US election: 9 days left – What polls say Harris and Trump are up to | Explanatory messages

Nine days before Election Day in the United States, the two leading candidates for the White House – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump – continue to fight for votes in battleground states as polls suggest a tight race.

On Saturday, Trump made a bold move targeting Arab American and Muslim voters in Michigan, a swing state with nearly 400,000 voters of Arab descent.

Michigan voted for Biden in 2020, but anger over Israel's genocide in Gaza and the war in Lebanon could affect Democratic turnout for Harris.

Michigan is one of seven competitive states that will likely decide the winner. It is part of the “Blue Wall,” which, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is considered the Democrats’ best chance of electing Harris.

Harris was also campaigning in Michigan on Saturday and warned that Trump would wield “unchecked and extreme power” if he returned to the White House.

What are the latest updates from the surveys?

A poll released Saturday by Emerson College Polling puts Harris and Trump at 49 percent each.

The poll, conducted Oct. 23 and 24, suggested a closer race than a week earlier, with Harris leading Trump 49 percent to 48 percent. It's also the first time since August that Harris isn't leading in Emerson's weekly poll.

“Male voters favor Trump by 13 points, 55 percent to 42 percent, a larger margin than in 2020, while women favor Harris by 10 points, 54 percent to 44 percent, falling short of Biden’s support in 2020.” said Spencer Kimball. Executive Director of Emerson College Polling.

The latest poll also found that regardless of who they vote for, 50 percent of American voters believe Trump will win the election, while 49 percent think Harris will win the election.

The poll also found that the economy was the top issue for voters at 45 percent, followed by immigration (14 percent), threats to democracy (14 percent), abortion access (7 percent), health care (6 percent) and crime (4 percent). ).

Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight's current daily average showed Harris leading the national polls by 47.9 points, to Trump's 46.6 points.

According to the same poll, Harris' unfavorable rating rose to 47.8 percent, while her favorable rating was at 46.4 percent. Trump's unfavorable rating was 52.1 percent, while his positive rating was 43.4 percent.

What was Kamala Harris up to on Saturday?

Harris was in Michigan, where former first lady Michelle Obama fired up the crowd of Democratic supporters by drawing distinctions between Harris and Trump on personal character and qualifications and saying there was a double standard in the treatment of the two.

Obama warned that another Trump term would lead to further rollbacks on abortion rights. She said Trump's promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, passed during her husband's presidency, would impact “women's overall health.”

Harris had been giving an upbeat speech for several minutes when she was interrupted by a protester who repeatedly shouted, “No more war in Gaza.”

After Harris' supporters quelled the interruption, she responded, “As far as Gaza is concerned, we must end this war,” and then picked up where she left off, urging voters to “turn the side of fear and division.” “.

What did Donald Trump plan to do on Saturday?

Trump was also campaigning in Michigan and met a group of Muslim preachers. He argued that he deserved the support of Muslim voters because he would end conflict and bring peace to the Middle East.

Trump fully supports Israel and has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what you have to do” when dealing with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Still, Trump appears to be drawing support from some Muslim Americans angered by President Joe Biden and Harris' policies in Gaza, and even though Trump as president has banned immigration from some Muslim-majority countries.

Imam Belal Alzuhairi of the Islamic Center of Detroit joined Trump on stage in Novi and said, “We ask Muslims to stand with President Trump because he promises peace.”

However, during the same appearance, Trump also denigrated Detroit and tried to appeal to suburban voters.

“I think Detroit and some of our areas are making us a developing country,” he said, adding that people want him to say Detroit is “great” but he thinks it “needs help.”

What's next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?

According to her campaign, Harris will spend all day Sunday in Philadelphia, crisscrossing the city at a series of neighborhood events to engage voters. Turnout in Philadelphia could be the deciding factor in whether Harris can win the critical state of Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, Harris' day-long tour will focus on predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in the Democratic-leaning city.

Harris is scheduled to attend church services and give a speech at a black church in West Philadelphia on Sunday morning. She will also visit a hair salon in West Philadelphia to speak with young black men and community leaders.

Meanwhile, Trump will take the stage at one of the country's most iconic venues and host a hometown rally at New York's Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's final message against Harris.

Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City. He also built his real estate career in the city.

While some Democrats and television pundits have questioned Trump's decision to hold what they dismiss as vanity events, the rally in Democratic-leaning New York guarantees Trump what he craves most: the spotlight, wall-to-wall coverage and a national audience.

“It's the New York, but it's also, you know, it's MSG, it's Madison Square Garden,” Trump said in a recent radio interview. “People like you and me, those words mean a lot. Madison Square Garden, right? Don't you think so? … It’s a very big stop.”

Trump will be joined at the rally by supporters including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost his campaign.