Donald Trump has sworn at Kamala Harris in an escalation of his verbal attacks. Singers Lizzo and Usher joined the vice president on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, judges punishing Capitol riot criminals fear more political violence this year. Listen to our election podcast as you scroll.
Sunday 20 October 2024 01:58, UK
That’s the end of our live coverage of the US election for today, but we’ll be back later with all the latest updates and analysis.
If you’re just checking in, here’s a recap of the key moments.
Celebrity cameos were the main feature of Kamala Harris’s rallies, with Lizzo introducing her in Michigan and Usher making an appearance in Georgia.
Usher said voters have a “momentous” opportunity to “choose a new generation of leadership”, calling on them to “not allow our past to define our future”.
Lizzo took the opportunity to encourage Harris supporters to vote early, saying of Michigan: “This is the swing state of all swing states, so every single vote here counts.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump escalated his verbal attacks during a Pennsylvania campaign event by swearing at the vice president.
“She’s a horrible person, but she’s radical left… so you have to tell Kamala Harris that you’ve had enough, that you just can’t take it anymore. We can’t stand you. You’re a shit vice president,” he said.
Beyond the campaign trail, judges punishing rioters for storming the US Capitol nearly four years ago fear the nation faces more political violence on the cusp of the next presidential election.
Mr Trump continues to deny any responsibility for the crimes of supporters, instead vowing to pardon rioters, whom he calls “patriots” and “hostages”, if he wins in November.
And finally, a pro-Trump political action committee funded by Elon Musk, America PAC, was investigating claims its canvassers lied about the number of voters they have contacted, sources said.
Keen election watchers might remember that Kamala Harris revealed she was a Formula One fan during the campaign trail.
She said her favourite driver was Lewis Hamilton “of course”.
Asked by our US partner network NBC News whether Ms Harris was his favourite candidate, Mr Hamilton replied: “Yes.”
He declined to elaborate, adding only: “But she is, of course.”
Donald Trump has just sworn at the vice president at a campaign event in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
“She’s a horrible person, but she’s radical left and crazy Bernie is radical left and this one, Kamala, is further left than them.
“So you have to tell Kamala Harris that you’ve had enough, that you just can’t take it anymore. We can’t stand you. You’re a shit vice president.
“You’re the worst vice president, Kamala you’re fired, get the hell out of here, you’re fired.”
Over in Nebraska, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is attacking Republican’s “small government” campaign motto.
“They talk about small government – apparently small enough to fit in your bedroom with the people you’re there with.
“Or in your library to tell you what to read.”
He says “do unto others” is the golden rule, with the addendum: “Mind your own damn business.”
Freedom means living your life the way you choose, he says.
While Donald Trump is speaking to supporters in Pennsylvania, singer Usher has walked on stage at a Harris rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
Speaking to a crowd of reportedly 10,000 people at Lakewood Amphitheater, he says: “Normally I am up here to entertain, but today for something far more significant.”
He says voters have a “momentous” opportunity to “choose a new generation of leadership” – a campaign line often used by Kamala Harris to separate herself, aged 60, from Donald Trump, aged 78.
Endorsing Ms Harris, he says: “She fights for everyone’s rights. For freedom. And it doesn’t matter where you’re from, she has a vision for our country that supports everyone.”
He adds: “We have to strive to not allow our past to define our future.”
Partway through his remarks, an audience member shouts: “We love you, Usher”
He responds: “I love you more. But I love Kamala Harris even more. I want her to be our next president of the United States.”
In the same sentence, Donald Trump begins making false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election and questions his haircut.
“Remember, they stole the election from an American president. I could say coup – I don’t even want to call – they just stole the election. They said: ‘We’re taking the election away’.
“He got 14 million votes and he won, 22 people running, 22 Democrats, they’re running, I’m looking at my hair up there, let’s see.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Excuse me, I’m going to recomb my hair, do you mind? I’ll leave the stage for five minutes, I’m going to recomb my hair Mr future senator. We have David down here, Mr future senator.
“Let’s keep it the way it is, let’s keep going, right.”
Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump says Benjamin Netanyahu called him today.
He says Israel is in a “much stronger position” for having not listened to Joe Biden’s calls for restraint over its wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Bibi called me today and he said: ‘It’s incredible what’s happened, they said it’s pretty incredible’, but he wouldn’t listen to Biden because if he did they wouldn’t be in this position.
“And she’s worse than him, she’s not as smart as him,” he says of Kamala Harris.
Donald Trump is speaking at a campaign event in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Behind the former president are supporters wearing red hard hats with Trump stickers printed on the front.
He starts with a 10-minute anecdote about the late US golfer Arnold Palmer, who learned to play at Latrobe Country Club.
“I’ve told the story before, not in this kind of detail,” says Mr Trump.
“Because you know, you have these teleprompters, if I would read it off a teleprompter it wouldn’t be so good, right?
“And it would be a lot shorter, it wouldn’t be as good.
“And I didn’t want to do that. I said when I come here I’m going to tell the real story of Arnold.
“Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that with all due respect to women, and I love women, but this is a guy who was all man.”
He continued: “This man was strong and tough.
“And I refuse to say it but when he took showers with the other pros they came out of there, they said ‘oh my God. That’s unbelievable. That’s unbelievable.’
“I had to say it. I had to say it. We have women that are highly sophisticated here. But they used to look at Arnold, they said, ‘man’.”
Barack Obama will campaign in North Carolina on behalf of the Harris campaign next week, an official has told our US partner network NBC News.
The state hasn’t voted Democrat since the former president was first elected in 2008.
And it has only voted for one other Democratic candidate once since 1968, Jimmy Carter in 1976.
But in 2020 Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in the state by just 1.3% of the vote.
The official said Mr Obama will encourage voters to cast ballots early or return their mail-in ballots.
He is also slated to make a stop in Nevada today.
Kamala Harris has dodged a question on whether Arab American and Muslim anger over US support for Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon could cost her the election.
“I speak publicly all the time about the fact that there are so many tragic stories coming from Gaza,” Ms Harris said, also referencing Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.
“What’s critically important as we look at this moment, is… acknowledging the tragedy of what has happened in Gaza, in terms of the extraordinary number of innocent Palestinians that have been killed, and taking that seriously and speaking truth about that.”
Ms Harris will need strong results in Detroit and Atlanta – where she is speaking today and which both have large Arab American and Muslim populations – to repeat Joe Biden’s 2020 wins in Michigan and Georgia.
Mr Trump won Michigan by just 11,000 votes in 2016.
Some 50 prominent Lebanese-Americans endorsed Ms Harris yesterday, saying the US had been “unrelenting” in its support for Lebanon under the Biden administration and that they expect additional backing if Harris wins.
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