Ticker for the US election campaign The latest polls from the swing states +++ Ex-model accuses Trump of sexual harassment
On November 5, 2024, a new president and Congress will be elected in the USA. The ticker will keep you up to date with all the important developments.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On November 5, 2024, a new president will be elected in the USA. It is the 60th presidential election.
- Until July 21, 2024, incumbent US President Joe Biden (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican) were the official candidates.
- On July 21, 2024, Biden announced that he would bow to pressure from his party and not run for a second term in November.
- Since August 22, 2024, the Democrat Kamala Harris has been the official new presidential candidate. She is running against Donald Trump.
- You can find an overview of the events between August 5 and September 11 here.
- Here you can read what happened between September 12 and October 23.
- All content on the US elections can be found here.
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2.13 pm
The latest polls from the swing states
Pennsylvania: In the latest poll, Donald Trump is one percentage point ahead of Kamala Harris, who has 48 percent. 3 percent of respondents are undecided.
Michigan: The state stands out. Here, the latest poll puts Kamala Harris three points ahead of Trump, who has 46%. Other candidates account for 2 percent.
Wisconsin: The poll linked above also collected data in Wisconsin. Both candidates are tied with 48 percent.
North Carolina: According to a poll, Trump is two points ahead of Harris with 50 percent. 1 percent vote for third party candidates, 1 percent are undecided.
Georgia: Harris is also two points behind Trump in Georgia with 48 percent, according to this poll.
Arizona: There are two polls from the same period that come to different conclusions. On the one hand, both candidates are tied at 49 percent; on the other, Trump is ahead with 50 percent, while Harris only scores 47 percent.
Nevada: Both candidates are currently at 48 percent.
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12:20 p.m.
Fox News host defends Hitler statement
The revelations from Donald Trump's former chief of staff - see also entry 5.48am - continue to make waves: John Kelly has reported that the New Yorker wished for more "German generals" who only follow orders - like "Hitler's generals."
It is obvious that Trump's favorite channel Fox News does not see this so critically. However, a statement by presenter Brian Kilmeade on the show "Fox & Friends" has now provoked criticism. Kilmeade is furious about Kelly, who only wants to market his book. He never liked Trump anyway, the 60-year-old says excitedly - even though no one was Trump's chief of staff for much longer.
Then Kilmeade says, "I can totally imagine him saying, 'It would be great to have German generals who actually do what you ask them to do - maybe without being fully aware of the thorny issue of German generals who were Nazis or whatever."
The Daily Show notices that co-host Steve Doocy looks a little embarrassed by these words. Last but not least, according to Kelly, Trump explicitly spoke of "Hitler's generals" when asked.
![Focus on Steve Doocy.]()
Focus on Steve Doocy. Screenshot: YouTube/The Daily Show"I like that Kilmeade thinks praising Hitler is a sensitive issue," says host Michael Kosta. "Like it's a taboo subject that's just not politically correct enough to bring up in the office. Oh, you're not even allowed to praise a woman's hairstyle anymore, or tell her about all the good things Hitler did. Thank you, Woke Police!"
Criticism of Kilemade also comes from a former Trump employee who once worked in the White House press office. "This is crazy," writes Sarah Matthews on X. "Hitler's generals committed genocide. Republicans: stop defending this. There's no way to spin this [into a positive]."
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11 a.m.
Bad report card for Trump's economic policy
In the US, 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists have compared the economic policies of the two leading candidates. Their open letter leaves no questions unanswered.
The result: "Harris' agenda is significantly better for the US economy." The researchers write: "While each of us has a different opinion on the specifics of various economic policies, we believe that Harris's economic agenda as a whole will improve health, investment, sustainability, resilience, job opportunities, and fairness in our country and is far superior to Donald Trump's counterproductive economic agenda."
![The American-Turkish economist and MIT professor Daron Acemoglu, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in his field with two colleagues, is one of the signatories of the open letter.]()
The American-Turkish economist and MIT professor Daron Acemoglu, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in his field with two colleagues, is one of the signatories of the open letter. Archive image: KeystoneTrump is banking on regressive tax cuts, which he wants to pay for with tariffs that should even apply to friendly countries. This would lead to "higher prices, greater deficits and more inequality". The economy also needs security and the rule of law. "Harris, on the other hand, favors policies that strengthen the middle class, promote competition and encourage entrepreneurship."
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10.12 am
Ex-model accuses Trump of sexual harassment
Ex-model Stacey Williams accuses Donald Trump of indecently touching her in Trump Tower after Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to the New Yorker.
In 1992, the convicted sex offender Epstein, who is said to have committed suicide in custody in 2019, introduced Trump and Williams at a Christmas party. Epstein was interested in her: the two went on two dates, according to the British Guardian.
"It became very clear at the time that he and Donald were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together," Williams is quoted as saying. In the spring of 1993, she went for a walk with Epstein in New York when he is said to have suggested visiting his friend in Trump Tower.
When they got there, Trump allegedly groped her. His hands were "all over my chest", but also on her hips and bottom, according to Williams. The then 25-year-old froze because she was "extremely confused" by the scene. Williams also had the impression that the two men were smiling at each other and that a "perverse game" was going on between them.
According to Williams, it continued after the incident: "Jeffrey and I left and he didn't look at me or speak to me. And as we were walking down the sidewalk, he looked at me and berated me: 'How could you let him do that?' He made me feel so gross, and I remember how downright confused I was. I felt like a piece of meat."
A spokeswoman for Donald Trump denies these allegations in the Guardian, saying that because Williams was a former Obama campaigner and had spoken out in favor of Harris, her campaign had arranged this whole story.
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9 a.m.
Political turmoil surrounding the Los Angeles Times
An editor at the Los Angeles Times has resigned because the paper's owner blocked editorial plans to endorse Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
In an interview with the "Columbia Journalism Review", editor Mariel Garza explained that she left because the newspaper was not taking a stand in "dangerous times". In such times, you have to stand up, she said, "and that's the way I stand up."
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the LA Times, wrote on X that his paper's editorial board had been asked to provide a factual analysis of Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump's policies and present them to readers in a way that would allow them to make up their own minds.
However, the editorial leadership had decided to remain silent and he had accepted this decision. Garza, on the other hand, told the Columbia Journalism Review that the editorial board had intended to publish a statement of support for Harris and had written a draft editorial to that effect.
The LA Times Union Council expressed deep concern over the owner's decision to block a planned endorsement and blame the editorial board for it.
Trump's campaign team seized on Garza's resignation, saying the paper had refused to endorse the Democrat despite having endorsed Harris in previous races for political posts.
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7:45 a.m.
Trump speaks in Texas about "migrant crime"
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump plans to address the state of Texas on the issues of border security and "migrant crime", according to his campaign team. The statement from Trump's campaign team said: "The only leader who will secure our borders and put Americans first is President Donald J. Trump."
Both Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris plan to hold rallies in the Texas capital Austin tomorrow, Friday. Harris is also likely to focus on the issue of border security - alongside abortion rights, which the Democrats have identified as a crucial issue in the election campaign.
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5:48 p.m.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defends Trump after report on Hitler remarks
Former non-partisan US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended former US President Donald Trump following reports of trivializing remarks about Adolf Hitler. He said on Wednesday that Trump would be a president "who unites America".
Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly told the New York Times that the ex-president had often said that "Hitler did some good things". According to Kennedy, Kelly's accusations are completely unfounded. He criticized the ex-chief of staff for his interview statements and for claiming that Trump met the definition of a fascist.
Kennedy had given up his own candidacy in the summer and backed Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. The nephew of President John F. Kennedy, who was killed in an assassination attempt in 1963, made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic as an opponent of vaccination and spread conspiracy stories about the dangers of 5G technology.
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5.03 am
Harris: "I pray every day"
US presidential candidate Kamala Harris says she prays every day. "I pray every day, sometimes twice a day," the Democrat said during a CNN Citizen's Hour on Wednesday evening (local time). She was raised to believe in a loving God and lives her faith by thinking about how she can help others. This principle also guides her work.
Presenter Anderson Cooper had asked Harris about a report that she initially called a pastor after Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. "I needed that spiritual kind of connection. I needed that advice. I needed a prayer," she said of the conversation with Pastor Amos Brown from her Baptist church in San Francisco.
The election campaign in the USA has reached its final phase. The election is less than two weeks away, on November 5. Christians and conservatives are an important group of voters. Polls predict a close race between Harris and her Republican challenger Donald Trump. Voters who have not yet decided who they want to vote for were invited to the town hall.
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4.04 pm
Harris thinks Trump is a fascist
US presidential candidate Kamala Harris considers her Republican opponent in the race for the presidency, former President Donald Trump, to be a fascist. The Democrat made this clear during a citizens' debate on US broadcaster CNN on Wednesday evening (local time). Presenter Anderson Cooper asked the 60-year-old: "Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?" Harris answered without hesitation: "Yes, I do."
The question was triggered by comments made by Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly. He told the New York Times that, in his view, Trump "falls under the general definition of a fascist". He referred to the description of fascism as an extreme right-wing, authoritarian and ultra-nationalist ideology, which includes a dictatorial leader and suppression of the opposition.
![US presidential candidate and runner-up Kamala Harris at a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.]()
US presidential candidate and runner-up Kamala Harris at a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. Image: Keystone/AP Photo/Matt RourkeTrump is "increasingly unstable" and "unfit for office," Harris said. Former associates of the ex-president and close confidants had explicitly pointed out that Trump despised the Constitution of the United States and should never again hold the office of President of the United States, Harris said.
With his statements about Trump, Kelly had "sent out a distress call to the American people" to point out what could happen if he moved back into the White House. The people who could "hold Trump back" are no longer there. "I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of America," Harris said.
Harris also tried to score points with undecided voters by addressing the issues on which many Americans trust Trump more. "I will never allow America to have an insecure border," Harris said. Trump and his supporters claim that under President Joe Biden and Harris as his vice president, uncontrolled immigration into the U.S. has escalated. Harris evaded the question of whether she wanted to build a wall on the border with Mexico like Trump: "I want to strengthen our border."
Harris also assured that she would not ban the controversial extraction of natural gas through fracking - contrary to Trump's claims. Fracking is an important economic factor in the contested state of Pennsylvania, which could decide the race for the White House with its 19 electoral votes. It needs 270 electoral votes to win.
Harris signaled that she could support changing the voting rules in the US Senate to enshrine the right to abortion in law. "I think we need to look at the filibuster," Harris said in reference to the requirement that a majority of 60 out of 100 votes is needed in the Senate to end protracted debates. With the narrow majorities, this has ensured for years that controversial decisions between the two parties cannot be made.
The election campaign in the USA has reached its final phase. The election is just under two weeks away, on November 5. Polls predict a close race between Harris and Trump.
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0.33 p.m.
Justice Department warns Musk over millions for voters
According to media reports, tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk has received a warning from the US Department of Justice over his million-dollar gifts to voters. Musk's organization "America PAC" was informed that the campaign may violate US election law, the TV stations CNN and NBC reported, citing informed persons. The Department of Justice would not comment on the information when asked.
Musk had announced at the weekend that he would give one million dollars a day to a registered voter in particularly hard-fought US states until the election. The campaign is aimed at registered voters who sign a petition. It is about "freedom of speech and the right to bear arms" - it was launched by Musk's organization "America PAC". This organization supports the election campaign of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
According to US election law, it is illegal to pay citizens money to vote or register to vote. According to Musk, the million-dollar gift is intended to raise awareness of the petition. However, critics of the campaign, such as law professor Rick Hasen from the University of California in Los Angeles, see a problem in the fact that only registered voters can take part. Hasen argued that this could be interpreted as the gift of money creating an incentive to register. On Monday, a group of former prosecutors and government officials called on the Justice Department to investigate the scheme, according to the Washington Post.
Musk handed over the first million-dollar checks over the weekend in hard-fought Pennsylvania. The state could be particularly important because it has 19 electoral votes. You need 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election.
Musk has long supported Trump financially with donations in the millions. Trump recently hinted that the head of electric car manufacturer Tesla could be appointed to head a committee to review US finances if he wins the election. Musk should cut government spending, Trump said. The billionaire often complains about the allegedly excessive demands made by the authorities on Tesla and SpaceX, the aerospace company he also runs. His Tesla shares in particular make Musk the richest person in the world, with an estimated fortune of around 240 billion dollars.
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Thursday, October 24, 2024, 0:10 a.m.
US deputy candidate Walz votes early with son
Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for US Vice President, has cast his vote for the presidential election together with his 18-year-old son Gus, a first-time voter. The two went to a polling station together on Wednesday (local time) in the state of Minnesota, where Walz is governor. There, they took the opportunity to vote before the actual election day on November 5: They filled out their ballots, cast them one after the other and then high-fived each other, as could be seen on videos.
Speaking to reporters, Walz described the election as "an opportunity to overcome the chaos of Donald Trump and start on a new path". He also used the opportunity to draw attention to the recently published statements by Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly, according to which Trump is said to have made relativizing remarks about Adolf Hitler. Walz thanked Kelly for his "courage to go public" and show the world "how dangerous" Trump is.
Early voting has already begun in several states. The presidential election in the USA takes place on November 5. It is shaping up to be a neck-and-neck race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
Find out what was important beforehand here.
