What's happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump will travel out West this evening, holding rallies in the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada. The Reno, Nevada, event will specifically attempt to appeal to the state's Asian American population.
- Vice President Kamala Harris is continuing to use star power on the campaign trail today, rallying at a get-out-the-vote event in Georgia alongside musician Bruce Springsteen, director Spike Lee, actor Samuel L. Jackson and former President Barack Obama.
- Both of their running mates also hit the campaign trail today, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz making stops in North Carolina and Sen. JD Vance speaking at and participating in a town hall at separate events in Michigan.
Harris campaign highlights John Kelly comments about Trump in new ads
The Harris campaign is highlighting John Kelly's criticisms of Trump, in which Trump's former chief of staff told The New York Times that Trump meets the definition of a "fascist" and said Trump had told him that "Hitler did some good things, too."
The New York Times released audio clips earlier this week of Kelly's comments about Trump — clips that the Harris campaign featured in the ad, which airs on television and digital platforms in battleground states.
The ad, titled "We Were Warned," is part of the campaign's $370 million fall paid media efforts, according to a campaign official.
"He certainly falls into the general definition of a fascist," Kelly told the outlet in an audio clip used in the ad.
Kelly noted, "He commented more than once, 'Hitler did some good things too.'"
The ad ends with a text message in red typing across a black screen. The text reads, "Donald Trump is unhinged. Unstable. In pursuit of unchecked power."
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said in a statement that Kelly “totally beclowned himself” by recounting “debunked stories” about the Trump administration.
Colorado election officials say they identified at least a dozen fraudulent ballots
At least a dozen mail ballots were stolen, fraudulently filled out and submitted in Colorado for the Nov. 5 election, the Colorado secretary of state’s office said today.
Officials said the issue was identified via the signature verification process, which checks the signatures on ballots against those the state has on file for voters.
Authorities said the ballots were mailed into the Mesa County election office via the U.S. Postal Service, not returned in drop boxes.
Trump seeks to file motion to dismiss D.C. case on same grounds as Florida case
Trump’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan for permission to file a new motion in the Washington, D.C., election interference case.
If Chutkan allows his team to file the motion, Trump’s lawyers would argue that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment and funding were illegal and push for the case to be dismissed on the same grounds the Florida case was.
“The proposed motion establishes that this unjust case was dead on arrival — unconstitutional even before its inception,” today’s filing said.
Trump’s lawyers asked for permission to make the filing because they and Chutkan are in a dispute about whether new motions to dismiss the case can be filed.
The judge's original deadline for such motions has already passed. However, Trump’s lawyers argued that they should be able to file new motions because Smith obtained a superseding indictment in August.
However, the D.C. Circuit is subject to binding precedent upholding the legality of special counsels, unlike in Florida. As a result, Chutkan is unable to grant Trump’s motion even if she allows his team to make the initial filing.
Elon Musk gives $10M to super PAC supporting Senate Republicans
Billionaire Elon Musk gave $10 million to Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Senate Republicans, on Oct. 1, according to a new campaign finance filing.
Musk has not previously been a super PAC megadonor, but he has already disclosed $75 million in donations to a group he started to back Trump. Only a handful of political donors have given more than $10 million to a super PAC this year.
Earlier today, NBC News reported that the Senate Leadership Fund was making its first ad buy in Nevada, a state that has been at the center of the presidential battleground map but on the edges of the Senate battlefield amid relatively strong polling for Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen.
Vance responds to John Kelly's saying Trump meets definition of 'fascist'
Vance reacted publicly for the first time to the news that Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly told The New York Times that Trump meets the definition of a "fascist."
Vance said he thinks "everything that John Kelly said is not true" and referred to him as a "disgruntled ex-employee."
He went on to say he is certain Kelly “talked to somebody on Kamala Harris’ campaign beforehand” but provided no evidence to back up his assertion.
Trump says the U.S. is ‘like a garbage can for the world’ as he dials up immigration rhetoric
Trump said today the U.S. is “like a garbage can” for the rest of the world because of its border policies at an immigration-focused rally in Tempe, Arizona, less than two weeks out from Election Day.
“They unleashed an army and of migrant gangs waging a campaign of violence,” said Trump, who regularly uses dehumanizing language when he talks about undocumented immigrants. “We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world.”
Trump: 'I’m not a dictator'
During an interview with WABC Radio, Trump went on the defensive after Harris said last night that he is a "fascist."
"John knows me a long time," Trump said, referring to one of the show's hosts. "I think you could set the audience straight, John. I’m not a dictator."
The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly said that Trump met the definition of a "fascist."
"Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure," Kelly said.
Teamsters engage fellow members to boost Harris in battleground Wisconsin
Reporting from Oshkosh, Wisconsin
On a crisp fall morning last week, a UPS worker wearing a brown uniform rushed toward the warehouse here to start his shift when a group of fellow Teamsters handed him campaign literature supporting Harris for president.
The worker grew visibly agitated, gestured with his arms and raised his voice.
But he wasn’t angry at those offering him a sample ballot. He was going on about Republican former Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011 war on unions, which gutted labor power in the state. He also talked about how Trump had promised to bring a deluge of work to the state, such as through Foxconn, that never materialized.
Josh Stein releases ad highlighting bombshell report on Mark Robinson
Josh Stein, the Democratic candidate for governor of North Carolina, released an advertisement highlighting last month's bombshell CNN report that accused his Republican rival of referring to himself as a "black NAZI" and expressing support for slavery.
The ad opens with news clips discussing reported that Robinson made the comments. He has denied the allegations.
"Folks, we're better than this," Stein says in the ad. "And while we'll never agree on everything, we need to be able to come together to solve problems."
Democratic lawmakers ask DOJ to appoint special counsel to look into Jared Kushner
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department today to designate a special counsel to probe Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser, for potentially violating a federal law that requires "certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities" to publicly disclose their ties to a foreign principal.
“While on the Saudi government’s payroll, Mr. Kushner is simultaneously serving as a political consultant to former President Trump and acting as a shadow diplomat and political advisor to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other foreign principals," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "Despite being engaged in plainly political activities, Mr. Kushner has not made [Foreign Agents Registration Act] disclosures to DOJ related to the millions of dollars he receives annually by entities owned and controlled by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar."
The Senate Finance Committee, which Wyden chairs, said it estimated that from the conclusion of the Trump administration through the middle of this year, Kushner’s firm Affinity Partners has received $157.5 million in fees from foreign clients, including $87 million from Saudi Arabia.
Affinity Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vance leans into Ohio roots during Michigan remarks
Vance, addressing a crowd in Waterford, Michigan, this evening, did not shy away from the rivalry between his home state, Ohio, and the Wolverine State.
"One of the reasons I'm proud to be in Michigan is we have the proudest tradition of craftsmanship and of making things in the great state of Michigan," he said. "And look, I'm a Buckeye. It is hard for me to say nice things about Michigan."
"Remember: The vote that matters, the battle that matters, is making Donald Trump the next president of the United States. That's what can unite Buckeyes and Wolverines. It's like the lion laying down with the lamb," he added.
Vance, who often emphasizes his childhood in Ohio to appeal to Rust Belt voters, has alluded to the Ohio-Michigan sports rivalries before, even mentioning them in his remarks at the Republican National Convention.
Walz calls Trump 'old as hell'
Walz called Trump “old as hell” during brief remarks in Greenville, North Carolina, today.
Walz referred to reporting that Trump has "canceled a bunch of interviews" because of exhaustion before he described Trump as "old as hell."
“He’s not near as exhausted as we are. We’re tired of it. We’re tired of the chaos. We’re tired of the meanness. We’re tired of the hate,” Walz said.
A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment this afternoon.
Asked about multiple canceled interviews last week, Trump said he hasn't backed out of scheduled appearances and denied being tired, saying he was “really exhilarated.”
Trump at 78, is significantly older than Harris, who turned 60 this month.
‘Shame on you!’: Trump allies ratchet up push for their supporters to vote early and call out those who haven’t
Reporting from New Castle, Pa.
Trump’s allies couldn’t have been any clearer during a stop today in a rural part of Pennsylvania’s northwestern corner: Trump supporters, go vote already.
During a Trump campaign bus tour stop in New Castle, Trump’s allies made impassioned pleas with his supporters to cast their ballot early, with one speaker admonishing Trump fans who haven’t done so.
“How many of you have voted already?” asked David Bossie, a Republican National Committeeman from Maryland who was a top official on Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Only some of the crowd of about 100 or so supporters raised their hands.
“OK, the rest of you, shame on you!” he said.
“OK? I’m serious," he continued. "We need to vote and vote early. Get your butts to the polls. Get them out there right now. Before the early voting ends, we must bank votes.”
The messaging around early voting has shifted dramatically for Republicans this cycle compared with Trump’s 2020 run, when he and his allies cast doubt around the legitimacy of voting early. Even now, Trump and some supporters have expressed doubts about the security of voting by mail or voting early, though Trump himself has voted in that manner.
“We only have so many resources at our disposal during a campaign,” Bossie said. “And when we’re chasing people like you, OK, we’re wasting campaign time and resources. We must bank your votes early so we can go chase and find those low-propensity voters that are going to turn out for Donald Trump.”
The deadline to vote early in Pennsylvania is Monday.
“We’re going to have to get uncomfortable,” Slippery Rock Mayor JD Longo said. “We’re going to have to do things we’ve never done before. … Folks, please, I beg you. Just hear me out, guys: When we vote early, we free up valuable campaign resources that will allow for all these nice folks and the campaign at large to focus on those individuals who might not be so motivated as you and I to get out and vote.”
As of today, registered Democrats account for 60.2% of the ballots submitted in Pennsylvania, while 29.9% are from Republicans and 10% more are from independents or third-party voters. That’s a slight improvement for Republicans compared with the election in 2020, when Republicans ultimately accounted for 24% of the mail-in and early in-person vote, while Democrats made up 65% of that vote.
“Pennsylvania Republicans do not tend to vote early,” said Carla Sands, who was Trump’s ambassador to Denmark. “I’m asking you to change that and save our country.”
Court adjourns in lawsuit over Virginia voter roll purges
Court has adjourned for the day with no ruling. U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles will return to the bench at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow to announce her decision.
Giles appeared likely to grant the Justice Department’s request for an injunction blocking Virginia from systematically removing voters from the rolls this close to an election.
GOP former Rep. Fred Upton backs Harris as a bipartisan dealmaker
After he endorsed Harris this morning, former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., told NBC News’ “Meet the Press NOW” that “the race is up for grabs” and that he’s voting for Harris, rather than against Trump, because “she can actually, I think, put a coalition together of Republicans and Democrats."
Upton pointed to initiatives like the bipartisan border bill that was negotiated in the Senate this year before it collapsed, saying he favors bipartisan legislation like that moving forward.
He told moderator Kristen Welker that he hopes Harris can heal a divided nation.
“Somehow we have to put Humpty Dumpty together again,” Upton said.
Harris and Trump are intensifying their attacks with Election Day less than two weeks away. NBC News’ Jonathan Allen and Monica Alba report on the final stretch in the race to the White House as early voters start to cast their ballots.
Republican super PAC makes last-ditch push to swing Nevada Senate race
Republicans are making a last-ditch effort to flip Nevada’s Senate seat, optimistic that a strong performance from Trump in the state could boost candidate Sam Brown.
The Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP super PAC involved in Senate races, plans to spend $6.2 million on TV, radio and digital ads in Nevada, according to ad spending figures shared first with NBC News.
It is the group’s first time spending in the state, marking a relatively late entry into the contest, which has been characterized so far by a split between a competitive presidential race and a more comfortable position for Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in public polling. SLF has spent tens of millions of dollars in other Senate battlegrounds in recent months. It’s a sign that Republicans view Rosen’s re-election race as increasingly competitive.
“Jacky Rosen has been a reliable vote for the Democrats’ extreme agenda and is a lackluster candidate,” SLF president and CEO Steven Law said in a statement. “President Trump is doing very well in Nevada and we think Sam Brown can too.”
Outside spending eclipses $1 billion in the presidential race, setting a record
Outside groups have poured an astounding $1.1 billion into the presidential race with less than two weeks to go before Election Day, an NBC News analysis found, surpassing the record set during the 2020 election.
The figure includes spending from super PACs and other groups not directly affiliated with the candidates’ campaigns and party committees over the course of the primary and general election campaigns.
To put the current level of outside spending into perspective, the $1 billion-plus figure dwarfs the gross domestic product of more than a dozen countries.
The frenetic pace is already ahead of where things stood at this point four years ago, when there had been more than $910 million in independent expenditures by Oct. 24. In total, just more than $1 billion was spent in the 2020 presidential contest.
Sen. Tom Cotton write letter to DOJ about Musk sweepstakes
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland claiming the Justice Department's interest in Elon Musk’s sweepstakes to encourage voter registration singles out conservatives and ignores liberal giveaways.
"I’m not convinced that America PAC has run afoul of the law, but I’m very concerned that the Biden-Harris administration has once again singled out center-right Americans like Mr. Musk for political retribution while turning a blind eye to liberal-leaning groups engaged in similar behavior,” Cotton wrote.
The Justice Department wrote a letter to Musk's America PAC this week, warning that its daily $1 million giveaway to registered voters in battleground states could be illegal under federal law.
New Harris ad features Harris calling out Trump at CNN town hall
The Harris campaign is out with a new digital ad today using her remarks at yesterday’s CNN town hall slamming Trump for praising dictators, including his reported comments about Adolf Hitler.
The ad covers sound of Harris yesterday with video of Trump and John Kelly, as well as Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It ends with the words “UNHINGED. UNSTABLE. UNCHECKED” on screen next to a photo of Trump.
It adds to the list of measures the Harris campaign has used to seize on the comments, including launching billboards in Las Vegas earlier today.
Federal judge appears likely to side with DOJ in lawsuit over Virginia voter roll purges
A federal judge appears likely to grant the Justice Department’s request for an injunction blocking Virginia from systematically removing voters from the rolls this close to an election.
The judge is holding a hearing today after more than 1,600 people were flagged as ineligible to vote. Their voter registrations were then revoked under Virginia’s program, which is aimed at removing noncitizens from the voter rolls.
Attorneys for private groups, which also sued the state, said in court today that they have already identified 18 citizens who were incorrectly removed.
States are barred from systematically removing people from voter rolls within 90 days of an election under a provision of the National Voter Registration Act. Virginia argues that those provisions don’t apply to noncitizens and that the removals are individualized, not systemic.
The Justice Department obtained an injunction blocking a similar program in Alabama last week.
Trump scheduled to hold a rally in Green Bay next week
Trump is set to hold a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, his presidential campaign announced today.
The evening rally will come less than a week before Election Day in one of the key battleground states that might be needed to win the presidency.
Appeals court deals setback to Republicans facing charges in Georgia 2020 election case
An appeals court today rejected an effort by four Republicans facing criminal charges for their roles in the scheme to thwart Joe Biden's 2020 election win in Georgia to move their cases from state to federal court.
A three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in one decision ruled against David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathleen Latham, who were all nominated to be alternative "fake electors" in Georgia in the aftermath of the election four years ago.
In a separate decision, the court also turned away a similar request made by Jeffrey Clark, who served at the Justice Department and was also involved in efforts to keep Trump in power.
All four are facing state racketeering charges brought in Fulton County against various people involved in the effort, including Trump. They argued that the cases should be moved to federal court because they were acting as "federal officers" at the time and could therefore argue for immunity from prosecution.
The court concluded in part that the law that would allow for removal to federal court applies only to current federal officials.
The appeals court had already rejected a similar request brought by former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Kamala Harris' sister, Maya Harris, to campaign for the vice president in Arizona
Kamala Harris' sister, Maya Harris, will campaign for the vice president in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona, today and tomorrow.
Harris' campaign said the vice president's sister will kick off a Women for Harris-Walz Ballot Party today in Tempe.
Maya Harris had served as chair of Harris' 2020 presidential campaign during the primary cycle and also previously worked as a senior adviser on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Tomorrow, Maya Harris is set to campaign at Arizona State University in Tempe to rally college students to turn out to vote in the key battleground state. Later in the day, she will hold a South Asians for Harris-Walz Diwali event in Phoenix.
Pentagon debunks right-wing claim about lethal force against civilians
The Defense Department said it does not have the authority to use lethal force against civilians, debunking a Republican lawmaker’s claim that the agency had changed its policy ahead of the election to allow such intervention during civil disturbances.
On Monday, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., falsely told the conservative news outlet Newsmax that the agency recently updated one of its directives to authorize lethal force in certain situations.
The congressman, repeating similar claims spread on social media among right-wing circles, called the change “very scary” and said “unwound” Democrats would weaponize the military if they lose the election.
In a statement last night, Defense Department spokesperson Sue Gough said the agency did publish an update to a Pentagon directive involving military intelligence assistance to law enforcement agencies and others Sept. 27, but the provisions are “not new” and “do not authorize the Secretary of Defense to use lethal force against U.S. citizens, contrary to rumors and rhetoric circulating on social media.”
Gough said the release was “in no way timed in relation to the election or any other event.”
While a specific section that has been circulated on social media is new, Gough said it does not represent any change to the agency’s policy on the use of lethal force. The revision, she said, “simply describes how this longstanding policy applies to the DoD intelligence community.”
The Defense Department said it still adheres to the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prohibits the government from using military forces to act as a police force within U.S. borders.
“Reissuing 5240.01 was part of normal business of the Department to periodically update guidance and policy,” Gough said, referring to the directive. The last revision, prior to September, was in March 2019.
Anna Adamian, a spokesperson for the congressman, said she was aware of the Pentagon's statement but still questioned the lethal force clause in the directive.
Newsmax did not respond to a request for comment. The organization has aired dozens of false claims or conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack, a research report found in 2022. It faced a defamation lawsuit brought by Smartmatic, a voting technology company, over false claims, but settled late last month.
Walz responds to young people who say they're not interested in politics: 'Too damn bad, politics is into you'
Walz sought to convince college students today at Duke University that participating or showing interest in politics is important.
“I know you run into your friends who say, 'Ah, I’m sick of it. I’m just not that into politics.' Too damn bad, politics is into you. It’s into you,” Walz told them.
The school is in Durham, North Carolina, a key battleground state.
Walz, who has been more like his old campaigning self in recent weeks, told the students that among the reasons why he wants to defeat Trump in this year's election — though “it might be petty” — is "I just don’t want to look at him anymore on TV. I don’t want to hear it."
The Democratic vice presidential nominee also joked about Elon Musk, an avid supporter of Trump's. Walz said anyone who owns a Tesla should “buy a bumper sticker” that says “you didn’t know how weird he was when you bought it.”
And while the race between Harris and Trump remains tight, Walz said, "This thing is far from over. These 12 days will determine what it is."
Statue of an apparent bronze poop emoji on Pelosi's desk joins D.C.'s memorials
A new memorial has been placed on the National Mall a few blocks west of the Capitol that depicts what can only be described as a bronze poop emoji atop former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk.
Washington's latest tourist attraction, an art installation, has a faux stone base with a plaque that reads: "This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate, and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election."
The piece itself does not bear an indication of who crafted it, but a public gathering permit provided to NBC News by the National Park Service says Julia Jimenez-Pyzik of Civic Crafted LLC applied to place it there from today through Oct. 31.
The permit sought to “display two works of art to express the principles of democracy justice and freedom.”
The piece is apparently named The Resolute Desk, according to the permit.
"This desk represents the heart of democracy, where decisions are made, voices are heard, and the future is shaped," the permit states. "More than just a place for work, it is a testaments to the ideals of transparency, accountability, and representation."
"Here, the power of the people finds its expression through the diligent efforts of those who serve the public good," it continues. "When rioters broke in to destroy these ideals, this desk stands firm, so too must the principles of equality, justice, and freedom that it represents."
The permit also says there will be another statue, Tiki Torch, depicting a hand emerging from a stone base holding one. That's scheduled to be installed at Freedom Plaza, on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Capitol and the White House, at 7 a.m. on Oct. 28, the permit says.
Harris aides say she is likely to vote by mail
Harris says in a gathering with reporters in Philadelphia that she hasn’t voted yet and hasn’t had time to review her California ballot.
The current expectation is she will cast her ballot by mail, two Harris aides said, but it’s possible that plan could change.
Harris still hasn’t said how she would vote on California’s Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime measure that has garnered a lot of attention in her home state. She said today she needed more time to “read through” it.
“I will keep you posted on that,” Harris added.
Walz voted early in Minnesota yesterday, along with his wife, Gwen, and son, Gus, who recently turned 18 and was voting for the first time. Obama also said he voted by mail earlier this week. He placed his ballot in a U.S. Postal Service box in Chicago and put on an “I Voted” sticker.
Marylanders take advantage of first day of in-person early voting
Reporting from ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Maryland
At the early voting site inside the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections, north of Annapolis, dozens of voters were waiting in line to cast their ballot on the first day of early voting across the state.
“I’ve been voting a long time, and this is the longest wait I’ve ever had,” Loraine Schwartz told NBC News. “Usually I go on the day — day of but decided to come early, and I’m glad I did.”
Sheri Campbell said she takes issue with the amount of money being spent on ads in the Maryland Senate race between Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan — more than a combined $60 million as of today.
“I don’t agree with all the money that they’re spending just to get elected, and half the time they don’t do what they’re saying they’re going to do,” Campbell said.
James Taylor to join Walz in Wilmington today
Tonight, singer James Taylor will join Walz on the campaign trail in Wilmington, North Carolina. Taylor has endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket and will perform at the event tonight alongside his wife, Kim, and his son Henry.
The performance comes as the campaign recently announced the "When We Vote We Win" concert series, which includes Bruce Springsteen tonight with Harris and Barack Obama in Atlanta.
Fmr. Gov. Larry Hogan: 'Lightning is gonna strike three times in Maryland'
Reporting from BALTIMORE COUNTY, Maryland
On the first day of early voting in Maryland, voters were in line ahead of the polls opening at 7 a.m. in Baltimore County.
“I’m just so excited for this day where I can come in and just do my constitutional duty,” one voter told NBC News.
“I’m not one of those people that’s going to sit back on my butt and do nothing,” another said. “You make a decision, and I did.”
Two-term former Gov. Larry Hogan — now running for U.S. Senate — spent the morning greeting voters here.
“We think that we’re gonna pull this one off,” Hogan told NBC News. “Lightning is gonna strike three times in Maryland. Every single time they’ve counted us out, every single time we’ve been a huge underdog, and every single time we won.”
DNC billboard in Las Vegas highlights Trump’s reported comments about Hitler ahead of rally
The Democratic National Committee has put up a mobile billboard in Las Vegas today that features Trump's reported comment, "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had," which came out Tuesday in The Atlantic.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison released a statement about the new billboard, calling Trump “a danger to American democracy” and saying “freedom is on the line” in the election. The billboard is timed for Trump's rally in Las Vegas tonight.
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly also told The New York Times on Tuesday that Trump praised Hitler while in office. Trump denied The Atlantic's reporting and Kelly's claims, calling it "made up" in a Truth Social post yesterday.
"The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told," Trump said, referring to Kelly's previous comments that Trump disparaged military service members. "Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH. John Kelly is a LOWLIFE, and a bad General, whose advice in the White House I no longer sought."
The Harris campaign has also seized on the latest reporting, with the vice president calling it "deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous" in a speech yesterday. In her town hall with CNN last night, she also called Trump "a fascist."
Allred abortion ad is most-aired in the nation after presidential ads
With campaigns and outside groups dumping millions on the airwaves with less than two weeks to Election Day, voters all over the country are being bombarded by campaign ads.
The most-aired ads nationwide are funded by the Harris campaign, the Trump campaign and the two main super PACs backing each candidate — Future Forward and MAGA Inc.
But according to AdImpact, after that, the most-aired ad in the nation in the last week was one funded by Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who is hammering his opponent, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, on abortion.
The ad blasts Cruz for supporting Texas' six-week abortion ban and features Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman who had to leave the state for abortion care.
It comes as the Texas Senate race has tightened in recent weeks and as Harris is headed to Houston to campaign alongside Allred and pop superstar Beyoncé.
Formerly GOP mayor in reliably red Wisconsin county endorses Harris
The mayor of Waukesha, the seat of a reliably Republican county outside Milwaukee, endorsed Harris for president Wednesday — the first time the formerly Republican city leader is supporting a Democrat for commander in chief, the campaign said.
“It would be easier for me to stay quiet and vote my conscience privately, but the stakes of this election are so important that I feel compelled to share publicly that I am voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and I encourage other Wisconsinites who care about our country to do the same,” Shawn Reilly said in a statement circulated by the Harris campaign.
Reilly added that Trump poses “a unique danger to American democracy,” and a second term “would be even more dangerous than the first because there would be no guardrails.”
“We can’t allow him to sit in the Oval Office again,” he said.
Ballots damaged in USPS mailbox fire in Phoenix
A blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix was set on fire at approximately 1:20 a.m. local time Thursday, damaging approximately 20 ballots and other pieces of mail, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
The mailbox was a drive-up collection box for mail at the post office at 3905 North 7th Ave., according to Rob McDade, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department. The fire was extinguished and the area has since been reopened.
McDade said authorities with the fire and police departments are investigating the incident and that the postal inspector took possession of the damaged mail. The authorities have yet to identify a motive.
Damaged Arizona Harris office no longer in use
According to a person who works for the Arizona Democratic coordinated campaign, the coordinated campaign office in Tempe that was shot at in three separate incidents is no longer in use by the DNC or Democratic campaigns in Arizona.
Six bullet holes are still pierced through the windows, as the glass has yet to be replaced. The suspect accused of shooting at the office, Jeffrey Michael Kelly, was arrested Tuesday and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, shooting at a nonresidential structure, committing an act of terrorism and misdemeanor criminal damage.
Ex-Trump legal adviser Jenna Ellis says she's worried Christians and conservatives will abstain from voting in key states
Former Trump legal adviser Jenna Ellis, who was charged in two cases involving Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election, said in a new interview that she's worried Christians and conservative voters will opt out of voting for president in key areas.
She told Politico that's what she's most worried about in this election: "Christians and conservatives abstaining in key states and districts."
"While Trump has added new voters to his base and is performing well in traditionally Democratic demographics like Black men, his campaign cannot discount voters in swing states who may vote down ticket but leave the top blank," she said.
She said the Trump campaign should drive out early voting more among self-identified Christians.
Ellis pleaded guilty in the Fulton County, Georgia, election interference case against Trump last year and pleaded guilty in the "fake electors" case in Arizona.
Trump’s new town halls have a common denominator: Female moderators
Donald Trump’s handlers are pushing him to embrace a campaign format that is smaller and more intimate than the raucous arena rallies the former president prefers: the town hall-style forum.
And while Trump’s reluctance can be palpable — last week he swayed to music rather than take questions from the crowd — advisers see an opportunity to narrow a yawning gender gap.
Since late August, six of the town halls his campaign has put on have been moderated by a prominent woman in politics or media. A seventh, produced by Fox News, was also hosted by a woman, Harris Faulkner, and had an audience filled with women. (One other town hall this month, hosted by Univision, had a male moderator.)
That’s no coincidence in a race where his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, would be the first woman — and first woman of color — to be elected president.
“It’s a campaign that’s adapting,” a person familiar with Trump’s thinking and the campaign’s planning but not authorized to speak on record said, “to show a softer side of Donald Trump.”
Trump is surrounding himself with “high-profile females who all offer the opportunity for Trump to have conversations that women care about,” the person added.
Los Angeles Times editor resigns after paper's owner says board can't endorse Harris for president
The editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, Mariel Garza, has resigned from the paper after its owner said the editorial board couldn't endorse Harris for president.
“I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent,” Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review. “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.”
She continued: "This is a point in time where you speak your conscience no matter what. And an endorsement was the logical next step after a series of editorials we’ve been writing about how dangerous Trump is to democracy, about his unfitness to be president, about his threats to jail his enemies. We have made the case in editorial after editorial that he shouldn’t be reelected."
“It was a logical next step,” Garza told CJR. “And it’s perplexing to readers, and possibly suspicious, that we didn’t endorse her this time.”
DNC announces six-figure paid media campaign to turn out Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities
The Democratic National Committee announced a six-figure paid media campaign today to help turn out voters within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across the country.
Print, digital and radio ads will be translated into various languages, including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese and Tagalog.
Ads will appear in both print and radio media outlets catering to those communities, according to the DNC, in Florida, New York and Texas.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said voters in this key demographic "have the power to be the margin of victory in crucial down-ballot races that could decide the direction of the future of our country."
"The DNC is reaching AANHPI voters through sources they trust and in languages they speak to ensure that every voter has the resources they need to cast their ballot in the most important election of our lifetimes," he said. "Democrats aren’t taking any votes for granted, and by mobilizing every corner of our broad coalition, we’ll not only send Vice President Harris to the White House, but ensure Democratic majorities in Congress."
Trump says he would ‘fire’ Jack Smith ‘within two seconds’ if elected
Trump said Thursday that he would immediately fire special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump, if he’s elected to a second term in the White House.
Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Trump in an interview if he plans to pardon himself or fire Smith on the day he would take the oath of office.
“It’s so easy — I would fire him within two seconds,” said Trump, who added that he got “immunity at the Supreme Court” and called Smith a “crooked person.”
The former president also said he doesn’t think Democrats, if they retake the House majority, would impeach him if he fires Smith from the Department of Justice.
Doug Emhoff to campaign in Georgia
Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, is heading to the Atlanta metro area to campaign Sunday. He'll head there after campaigning in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Beyonce to appear at Harris rally in Houston
Pop star Beyonce will appear at a rally with Harris in Houston tomorrow, three sources confirm to NBC News.
She will also perform at the rally, according to one of the sources, who has direct knowledge of the preparations.
New poll shows Trump and Harris neck and neck nationally and in battlegrounds
Less than two weeks until Election Day, CNBC’s latest national poll finds a margin-of-error presidential contest between Trump and Harris both nationally and in key battleground states, with Trump ahead on economic issues and Harris leading on character issues including honesty and the fitness to be president.
In CNBC’s quarterly “All-America Economic Survey,” Trump gets support from 48% of registered voters, while Harris gets 46% — a 2-point spread, well within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
That narrow 2-point lead for Trump is unchanged from CNBC’s August poll, and it’s essentially unchanged from the national NBC News poll earlier this month, conducted by the same pair of bipartisan polling firms, which found the candidates tied at 48% each.
Meanwhile, an oversample of registered voters residing in the seven core battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — shows Trump ahead of Harris in those combined states by just 1 point, 48% to 47% — again, well inside the margin of error.
Former GOP Rep. Fred Upton calls Trump 'unhinged,' says he endorses and cast his vote for Harris
Former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., endorsed Harris for president today, saying in a statement released by the vice president's campaign that he has "never voted for a Democrat for president, until now."
“More than 30 former GOP Members of Congress have now publicly stated that they will not support the former president and will vote for VP Harris. I am proud to add my name to that list, as I have already cast my ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris to be our next president of the United States," Upton said.
Upton said he's confident Harris will unite people, strengthen the economy and get things done for the country. He also said that top Republicans have urged Trump to stop the personal attacks, mistruths and false claims about the 2020 election.
"Instead of heeding that advice, we see unhinged behavior not acceptable in most forums almost daily," he said.
“I was present in the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and witnessed first-hand the violence trying to co-opt the legitimate counting of each state’s electoral votes," Upton said. "I spent time with the brave Capitol Police doing their very best to protect and defend the Constitution that awful day. That day was a tragedy for our democracy and Donald Trump is wrong to claim that everything he did was ‘totally appropriate’ when he directly jeopardized the peaceful transition from one administration to the next. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief again.”
Upton served in Congress from 1987 until 2023 and was among 10 House Republicans who broke ranks and voted with Democrats to impeach Trump in the second impeachment following the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Upton served in leadership roles in Congress, including as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
Harris turns to the Democratic Party’s biggest stars to make her closing argument to voters
After having spent the last month trying to persuade undecided voters to support her, harris will now pivot to the closing argument phase of her campaign and enlist the party’s biggest stars to help make her final pitch, according to three people familiar with the strategy.
Harris is set to appear with Obama in Georgia today and with former first lady Michelle Obama in Michigan on Saturday, the first time the Democratic presidential nominee will campaign with the Obamas this cycle.
With just 12 days to go, the events are meant to be massive “get out the vote” rallies, where the focus will be to encourage Americans to make plans to vote and vote early, if possible, they said.
A significant part of Harris’ last push will be a major speech Tuesday. She will deliver it at the Ellipse outside the White House — a notable location because it’s where Trump spoke shortly before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol.
Clinton warns Harris is 'vulnerable,' slams Trump campaign's 'macho talk'
Former President Bill Clinton said at a campaign event for Black voters in Phoenix yesterday that Harris is "vulnerable" to "crazy attacks" from Republicans, before poking fun at Trump for refusing to debate her a second time.
“There is a sliver there that has to make up their mind, and to them, Kamala Harris just showed up,” Clinton said, referring to a portion of the American electorate. “What they think of her largely depends on what they think of President Biden,” he added.
“She is extremely vulnerable, more vulnerable than she deserves to be to crazy attacks,” Clinton said before taking a jab at Trump over what he said was his machismo. “For all their macho talk, those boys didn’t want to get anywhere near another debate, did they?” the former president said.
While Clinton spoke highly of Harris, he hedged his language more than most surrogates typically do. “Kamala Harris is someone I know. Hillary has known her for 30 years, and we both think there is a great possibility that she’ll be a terrific president,” he said.
Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson to join Harris at Atlanta rally tonight
Film director Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson are expected to join Harris' rally tonight in Atlanta, which will also feature Bruce Springsteen and Obama.
The vice president's campaign said it's "the first in a series of 'When We Vote We Win' concerts focusing on driving enthusiasm and getting Georgians to vote early."
Other guests include Tyler Perry and Mix Master David, according to the campaign.
This will be the first time Harris and Obama will appear together on the campaign trail this election.
Harris called Trump a “fascist” and cited criticism made about him by his former White House chief of staff John Kelly during a town hall with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Chinese influence operation targets U.S. down-ballot races, Microsoft says
An army of Chinese-controlled social media bots is attempting to influence voters in Alabama, Texas and Tennessee while denigrating Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to research published yesterday by Microsoft.
The operation represents a coordinated interference effort against down-ballot races, experts say, in which the fake accounts are denigrating Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Rubio, all Republicans.
The troll network has “parroted antisemitic messages, amplified accusations of corruption and promoted opposition candidates,” according to Microsoft.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers line up on opposite sides in the Trump-Harris showdown
PITTSBURGH — Inside Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage last Tuesday to an embrace from one of the team’s former safeties, Will Allen, as supporters waved signs reading “COACH” behind them.
Four days later, not far from the Steelers training camp facility in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, an ex-teammate of Allen, was deriding Walz as not “a real football coach” onstage at a rally for former President Donald Trump. “He could never guard me,” Brown added.
As Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris hurry through the fourth quarter of the presidential campaign, the split-screen between Allen and Brown in western Pennsylvania put on display one of the more notable plays being run by both campaigns — their efforts to court and promote former players for the area’s beloved Steelers on the trail.
The endorsements have helped boost overarching themes the campaigns would like to project.
Clinton contrasts Democrats' campaigns with Kari Lake and Trump's 'performance art,' slams his tariff proposals
Former President Bill Clinton appeared to call GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake “physically attractive” and her and Trump's campaigns as "performance art" at an event in Phoenix last evening.
The comment came at the top of his remarks, right after Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running against Lake for the Senate seat being vacated by Kyrsten Sinema, introduced him on stage.
“One of the things we have to do is elect the man who just introduced me,” Clinton said. “This is like a beautiful microcosm of the campaign that Kamala Harris is running for president,” he said comparing the Senate contest to the presidential race.
“You got a person that grew up under sometimes challenging circumstances, who made something of his life running against someone who is physically attractive but believes that politics is a performance art,” said Clinton, seemingly calling Lake — and also Trump — attractive.
Clinton reflected on Trump’s inflation argument, arguing his plan will make inflation worse. “Donald Trump makes a pretty snappy argument," he said. "He just says, ‘Look, when I was president, we didn’t have any inflation. Now we’ve had it for three years. It sucks. You got to elect me and throw them out.’”
“The problem is, what he wants to do will make it worse," Clinton said. "He wants to put all these tariffs on things that we can’t buy anywhere else, and it’s going to cost the average family about 4,000 bucks a year.”
Clinton said some people who are planning to vote for Trump can still be persuaded to vote for the Democratic ticket through discourse. “We need to be able to look at each other and talk to people — a lot of the people who can be persuaded,” he said of restoring civility in a world of polarization.
“I’m not talking about the hard hard core, but a lot of people can be persuaded on the other side," he continued. "They’re good people. If they were your neighbors and your house caught on fire, they’d come right over and help you put it out and take the kids to safety. They have been convinced that somehow we are an alien nation to them, and we’re not. So put on your game face. Reach out your hand. Ask them to vote for Ruben. Ask him to vote for Kamala,” he said.
How Trump, Harris and their running mates are dividing their time among the 7 decisive swing states
Seven states are set to decide the next president, a dynamic that’s illustrated by the candidates’ travel schedules in the final months of the race.
While there have been some detours — Trump is set to rally in deep-blue New York City on Sunday, while Harris will head to the GOP stronghold of Texas tomorrow — the campaigns have otherwise largely stuck to their well-worn battleground paths ahead of an election polls suggest is exceedingly close.
NBC News compiled all the public campaign stops Harris and Trump, along with running mates Tim Walz and JD Vance, have made in the seven core swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — since the end of the Republican National Convention in July.
Harris to campaign alongside Obama and Bruce Springsteen
Harris will campaign today in Atlanta, where she will team up with former President Barack Obama and singer Bruce Springsteen for a get-out-the-vote rally. Springsteen is set to perform.
The rally will be the first time Harris and Obama have campaigned side-by-side. In the final stretch before Election Day, Obama has more frequently hit the trail to stump for Harris.
Trump to campaign in Arizona and Nevada
Trump will speak at a campaign rally in Arizona this evening before he heads to Nevada to speak tonight at an event alongside allies Charlie Kirk, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and others.
The Nevada rally is being hosted by the conservative group Turning Point Action, as well as its PAC.
Trump has a closing argument. He’s not sticking to it.
The video of Trump falling to the ground, then rising to his feet from underneath a pile of Secret Service agents with blood streaked across his cheek, pumping his fist in the air and shouting “fight, fight, fight,” is among the most compelling clips in modern American political history.
Captured moments after he was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin in June, it embodies Trump’s carefully crafted narrative that he is strong enough to stare down any foe, foreign or domestic, on behalf of his “Make America Great Again” agenda. A still image has appeared on merchandise and become iconic among his supporters.
And yet the film sits idly in the can, unused so far in the stretch run of his campaign to return to the Oval Office. His advisers refuse to discuss publicly whether his closing ads will include clips of the assassination attempt, but they are well aware of the powerful video in their hands.
A shift to the personal narrative could distract from the substantive issues that Trump aides believe are giving their candidate a leg up over his Democratic rival, Harris. Polls show a close race across seven battleground states that figure to determine the winner of the Nov. 5 election, and Trump is expected to start making his final case to voters at a rally Sunday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The burning question is whether Trump will eventually buck his own pattern and stick to the message.