The Harris-Trump race: the final move

The race for the White House is entering its final stages with dramatic exchanges of attacks and counter-attacks between the two candidates: incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Supporters make heart gestures around the word VOTE at a campaign rally for candidate Kamala Harris in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 24 - Photo: REUTERS

Former President Barack Obama's first appearance at Harris's campaign rally on October 24 in Georgia marked the biggest "trump card" in the effort to unite the Democratic Party's vote.

Playing all the trump cards.

Although President Obama initially did not endorse Harris as Biden's replacement, his efforts starting in early October 2024, launching a 27-day campaign campaign for Harris in "battleground" states, have strengthened Democratic unity to a new level. Her appearance alongside Obama was one of a series of events within a strategy to mobilize votes through key opinion leaders (KOLs), a traditional advantage of the Democratic Party. Harris's campaign appears to have consistently sought the presence of well-known artists at campaign events in their hometowns. Examples include the recent appearance of rapper Eminem in Detroit, Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts at a campaign event in Georgia, and most recently, the appearance of country music legend Willie Nelson and singer Beyoncé alongside Harris in Houston. Furthermore, the previous wave of support from pop star Taylor Swift, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and a host of other Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston, Chris Rock, and Jennifer Lopez... has solidified Harris's campaign's media appeal. This media advantage for the Democratic Party is considered superior when compared to the influence of KOLs supporting Trump, such as billionaire Elon Musk, Steve Wynn, or boxing legend Mike Tyson. In return, figures like Elon Musk are helping Trump's side go all-in in the financial race among the super- political action committees (PACs) – organizations that financially support each candidate's campaign. Specifically, Musk's $43.6 million investment in America PAC alone has helped Trump's campaign close the gap with Harris's fundraising record. In particular, the FF PAC – the largest political action committee supporting Harris – alone reported a massive fundraising of $89 million in the first half of October. And the final trump card came from her efforts to win votes from swing voters in her opponent's "home turf" as Harris held campaign events in Texas – a Republican stronghold. Although a New York Times poll showed Trump's support in Texas at just over 52% by October 25th, Harris maintained record fundraising, raising $30 million, very close to Trump's $35 million, and appeared to be closing the gap in her Republican home state.

The "retreating" tactic

While Trump continued to employ the same aggressive, tit-for-tat response as in early October, repeatedly retaliating against Harris's personal criticisms with similar rhetoric, many signs indicate his campaign is now shifting towards a more defensive, "backdoor" strategy. This defensive approach is evident in his decision to consolidate influence on his "home turf" by holding a campaign rally in Texas around the same time as Harris's, despite numerous polls suggesting Harris was unlikely to win in that state. Of course, he had previously conducted a similar, less effective rally in California – a Democratic stronghold and Harris's home state. Furthermore, unlike his previous somewhat hot-headed stance, Trump is now demonstrating a new position by avoiding mentioning Republican politicians who support Harris, thereby further widening the divide within the Republican party. Trump even publicly stated his willingness to pardon Hunter Biden (President Joe Biden's convicted son) upon his re-election, a rare display of leniency towards the Democrats. Trump's current ostentatious displays are likely a cover for a key Republican strategy: a quietly strengthening network of Republican donors and billionaires, investing over $140 million in a platform to monitor the integrity of the upcoming November 5th election, aiming to avoid controversial situations like those of four years ago. Therefore, both Harris and Trump appear to be deploying their final moves in the final stretch before the November 5th election. Harris's aggressive approach and Trump's defensive tactics promise dramatic developments, making the final outcome even more unpredictable.

Poll: Trump is leading.

Although polls in the latter half of October showed a close tie with 49% support evenly split between the two candidates in all seven "battleground" states, a recent nationwide survey released by Forbes magazine in collaboration with the strategic consulting firm HarrisX slightly favors Trump, with an advantage of 2 percentage points (51 - 49).

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cuoc-dua-harris-trump-nuoc-co-cuoi-20241025222847525.htm