U.S. Presidential election 2024 race enters last leg; Former President Trump, Vice President Harris trade bitter attacks

Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, addressed a rally at the McCamish Pavilion on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where he rejected attempts by Democrats to compare him with the Nazis

As the U.S. presidential race enters the last leg, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump traded bitter attacks while racing to woo the voters in key battleground states that could decide the outcome of the razor-tight contest.

On Monday (October 29, 2024), Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, addressed a rally at the McCamish Pavilion on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where he rejected attempts by Democrats to compare him with the Nazis.

“The newest line from Kamala and her campaign is that anyone who isn't voting for her is a Nazi,” he said at the capital city of Georgia.

Georgia is one of the seven key battleground states that could decisively swing the November 5 election in favour of either candidate.

“I am not a Nazi ... I am the opposite of a Nazi,” the former Republican President said.

Mr. Trump also slammed Harris for calling him a fascist. “She is a fascist.” Following Trump's Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, Harris's campaign team likened it to a 1939 Nazi gathering at the venue.

In that rally, Mr. Trump also announced a slew of major policies, including on tax.

“I am announcing a new policy today that I will support a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or a loved one,” he said.

Ms. Harris on Monday (October 28, 2024) campaigned in Michigan, another battleground state.

At a rally in Warren, she highlighted how the Biden administration focused on creating more jobs in the State.

“He [Trump] is not working for or concerned about working people, middle-class people,” she said, training her guns on the Republican leader.

The US presidential race remained very tight with both Harris and Trump locked in a dead heat for the popular votes in most swing states.

The final nationwide CNN poll found this week that 47 per cent of likely voters support Harris and an equal 47 would endorse Mr. Trump in the elections.

In the final New York Times/Siena College national poll from October 20 to 23, the two aspirants are tied at 48%. The remaining four% are yet to decide on their preference.

A separate poll conducted by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, showed that 44% of respondents trust Trump to handle the economy as opposed to 43 per cent for Ms. Harris.

An analysis by FiveThirtyEight poll tracker, however, showed that Ms. Harris is having a slight edge over Trump with 1.7 percentage points.

To win the race for the White House, the successful candidate will have to secure 270 of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs.

The seven key swing states which are seen to be crucial to determine the election results are Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Nevada.

Published - October 29, 2024 07:24 pm IST