference today in Austin, Texas, as indicated on his campaign website, where he will discuss border security and crime. Additionally, he is scheduled to tape an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. Meanwhile, Vance will be in North Carolina to give a speech and conduct a town hall, both centered around inflation.

Texas continues to be a solid Republican stronghold; the former president has a 6.7-point lead over Harris in the Lone Star State, according to the latest data from FiveThirtyEight.

Harris is in Houston, Texas today for a prominent rally with the state’s Democratic Senate nominee, Rep. Colin Allred, who is engaged in a tight race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The vice presidential nominee, Walz, will host a “Friday Night Lights” rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania this evening.

The rally will focus on abortion rights, highlighting the effects of Texas’s stringent abortion laws following the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Harris will be joined by Texas natives such as Beyoncé and Willie Nelson, which could help motivate younger and progressive voters in the region.