Trump holds rally in swing state, Harris prepares for debate

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Donald Trump was scheduled to hold a rally in the US swing state of Wisconsin on Saturday, while Democrat Kamala Harris was preparing for next week’s televised presidential debate in another crucial swing state, Pennsylvania.

In the polls, Trump and Harris are virtually neck and neck, with the Republican once again ignoring a mountain of scandals that would have defeated previous candidates.

At an early afternoon rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, he was expected to attack Vice President Harris over the state of the U.S. economy.

While the economy as a whole has been robust, with stock markets hitting record highs and employment holding steady, voters remain pessimistic about inflation. Many are buying into Trump’s message that he will be the stronger economic leader.

The former president received a boost on Friday when the country’s largest police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, endorsed him despite his numerous legal troubles and status as a convicted felon.

The support came as Trump celebrated a legal victory when a New York judge delayed his sentencing in a hush-money trial until after the November election. Trump was found guilty in May of trying to conceal a $130,000 payment to a porn star – just weeks before the 2016 election.

On his busy Friday, the former president also had to attend a hearing in federal court in New York in a case in which he was found guilty of sexually harassing and degrading the writer E. Jean Carroll.

And in an unusual “press conference” on Friday – he did not answer questions – Trump railed against the women who had accused him of sexual misconduct.

His focus on past allegations by women came at a time when his advisers were urging him to focus instead on the current campaign and as polls show that voters, especially women, favor Harris by a wide margin on the abortion issue.

Trump claims to have appointed the conservative Supreme Court justices who helped abolish federal abortion law, but his current stance has been described as unclear.

Harris, a former California prosecutor, is leaning heavily on her message that she stands for law and order in her fight against a convicted criminal who tried to overturn his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden – another unprecedented element in an election season that has the country on edge.

The vice president entered the race for the 2024 presidential nomination at the last minute after Biden abruptly dropped out on July 21 due to concerns about his stamina and mental fitness.

Despite initial enthusiasm from Democrats, Harris had to hurry to establish herself and make her mark.

Tuesday’s debate offers her an excellent opportunity to present clear policy proposals – she has been accused of a lack of detail – while sharpening her line of attack against Trump.

Harris is spending this weekend preparing for a debate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This state has a close relationship between Republican and Democratic voters, and it could be the crucial piece in the electoral puzzle that will decide the US presidential election in each state.

The debate will be the first-ever meeting between Harris and Trump. He refused to attend Biden’s inauguration – he would have met her there – after falsely claiming he was cheated in the 2020 election.

bbk/dw