Amanda Castro

By Amanda Castro

Associate News Editor

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Early voting for the general election kicked off in Florida on Monday, and current polling indicates that Donald Trump holds a solid lead. Surveys have revealed that the former president has consistently outpaced Vice President Kamala Harris throughout September and October, with leads ranging from 1 percent to 7 percent. Nevertheless, a recent poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College, known for its high accuracy, showed Trump with his most significant advantage at 13 points. Early voting also got a head start in Texas today and a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll of likely voters released on Friday noted that Trump is also leading Harris in this state by 5 percentage points.

Oct 21, 2024 at 06:50 PM EDT

Did McDonald’s stock drop after Trump served fries? What charts show

After former President Donald Trump was seen serving fries at a Pennsylvania McDonald's this weekend, the fast food chain's stock was reported to drop during trading hours Monday.

On Sunday, Trump was seen speaking to voters and scooping fries through the drive-thru window, although McDonald's said the company is not endorsing the former president in November's election.

"Upon learning of the former president's request, we approached it through the lens of one of our core values: we open our doors to everyone," the company said in a statement to the Associated Press. "McDonald's does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next president. We are not red or blue – we are golden."

McDonald's also said it invited Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, to serve customers at their restaurants.

However, in the Monday trading hours after Trump was seen on Sunday, McDonald's stock dropped by 0.53 percent, leading some to think the appearance hampered the fast food chain's reputation among customers.

Read More: Did McDonald's Stock Drop After Trump Served Fries? What Charts Show

Oct 21, 2024 at 06:37 PM EDT

Harris: ‘We cannot despair’

Harris urged voters to 'not despair' and to 'not feel powerless' while she was at a campaign event in Michigan.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 06:16 PM EDT

Early voting underway in Connecticut for the first time

Connecticut Offers First-Ever Early Voting Opportunity

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Early voting in Connecticut got underway today. It is the first time the state offers early voting in a presidential election. People can vote every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but hours differ on the Tuesday and Thursday ahead of the election: they're being extended to be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Oct 21, 2024 at 06:08 PM EDT

Fact check: Did McDonald’s endorse Donald Trump?

Former President Donald Trump manned the fries station, served them and chatted with customers at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania on Sunday, sparking a social media frenzy.

During the campaign stop in Feasterville-Trevose, a swing voter area northeast of Philadelphia, Trump put on an apron over his suit clothes to work at the restaurant. "I'm applying for a job at McDonald's right now," Trump joked to reporters as he stepped off his plane. "I've always wanted to do this."

A month earlier, Trump had hinted that he was interested in working at one of the chain's restaurants. As reporters and aides looked on, an employee guided Trump through the process of frying and salting the fries, then using a scoop to box them. A known fan of fast food, Trump expressed surprise that he didn't need to handle the fries with his hands.

The visit to the Bucks County McDonald's comes as Trump continues to escalate his criticism of Harris' remark that she worked at the fast-food chain during college. After the photos circulated online, some users raised questions about McDonald's position on the election, wondering if it had endorsed Trump.

Read More: Fact Check: Did McDonald's Endorse Donald Trump?

Oct 21, 2024 at 05:59 PM EDT

Liz Chaney comments on her support of Harris

Former Rep. Liz Chaney spoke about her support of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

"We're not going to agree on every issue, but we have to have leaders who take their oath seriously," Cheney told Maria Shriver, who was moderating a Michigan campaign event for Harris. "As a mother, I want my children to know that there is someone sitting in the Oval Office who they can look up to. I know that Vice President Harris will be that.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 05:43 PM EDT

Harris says election keeps her up at night

Kamala Harris said that despite taking care of herself, the election wakes her up in the middle of the night.

"I wake up in the middle of the night usually these days, just to be honest with you," Harris told moderator Maria Shriver, who asked whether she gets any sleep, at a campaign event in Royal Oak, Michigan.

"I work out," Harris added. "I try to eat well, you know. I love my family, and I make sure that I talk to the kids and my husband every day."

Oct 21, 2024 at 05:34 PM EDT

Donald Trump’s North Carolina FEMA comments spark new criticism

Former President Donald Trump faces a new wave of criticism after doubling down on false claims pertaining to hurricane response efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Trump and several of his allies spread misinformation about the response from FEMA and President Joe Biden's administration since Hurricane Helene tore through a region extending from Florida to North Carolina late last month, leaving over 200 people dead and delivering massive damage to infrastructure.

During a campaign stop in North Carolina on Monday, the ex-president was asked about a man who was arrested earlier this month on charges of "going armed to the terror of the public" after urging others to help him "overtake" a FEMA site in the Tar Heel State.

Trump did not disavow threats against the agency and rejected the idea that saying FEMA "was not doing their job" had hindered recovery efforts, with the former president instead repeating the false claim that the agency's disaster relief funds were being diverted to illegal migrants.

Read More: Donald Trump's North Carolina FEMA Comments Spark New Criticism

Oct 21, 2024 at 05:31 PM EDT

Walz says one good thing about Trump is that ‘he will not be president again’

Tim Walz said that one good thing about Donald Trump is that "he will not be president again" during a pop quiz round of questions in his interview on The View on Monday.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 05:13 PM EDT

Trump promises to call on Alien Enemies Act

Donald Trump said at a campaign event in Greenville, North Carolina on Monday "We have to go back to 1798" and promised voters that he would turn to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in order to remove undocumented gang members were he to be reelected.

"I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 18, no, of 1798. Think of that, 1798. That's when we had real politicians that said we're not going to play games. We have to go back to 1798 to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil," Trump said.

Oct 21, 2024 at 05:08 PM EDT

Harris says Trump being in the White House again will bring ‘brutally serious’ consequences

Kamala Harris talked about the "consequences" that would arise if Trump returns to the White House following this election at a Michigan conversation with former Rep. Liz Cheney and journalist Maria Shriver.

"I have said many times I do believe Donald Trump to be an unserious man," she said, "but the consequences of him being in the White House ever again are brutally serious."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 04:58 PM EDT

Harris voters less confident she’ll make country better than Trump’s voters

People leaning toward voting for Vice President Kamala Harris appear to have less confidence she will make the country better if elected president, compared to those leaning toward her rival Donald Trump.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll released on Monday asked 5,000 participants if each of the two would change the country for the better, the worse or not at all, if elected on November 5.

While 87 percent of those who definitely have voted, or will vote, for Democratic presidential nominee Harris believed she would bring positive change, only 43 percent of those saying they would probably vote for her felt the same.

By comparison, 97 percent of definite Trump voters felt the Republican presidential candidate would have a positive impact on the country, with 73 percent of those leaning toward him feeling similarly—a 30 percent difference to Harris' numbers.

As for those who had concerns about one candidate or the other, 86 percent of Harris supporters believed Trump would make the country worse, while 90 percent of his supporters felt that way about the vice president.

"Kamala Harris proudly owns all of the Harris-Biden failures of the past four years, from historic inflation, to the open southern border, to the botched Afghanistan withdrawal," RNC Spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek Monday morning.

"President Trump will bring the change Americans desperately want when he brings down prices, ends the migrant crime wave, restores peace through strength, and Makes America Great Again."

Newsweek also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment via email Monday morning.

Read More: Harris Voters Less Confident She'll Make Country Better Than Trump's Voters

Oct 21, 2024 at 04:55 PM EDT

Voters trust Harris over Trump to manage natural disasters

New data has revealed that voters trust Kamala Harris over Donald Trump to handle natural disasters. The details come from Data for Progress following the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Fifty percent of voters trust Harris over Trump, who 46% of voters trust.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 04:49 PM EDT

Harris in the lead among early voters

Kamala Harris is in the lead (64%) against Donald Trump (34%) among early voters, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released today. However, Trump leads Harris among those who have yet to vote on Election Day 52% to 35%.

A higher number of Democrats have voted early, with nearly 2.5 million people already casting their ballots, according to TargetSmart, though this doesn't exactly mean an advantage for Harris. Democrats generally favor early voting more than Republicans do.

Oct 21, 2024 at 04:39 PM EDT

JD Vance: ‘President Trump showed how to connect with voters’

JD Vance came to Trump's defense regarding the former president's appearance at a Pennsylvania McDonald's in an interview today the Fox News. "The fact that these people are accusing him of a stage-managed thing, of course the president has to have security because there have been two attempts on his life in the last eight weeks."

Vance added, "Donald Trump just goes into McDonald's and he is who he is and people love him."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 04:29 PM EDT

Trump encourages supporters to watch live N.C. rally

Donald Trump shared the details of his next North Carolina rally on Truth Social this afternoon.

"Join me LIVE in Greenville, North Carolina at 3:15PM EDT—Will be on @RSBN, @OAN, @Newsmax, @realAmericasVoice, and Donald J. Trump @Rumble, among others. See you soon—MAGA2024!!!" he wrote, adding a link to the live stream.

Oct 21, 2024 at 04:26 PM EDT

Mary Trump mocks uncle Donald’s Arnold Palmer rant

Mary Trump, daughter of Donald Trump's late older brother, Fred Trump Jr., and a vocal critic of her uncle, has characterized the former president's recent campaign trail antics as "some of Donald's most bizarre behavior."

In her The Good In Us newsletter, Trump's estranged niece highlighted a 10-minute "disquisition on Arnold Palmer and his anatomy," along with other incidents from the campaign weekend, including a "twenty-minute ramble after the sound cut out at one of his rallies" and the spectacle of the former president "in an apron pretending to work at McDonald's."

However, Trump's comments about the late golf legend during a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania—Palmer's hometown—have sparked particular controversy, with many finding the remarks about the late golfer's physique crude and inappropriate.

"When he took the showers with other pros, they came out of there, they said, 'Oh my God, that's unbelievable,'" Trump said at the rally, adding, "I had to say it. We have women that are highly sophisticated here, but they used to look at Arnold as a man."

Mary Trump argued that the incidents serve a dual purpose—as fodder for mockery, which she considers an "effective tool," and as evidence of what she describes as Donald Trump's unfitness for office and apparent cognitive decline.

"I think it's important to shine a bright light on all of this," she wrote.

Newsweek contacted Trump's campaign via email on Monday for comment.

Read More: Mary Trump Mocks Uncle Donald's Arnold Palmer Rant

Oct 21, 2024 at 04:21 PM EDT

Trump called ‘a great inspiration’

A North Carolina hurricane victim who lost his business to Helene said that Trump can "serve as a great inspiration to this community right now" while the former president was in the state for a rally today.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 04:07 PM EDT

Know the states that offer early voting and mail-in ballots

Out of the 50 states, 47 and the District of Columbia offer early voting and mail-in ballots to all voters. Here are those states:

* = Every active, registered voter will receive a ballot automatically

Oct 21, 2024 at 02:45 PM EDT

Mark Cuban speaks on immigration

Mark Cuban, a supporter of Harris and Walz, told CNBC in an interview that questioning someone about names, addresses, and immigration statuses is "not how you can run a country."

He added that Harris will put in place "very specific procedures" for non-citizens to follow in order to remain in or leave the country.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 02:38 PM EDT

Kamala Harris outpaces Donald Trump in fundraising as polls tighten

Vice President Kamala Harris is raising more money than former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, but as polls between the two candidates tighten, will the funds be enough to move the needle?

Fifteen days from the election, the candidates are locked in a dead heat. Harris is narrowly maintaining her lead in the polls, with polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight putting the vice president 1.8 points ahead of her Republican rival, 48.2 percent to 46.4 percent.

However, Trump is gaining ground in key battleground states, with FiveThirtyEight putting the GOP nominee ahead in Pennsylvania today. The betting odds are also favoring Trump. RealClearPolitics bookmarks give him a 58.3 percent change and give Harris 40.8 percent.

The vice president's campaign has given Democrats a fundraising lead, having raised more than three times as much as Trump in September, according to Forbes.

Harris' combined campaign and affiliated groups have passed the $1 billion mark—likely the fastest in history that a candidate has hit that milestone, according to The New York Times.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns via email for comment.

In 2020, both Trump and President Joe Biden reached $1 billion in fundraising, but the money was raised over a much longer period of time. The Harris campaign raised $221.8 million in September alone, while the Trump campaign raised $62.7 million, according to Forbes.

Read More: Kamala Harris Outpaces Donald Trump in Fundraising as Polls Tighten

Oct 21, 2024 at 02:32 PM EDT

Trump makes big promises regarding Bitcoin

Trump has vowed to "never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency," among other promises in a talk in Washington D.C.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 02:24 PM EDT

Trump not concerned over voting in North Carolina post-Helene

Former President Donald Trump on Monday voiced his trust in the voting system of North Carolina as the state deals with the consequences of Hurricane Helene.

Trump, addressing reporters in a storm-damaged region of Asheville, was questioned: "Is there any concern or specific reasoning that you have to believe at this point in time ... that the results of the election in North Carolina will not be credible or legitimate because of the storm's aftermath?"

"No, I think in a way it's the opposite," the former president responded. "I mean, we're so impressed. And I think they have a pretty good system here."

Oct 21, 2024 at 02:11 PM EDT

Musk says Trump working at McDonald’s is ‘epic’

The PAC founded by Elon Musk shared a video of the billionaire saying that Trump working at McDonald's is "epic."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 02:00 PM EDT

Kamala Harris gets good news after week of gloomy polls

Vice President Kamala Harris received a positive swing state poll after a series of other surveys and forecasts have suggested Donald Trump is the current 2024 frontrunner.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll of 5,016 likely voters in the seven key battleground states have the vice president ahead of Trump in Georgia (51 percent to 47), Michigan (49 percent to 47), Pennsylvania (49 percent to 47) and Wisconsin (50 percent to 47).

Trump and Harris are tied at 48 percent in Nevada, with the Republican winning in North Carolina (50 percent to 47) and in Arizona (49 percent to 46).

Even if Trump wins Nevada, Harris would be on course to win November's election with 286 Electoral College votes if the Washington Post-Schar School polling proves accurate.

The Washington Post-Schar School poll was conducted between September 30 and October 15. The margins of error in each state are between plus or minus 3.9 and 5 percentage points.

Newsweek has contacted Trump and Harris' campaign teams for comment via email.

Read More: Kamala Harris Gets Good News After Week of Gloomy Polls

Oct 21, 2024 at 01:48 PM EDT

Dana White calls Trump ‘a good person’

CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana White said on podcast Outta Pocket with RGIII that "Donald Trump is a good person."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 01:41 PM EDT

List of celebrities who have endorsed Donald Trump

Here is a list of celebrities who have endorsed Donald Trump for president:

Oct 21, 2024 at 01:30 PM EDT

List of celebrities who have endorsed Kamala Harris

Marc Anthony Performing In Italy

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Here is a list of celebrities who have endorsed Kamala Harris for president:

Oct 21, 2024 at 01:13 PM EDT

Daughter of Republican President Gerald Ford endorses Harris

Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president.

"Vice President Harris and I likely disagree on some policy, but her integrity and commitment to those same principles that guided Dad have led me to conclude that Kamala Harris should be elected 47th president of the United States."

"I know she will work to bring all Americans together to move us beyond partisanship. That is what America deserves from our president, and that is why I am proud to endorse Vice President Harris for president of the United States."

"America cannot regress back to a divisive paradigm of loathing toward one another and disdain for our Constitution. We witnessed on January 6 the horrors of what that looks like, and we can never allow repeat of that tragedy," Ford Bales said.

Oct 21, 2024 at 01:10 PM EDT

Liz Chaney: ‘They’re going to vote the right way on November 5th’

At a Harris rally in Pennsylvania, former Re. Liz Chaney said that Republicans are "going to vote the right way on November 5th." She added that, though they might not be public about it, "they'll do what they know is right."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 01:01 PM EDT

What Florida polls show about Harris vs. Trump as early voting begins

Early voting for the general election began in Florida on Monday, and polls suggest Donald Trump is comfortably ahead.

Polling has shown the former president consistently ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in October and September by margins of between 1 percent and 7 percent.

However, one recent poll by The New York Times/ Siena College, which is considered to be the country's most accurate pollster, gave Trump his largest lead yet at 13 points.

Nate Cohn, chief political analyst for The New York Times, noted that the poll was a staggeringly large lead for Trump and an outlier compared to other state polls.

However, Cohn noted that Trump has had a "considerable lead among Florida's voters" throughout their polling this year. Therefore, Trump's 13-point lead "probably isn't a fluke simply attributable to random chance," he said.

Another recent poll by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab gave Trump a lead of 10 points, with 53 percent support to Harris' 43 percent.

Other polls give Trump slightly more modest leads, such as 6 points from Redfield & Wilson Strategies and 4 from Marist College.

While some polls have momentarily shown Harris gaining ground in the state, no poll has shown her leading Trump.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment via email.

Read More: What Florida Polls Show About Harris vs. Trump As Early Voting Begins

Oct 21, 2024 at 12:45 PM EDT

Early voting underway in Texas

Early voting in Texas started today and will end on Friday, November 1. Hours depend on your location during this time.

Residents of Texas have the option to vote early by mail as well. The last day to request a mail-in ballot for early voting is Friday, October 25.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 12:36 PM EDT

Trump attacks Kamala and calls her a ‘Low IQ individual’

Donald Trump said this morning that fellow presidential candidate Kamala Harris is "the Worst Vice President in the History of the United States and a Low IQ individual."

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Arab Voters are very upset that Comrade Kamala Harris, the Worst Vice President in the History of the United States and a Low IQ individual, is campaigning with "dumb as a rock" War Hawk, Liz Cheney, who, like her father, the man that pushed Bush to ridiculously go to War in the Middle East, also wants to go to War with every Muslim Country known to mankind. Remember, Liz Cheney lost her Congressional Seat by the LARGEST margin, 40%, in History for a sitting Congressperson. If Kamala gets four more years, the Middle East will spend the next four decades going up in flames, and your kids will be going off to War, maybe even a Third World War, something that will never happen with President Donald J. Trump in charge. For our Country's sake, and for your kids, Vote Trump for PEACE!"

Oct 21, 2024 at 12:14 PM EDT

Harris promises lower costs

At a rally, Kamala Harris said that she would "lower costs on everything," including health care and groceries if she won the election.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 12:11 PM EDT

North Carolina voting data revealed

The North Carolina State Board of Elections reports that over one million ballots have been cast early. Nearly 940,000 voters have participated in early in-person voting so far, with around 92,000 opting for mail-in ballots.

There are also over 7.70 million registered voters as of October 19 and more than 1 million total ballots cast through October 20.

Oct 21, 2024 at 11:57 AM EDT

Trump shares video of work at McDonald’s

Donald Trump shared a video of him working at McDonald's.

"I'm looking for a job and I've always wanted to work at McDonald's, I never did," he said in the video. "I'm running against somebody that said she did, but it turned out to be a total phony story."

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Oct 21, 2024 at 11:43 AM EDT

Walz wishes Medicare expansion ‘would have been proposed sooner’

Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz appeared on The View today and was asked about what changes they would make to the Biden administration

"This expansion on Medicare is something that I wish would have been proposed sooner," he said. "But look, they're tackling the issues that they need to do. They came out of a pandemic that Donald Trump had left a mess for an economy of supply chains that were broken. But I think focusing on this care economy, the two things that the Vice President proposed that I hear everywhere, especially in rural America, is this issue of affordability on child care and the ability of seniors to get healthcare, protecting that so I think just in this last week you saw a major role on protecting rural hospitals, this is a big issue."

Oct 21, 2024 at 11:28 AM EDT

Donald Trump Faces New Central Park 5 Lawsuit After Debate Remarks

The five men wrongfully convicted of a 1989 New York City assault who became known as the "Central Park 5," have filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.

The report states, the suit filed in Pennsylvania federal court was prompted by Trump's recent remarks during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, where he falsely claimed that the men were responsible for the crime and that one of the victims had died.

The Central Park 5 have long maintained their innocence, and their convictions were overturned in 2002 following DNA evidence that exonerated them.

The lawsuit highlights that the men never pleaded guilty to the Central Park assaults and consistently maintained their innocence throughout their trial, incarceration, and even after their exoneration.

The lawsuit also details an interaction between a member of the Central Park 5 and Trump in the spin room following the September 10 debate in Philadelphia. During this encounter, Mr. [Yusef] Salaam introduced himself to Trump, who then remarked, "you're on my side." Salaam replied, "no, I'm not on your side," to which Trump simply smiled, walked away, and waved.

The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, claiming that Trump's statements placed them in a false light and caused them to suffer severe emotional distress.

Read More: Donald Trump Faces New Central Park 5 Lawsuit After Debate Remarks

Oct 21, 2024 at 11:26 AM EDT

Elon Musk celebrates Republican voter registration

Donald Trump supporter Elon Musk celebrated new Republican voter registration "crushing" Democrat voter registration.

Trump retweeted the post.

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Oct 21, 2024 at 11:24 AM EDT

Shift towards Trump in recent surveys

According to the New York Times, Trump was leading by two points overall in a Fox News survey, while Harris was ahead by two points in the previous survey.

Fairleigh Dickinson University indicated Harris was ahead by three points nationwide, in contrast to her leading by seven in its last poll.

Meanwhile, Marquette Law School reported a tie in the race, whereas Harris had a six-point lead in August.

Ipsos conducted various polls showing Harris ahead by two to four points over the past week, compared to her usual leads of five or six points in September.

Emerson College also found a tied race, which is a shift from the two-point lead Harris had in its earlier poll.

Oct 21, 2024 at 11:22 AM EDT

Where to find Kamala Harris — Oct. 16

Harris Campaigns In Georgia

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Today, October 16, Vice President Kamala Harris will be in:

Oct 21, 2024 at 11:12 AM EDT

Where to find Donald Trump — Oct. 16

Trump Speaks At Town Hall

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Today, October 16, former President Donald Trump will be in:

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