Tale of two meetings: The candidates’ latest tours feature a nervous Harris and a cheerful Trump

With the election just days away, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in the final stretch of their campaign travels, but the tone of both couldn’t be more contrasting, with Trump on the attack and on message and Harris on the defense against the political far left at her own rallies.

Although Harris initially tried to portray her campaign as one of “joy,” Trump has adopted an almost jovial tone as polls and betting increasingly paint him as the favorite. Moreover, his recent rally at Madison Square Garden was an offensive action in the heart of Democratic territory and saw tens of thousands of people converge on the Big Apple for what he later deemed a “love fest.”

Polling data shows a tight battle, with Trump leading 0.3% lead in the RealClearPolitics average. That electrical outlet currently projects Trump wins 287 electoral votes, compared to Harris’ 251. Polymarket betting also prefer Trump to win with a 61.1% chance to Harris’s 39.0%.

Although the race is still in tossup territory, the Trump campaign is quite optimistic. Campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio said this week released a memo This highlights the difference in the polls between this election and 2020. The key point was that Trump is significantly outperforming in 2020 in every swing state.

“I point this out NOT to encourage overconfidence or complacency, but to illustrate how close this election is and that victory is within our reach,” he wrote. “It is crucial that we do not get distracted by the media noise and remain focused on our final message, convincing the few remaining undecided voters and forming our base.”

The Trump campaign appears to have taken his words to heart.

Trump’s last week

Trump started the week with his blowout rally at Madison Square Garden and then organized event after event at all the major battlegrounds, often holding two rallies a day. Election weekend I’ll see him go even further and hold three rallies on Saturday and Sunday, with four more scheduled for Monday.

While two are planned for North Carolina, Trump plans to appear in Salem, Virginia, as the Old Dominion appears competitive. His Saturday events follow on from the Friday meets in Michigan and Wisconsin. On Sunday, rallies will take place in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, while on Monday he will hold four more, two in Pennsylvania and one each in North Carolina and Michigan.

Trump opened its meeting in Michiganby applauding the size of the crowd and the positive energy of his events, including stunts like driving a garbage truck after President Biden called his supporters “trash.”

“They will never be anything like what we did,” he said of Democratic rallies. “We did something unprecedented and we had fun, but now we have to hopefully get to work.”

The final sprint comes as the Trump campaign has carefully crafted its closing argument: “Kamala broke it, but Trump will fix it.That line has become increasingly prominent among Trump’s surrogates and at his rallies, functioning as a de facto secondary slogan.

“Trump talks about solving problems for Americans, while Kamala Harris focuses solely on attacking him,” a campaign official said. He “asks people to vote for something, while she asks people to vote against something.”

Harris is confronted by protesters and stumbles

For her part, the vice president has faced continued interruptions and protests during her final week, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators often interrupting her remarks. Harris has struggled to respond in many of those situations, often chastising them for interrupting her or for recognizing the importance of their concerns.

Pro-palestinian protesters were present outside her ‘closing argument’ speech on tuesday evening when she talked about the Ellipseoutside the White House.

Her Thursday evening meeting in Reno, Nevada was additionally seen demonstrators the chanting of “free, free Palestine” was removed from the event. Harris himself seemed nervous by the event and began talking incoherently, looking around for an assistant or teleprompter. Instead, she produced her now famous “word salad.”

“You know what? Let me say something about this,” she said as the singing grew louder. “We are here because we are fighting for democracy, fighting for democracy. And understand the difference here… Understand the difference here, move forward, move forward, understand the difference here. What we are looking at is a difference in this election,” she said. “Let’s move on and see where we are.”

The developments serve as a microcosm of sorts for a campaign that has struggled to placate its most left-wing supporters and articulate its positions on key issues.

On her Saturday, rallies will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, NC, and East Lansing, Michigan, according to the Philadelphia researcher. She will conclude her campaign in Pennsylvania on Monday with several rallies.

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday.