Trump rally in Pennsylvania off to slow start
Donald Trump is due at a rally in Pennsylvania but there are a lot of empty seats.
The former president often boasts of his huge turnouts but the folk of Reading Pennsylvania are slow out of the blocks.
Trump ‘could face jail’ if he loses race for the White House
Donald Trump is still fighting four legal battles which in theory could see him end up in jail.
The criminal cases are quite different and carry varying penalties for the defendant if found guilty.
Trump denies all the charges.
For all their complexities, the four cases ultimately seem to lead to the same outcome if Trump beats Kamala Harris on November 5.
As president, he would effectively have a “get out of going to jail card” as the court cases seem likely to be stopped, either by him in the White House, or by state judiciary systems themselves.
But if he doesn’t win, then it could be a very different world for the property tycoon.
In a historic ruling,Trump was found guilty by a New York state court of 34 counts of fraud under election campaign finance laws.
Stormy Daniels“hush money” trial
A six-week trial heard from 22 witnesses, including former porn star Stormy Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with the former president was at the centre of the case.
Each of the charges carries a maximum of four years in jail.
Trump has sought to get the case dismissed after a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, and if he fails is still expected to pursue his legal fight.
His lawyers will also be able to argue that a lone state should not use its power to derail the functioning of the United States so if Trump is president he looks safe, for at least four years.
He is also embroiled in a legal case over the Capitol riots as well as for one in connection with alleged election fraud in Georgia.
In the second federal case,Trump has been accused of wilful retention of national defence information at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate, under the Espionage Act, with eight counts including conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and making false statements.
Alleged offences carry possible prison sentences of up to ten or 20 years.
But the case was dismissed by a Florida judge, a Trump appointee.
The special prosecutor bringing the case has appealed but it is doubtful whether it will proceed after the Supreme Court immunity ruling, so any prospect of jail is looking a long way off, if at all in this case.
Trump criticises Federal authorities over Hurricane Helene response
Donald Trump criticises Federal authorities over Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, where at least 101 people died.
The former president attacked FEMA, the federal government’s agency that supports Americans during disasters, branding it “terrible”.
He repeated the unfounded claim that FEMA funds were used to help undocumented migrants.
Trump told a political rally in the state: “They’ve spent all their money on bringing in murderers and a lot of people.
“They spent all their money on bringing in illegal migrants. They’ve also taken a lot of your jobs, especially jobs from the black population.”
Trump jokes about ‘grabbing’ in apparent reference to his infamous groping comments
Donald Trump appeared to reference his infamous boast from 2005 about groping women, saying his celebrity status meant he could “grab them by the pussy”.
Describing a test by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in which a booster fell to earth to be caught by a robotic arm he told the rally in North Carolina: “Then it came down, and those two arms grabbed that thing like… you’d grab your beautiful baby,” he said.
“See, I’ve got much better. Years ago I would’ve said something else, but I’ve learned. I would’ve been a bit more risqué.”
Elon Musk is ‘amazing’ says Trump at rally
Elon Musk, the SpaceX owner who is supporting the Trump campaign is an “amazing guy” says Donald Trump.
Musk is campaigning in Pennsylvania because “it’s the single most important thing he’s ever worked on”, according to the former president.
“We want to thank him. He’s an amazing guy.” Trump told a rally in North Carolina.
Mr Trump then lavished praise on SpaceX’s recent successful mission to catch a booster from its Starship rocket in a pair of robotic arms as it fell back to the launchpad.
Trump claims to have been campaigning for 62 days without a break and labelling Harris ‘lazy’
Donald Trump says he has been campaigning for 62 days consecutively without taking a day off.
He claims Kamala Harris “takes a day off every other day” and holds press conferences that “last for about two minutes”.
He told the rally in North Caroline: “I could be at the most beautiful beaches in the world right now, but I’m here because I’d rather be with you people.
“We’re doing something historic. You know what we’re doing here. So this has never been done before. They’ll never have rallies like this.”
Trump addresses border policy in opening attacks against Harris at North Carolina rally
Border policy is one of the themes Donald Trump has addressed at a rally in North Carolina.
He claims Kamala Harris would “open the borders” after the election if she becomes president.
He produces a chart which purports to show an increase in border crossings into the US from Mexico after his time in office and during the administration of Joe Biden.
“That was the day I left office. That was the lowest illegal immigration we ever had, and I kept it pretty good. He tells the crowd: “That graph is so meaningful. But even if the numbers were bad, I would still kiss it just equally. But those are the best numbers in the history of the border.”
More than 78 million votes cast early in ‘too close to call’ US election
More than 78 million votes have been cast early according to data from the University of Florida Election Lab.
More people have cast their ballots in-person than by mail, with more than 42.6 million votes submitted at polling places in-person and more than 35.3 million mail ballots returned.
More registered Democrats, 14.8 million, have voted ahead of Election Day.
That compares to 14.1 million registered Republicans.
Supporters arrive for Trump rally in Raleigh, North Carolina
It’s now 10am in the battleground state of North Carolina, where Donald Trump will be kicking off his final day of campaigning with a rally in Raleigh.
Photos show supporters gathered at the J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh. Clad in ‘make America great again’ caps and US flags, they’re pictured standing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the national anthem ahead of the event.
Trump supporters sing the national anthem before a campaign rally in Raleigh
REUTERS
A man wears a cutout mask of Donald Trump, ahead of a Republican rally in Raleigh, North Carolina
REUTERS
Supporters stand for the US national anthem during a Trump campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh
AFP via Getty Images
Elsewhere, more Trump supporters were pictured arriving at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, where Trump will head for the second of four rallies he is holding today.
Where will Trump be on the eve of Election Day?
Former President Donald Trump is closing out what he says will be his last campaign day for the White House with a jam-packed schedule that includes four rallies across three battleground states.
He’ll begin today (which as we explained in earlier posts is just beginning in the US) in Raleigh, North Carolina, underscoring the significance of a state he has visited the past three days in a row.
He then heads to Pennsylvania – perhaps the biggest prize on the electoral map – for rallies in Reading and Pittsburgh. Kamala Harris will also be in Reading and Pittsburgh today.
Trump will end his night – and likely spend the early hours of Election Day morning – in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That’s a campaign tradition for the former president who also held last-day rallies there during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.