Detroit:
Kamala Harris on Friday faced speculation that the oldest major-party White House candidate in history is “exhausted” after a spate of interview declines. Questioned eligibility.
The 78-year-old Republican appears on friendly television networks, but has canceled sit-downs with media outlets including NBC, CNBC and CBS. He also refused a second debate with Harris after winning the first one by a landslide.
Politico reported that Trump’s aides told producers on the website during interview negotiations that the former president was “exhausted” and refusing to do some appearances, but the campaign said described this claim as “deviated from reality.”
But Harris, who turns 60 this weekend, harshly criticized Trump’s health and resilience.
During multiple day-long visits to the battleground state of Michigan, Harris told supporters that “when you’re exhausted from campaigning, the big question becomes, are you qualified for the toughest job in the world?” will occur,” he said.
The former president has kept a busy schedule of appearances in new and traditional media, and is hardly idle, but most of his appearances have been in news outlets where he is least likely to be challenged. .
President Trump was furious at Harris’ jab, telling reporters he had not canceled anything and calling his Democratic opponent a “loser” who “doesn’t have the energy of a rabbit.”
dueling rally
He also claimed that he “killed” her in the polls and that she failed the bar exam.
Harris, a former California attorney general who passed the bar exam in 1990, holds a narrow lead in national polling averages, but a number of Michigan polls in October showed her to be evenly matched. There is.
Mr. Trump has surprised analysts with a program that combines venues in battleground states with appearances in areas where he is unlikely to win but is sure to draw large crowds.
He was in the liberal stronghold of New York on Thursday for a Catholic charity dinner where he mocked Harris with a sometimes mean-spirited speech that drew gasps from her off-color remarks and profanity.
But he was back in his hometown Friday morning for an interview with SoftFox News before heading to Michigan for a backstory against Harris.
Both candidates are spending their final days campaigning in key battleground states where early voting has already begun.
With less than three weeks until the vote, there are encouraging signs as Ms. Harris urges her supporters to vote as soon as possible, a bulwark against the traditional Republican advantage among voters on Election Day.
As of Friday evening, about 12 million votes had been cast, with about a third of them in seven battleground states expected to decide the election, according to data tracked by the University of Florida Election Research Institute. .
Early voting increases rapidly
Georgia is setting records, and North Carolina on Thursday reported a better first day of voting than in 2020, which saw a surge in early voting related to the pandemic.
When party breakdowns are available, registered Democrats make up about half of the total, while Republicans, who spent much of the Trump administration under fire over drop boxes and mail-in ballots, make up about a third. occupied.
After the Grand Rapids event, Harris gave a more manufacturing-focused speech at a union hall in Lansing targeting blue-collar voters, saying the future of the labor movement “depends” on the November election. he claimed.
She was scheduled to hold an evening rally in Oakland County before returning to Detroit on Saturday.
Democrats have been in a tough spot, supporting President Joe Biden’s key ally Israel, but Muslim and Arab-American voters, particularly in Michigan, have voiced outrage over the death toll in the Gaza Strip. There is.
Following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Harris expressed optimism for a ceasefire in Gaza, but Israel quickly announced that his death was due to an attack by the extremist group on October 7, 2023. He said this is not the end of the operation launched in response.
Trump told reporters ahead of a speech in Detroit that Sinwar’s death made it more likely that the Gaza war would be resolved peacefully, but warned Biden not to try to rein in Israel. did.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
