Donald Trump rallied supporters on Sunday at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City, while Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned door-to-door in Philadelphia, just over a week before the pivotal November 5 election in what has become an extraordinarily tight race for the White House.
The gathering at Madison Square Garden, which holds nearly 20,000 seats, is expected to attract significant media attention in Trump’s home city, which remains a Democratic stronghold. Both candidates are making their final appeals to voters in this highly polarized and suspenseful electoral contest, with polls indicating a dead heat.
Harris, 60, has scheduled a busy day of campaigning in Pennsylvania’s largest city, a must-win state for her campaign. Her itinerary includes visits to a Black church, a barbershop, and a Puerto Rican restaurant. A senior official from Harris’s campaign noted that Sunday marked her 14th trip to Pennsylvania since President Joe Biden’s unexpected withdrawal in July.
On Tuesday, Harris will deliver what her campaign has termed her “closing argument” in Washington at the same park where Trump held a rally before the January 6 riot.
Trump’s rally at the so-called “World’s Most Famous Arena” is set to feature notable supporters and surrogates, including billionaire Elon Musk, who has actively campaigned for the former president. The venue has a storied history in American sports and culture, having hosted legendary performers like the Rolling Stones, Madonna, and U2, as well as numerous presidential conventions over the decades.
However, the arena’s historical association with the far-right, pro-Hitler Bund group, which hosted a rally there in 1939, complete with Nazi insignia and salutes, is likely to draw scrutiny and darker headlines.
Trump appears at Madison Square Garden shortly after one of his former top officials, John Kelly, remarked that the Republican fits the definition of a fascist—a sentiment Harris later echoed.
‘Genuine Fear’ of Trump Win
The latest high-profile surrogate for Harris, former First Lady Michelle Obama, expressed her “genuine fear” on Saturday regarding the possibility of Trump reclaiming the White House. While praising Harris as an “extraordinary president,” Obama also conveyed a sense of frustration and anxiety that many on the vice president’s team may feel, especially after Harris lost some momentum in recent weeks. “My hope about Kamala is also accompanied by some genuine fear,” Obama said, criticizing Trump’s record and questioning, “Why is this race even close?”
With over 40 million Americans already casting early ballots, voters are faced with the choice of electing the nation’s first woman president or its oldest major candidate ever. Trump, 78, continues to reject the legitimacy of his defeat four years ago and is expected to challenge the outcome again if he loses, potentially leading to chaos in the United States.
In 2016, Trump captured traditionally Democratic states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, but Biden reclaimed them in 2020. Trump aims to regain one or more of these key states while also targeting the Sun Belt swing states in the South to secure his path back to power.