Inside Kamala & Trump rallies: 10km apart, two ideas, two languages, two Americas | World news

Milwaukee: Tuesday, November 1, was an unusual day for Milwaukee, a usually quiet American city known for its cattle ranches and craft beers. The city was abuzz with political activity in the evening as Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump, locked in a neck-and-neck battle for the White House, descended there for their rallies just about 6 miles apart. Milwaukee is located in Wisconsin, one of seven swing states that will play a crucial role in choosing the next US president in the November 5 elections.

Vice President Harris, the Democratic party nominee, and former President Trump, who are vying for the Republican ticket for the third straight election, have been touring Wisconsin in recent days as their campaigns enter the final stages . To put it in perspective, Wisconsin picked the winner of the past six presidential elections by a margin of less than 1 percent. Moreover, in the past four elections, the candidate who won the state won the election. The state has a crucial ten electoral votes.

Although their meetings were only a short distance apart, the events they attended were very different in style, people and language. Perhaps the only similarity between the two gatherings is that both Trump and Harris were late for their latest political show in Wisconsin.

Harris addressed her supporters at a star-studded event at the Exposition Center during the Wisconsin State Fair, while Trump spoke to his fans at the Finserve Forum. Harris spoke for 24 minutes through the securely fixed microphone, while Trump continued for 90 minutes with his microphone in his hands due to a technical glitch. The real difference, however, was in what they spoke and who they spoke to.

Both gatherings were political celebrations in their own way. Harris had her celebrity endorsers ready, and they kept the crowd engaged until the presidential candidate showed up. GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte and DJ Gemini Gilly were the celebrities who attended the Harris rally. CardiB, the sensational rapper, gave a rousing endorsement speech and said she chose to vote in this election only after Harris entered the fray. She had to read the speech directly from her phone screen due to a problem with the teleprompter. However, it didn’t dampen her spirits.
The Trump supporters waited for their hero and enjoyed songs such as “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, as is customary at Republican rallies.

‘Kamala, Kamala’
Harris entered with her signature smile, clapping and cheering on the crowd. On stage she was the personification of self-confidence. She stuck to the Democratic playbook in her speech, positioning herself as the leader of all, unlike her opponent, whose political story is often about division. “Either he’ll walk into that office looking through his list of enemies, or if I’m elected, he’ll walk in on your behalf with my to-do list,” she told an applauding crowd.

Harris said the Trump era was driven by the idea that Americans should point fingers at each other. “We all know we have more in common than what divides us,” she said. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are my enemies. He wants to put them in jail; I will give them a seat at the table,” she said. She said she would even like to have a Republican in her Cabinet. Throughout the campaign, she has tried to woo Republican dissenters who were unhappy with the Trump style.

The crowd, holding “Freedom” signs and wearing a wristband that emitted blue light, applauded her every time she made a point. In between they also sang ‘Kamala, Kamala’. However, there was more despair than hope in the crowd. Like Cardi B, they might have left it to fate in the early stages of the campaign. However, Harris’ arrival has revived their hopes. They want to see her win, even though they know the fight is too close.

A doctor from southern India expressed his concerns at the meeting: “It would be dangerous if Trump wins. He wants us all out of the country. He will not hesitate to do anything.”

Trump and a troubled microphone
The former president received overwhelming support from the long-awaited crowd, but not from the microphone on stage. The crowd, which had gathered to listen to Trump, was unhappy with the troublesome microphone and wanted it repaired.

Trump’s tendency to go off script and turn his speech into a show was also evident in Milwaukee. The microphone immediately became a possession in his hand. “Mike stinks,” he said, pulling him off the stand. To his fans, it seemed like a heroic act, and they couldn’t hide their admiration. After a while, Trump also became frustrated and jokingly asked the audience, “Do you want to see me beat the shit out of people backstage?”

He also used the word ‘stink’ for the economy and called the press the most dishonest people, all to cheers from the crowd made up of all age groups, holding signs saying ‘Dream Big Again’ and ‘Trump will Fix it’. The young people in the crowd were more than happy every time Trump berated the media. They showed thumbs down and booed.

As usual, he attacked Harris, saying, “She has no vision, no ideas, no brain power to come up with solutions.” He said all she talked about was “Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump.” It was a sign for the campaign team. Several times, a video appeared on the screen of Harris saying “Donald Trump.”

Trump’s speech also had a high emotional quotient as he took up his favorite topic: illegal immigration. One video played showed a young mother emotionally recounting how she lost her 12-year-old daughter to illegal immigrants. The woman in the video says Kamala Harris was in charge of immigration when the incident happened, and she couldn’t prevent it. She also expressed hope that President Trump would return to power so that her next child would be safe in the country.

When it comes to his audience, Trump knows where to pause, where to mime and where to swear. And maybe they see in him someone who speaks like them.