Trump embraces the ‘weave,’ while Harris heads to Fox

As Democrats debate her candidacy, Kamala Harris finally works up the nerve to defy the script, even as Donald Trump tries to defend her and navigate his way to power.

Given a night to battle their most desperate groups of undecided voters in their closest elections at the end of the day, the Republican and Democratic nominees were given an unusually candid look at voter identity Tuesday.

Trump tried but flubbed to mend his battered image among female voters following a bizarre 30 minutes at a town hall on Monday when he danced on stage to his campaign theme music. The former president-whose conservative Supreme Court majority wreaked havoc in the field of reproductive health care-declared, “I am the father of IVF.”

He was incoherent at a testy appearance before the Economic Club of Chicago, describing it as a clever “weave” of many concepts that only a political genius would undertake. He further tried rewriting history by claiming his audience in Washington on January 6, 2021, was filled with “love and peace” because of his effort to rig the 2020 election.

Harris faces some tough questions

Harris also pleaded for a chance among a big voting bloc that supports her campaign. She wooed Black male voters who were scolded by former President Barack Obama for playing loose with Trump last week as she seeks to become the first Black woman president.

The vice president intensified her criticism of her opponent in an interview with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God, calling him “weak” for siding with autocrats and concurring with the host that his political philosophy amounted to “fascism.”

Harris denied claims that she is overly prepared, even as Trump displayed his meandering rhetorical style. “That’s called discipline,” Harris said in a radio interview.

But Harris is beginning to take more sudden events in stride as Democrats begin to worry about the possibility of Trump returning to the White House.

He took the rare step of joining a Radio City Hall-style Q&A and fielded some tough questions about his stance on the black church and the economic issues facing the black voters. Harris will reach for yet another crucial voting bloc as she makes her way into the lion’s den of Fox News on Wednesday. She is looking to persuade Republicans so sullied by the former president they will vote for Democrat and appear on the pro-Trump network.

The contest for the most powerful political position in the world is not so much a test of strength as it is a contest between two candidates who are aware that addressing their shortcomings may be the key to winning, with Trump attempting to close the gap with women and Harris late in the game to bolster support among Black men.

It all may come down to a few thousand votes in battlegrounds and swing-state surveys. So it’s time for Trump and Harris to seek out the infrequent voter.

Stunning scenes in Georgia

A convicted felon survived two assassination attempts, an elderly president pulled out of the running for reelection months ahead of Election Day, and a vice president was dispatched at the last minute with a do-or-die mission: to save the White House from a rival Democrats deem a tyrant.

But Tuesday’s record-breaking turnout of over 300,000 voters in Georgia, a crucial battleground, on the first day of early voting exposed the immense stakes of what lies ahead and the strength of democracy in the most forceful way possible. High voter turnout would be encouraging for Democrats in the Peach State’s recent elections.

It’s too early to make any judgements about who will vote, though, as the GOP has been urging its supporters to come up early, despite Trump’s demand that all voting should occur on election day.

Georgia’s secretary of state’s chief operating officer, Gabriel Sterling, who was instrumental in dispelling Trump’s election-related lies four years ago, maintained that democracy was thriving in his state. “The Georgia voters would like to have a say in those who say democracy is dying and those who say Georgia election laws were Jim Crow 2.0,” he quipped.

Trump shows his risks and his appeal

At an event in Chicago, Trump vowed an aggressive campaign to take punches at countries and companies with a merciless system of tariffs.

He also brought up memories of his crazy presidency. He consistently disregarded economic reasoning, was unaffected by the facts, and shown a deep interest in conspiracy theories and personal grievances.

However, Trump also demonstrated why he appeals to so many Americans who feel that an economy controlled by corporate elites for their personal gain has left them behind. He established himself as a pugnacious populist, making Bloomberg News chief editor John Micklethwait a proxy for the country’s well-moneyed and influential economic élite. Trump counterattacked when the British journalist contended that “simple mathematics” meant that tariffs would drive up the prices businesses and consumers pay: “You’ve been wrong all your life on this stuff.”

And yet again, Trump refused to publicly chastise Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he so often passed the buck to during his time in office. Trump said “I don’t comment on that,” when asked about Bob Woodward’s reporting he had spoken several times to the dictator since leaving the White House. However, I will tell you that it would be wise for me to do so.

The interview was a prime illustration of how Trump has undermined conventional election procedures and mocks the facts. He accumulated a mountain of lies and ramblings that prevented him from being identified, so avoiding responsibility of any sort.

Trump later filmed a town hall with female voters for Fox News, which will be broadcast in its entirety on Wednesday. During the Georgia-recorded event, Trump stated, “I want to hear this question because I am the father of IVF.” He said, “We really are the party for IVF.” The Democrats tried to deme ourselves for wanting to use IVF, but we are even more interested in it than they are. Therefore we wholeheartedly support it.

Trump previously hinted that he wanted insurance companies or the government to cover the cost of IVF procedures, but he hasn’t explained how. However, following the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish the constitutional right to an abortion, Harris and the Democrats have been warning that a GOP triumph next month will jeopardise IVF treatments and other reproductive rights.

In most polls, Trump trails Harris among women voters, with 20 days to go, and should close the gender gap immediately.

Harris tries to win over Black males late

Black men have challenges comparable to the vice president. While this group has historically supported Democrats, there have been signs of a shift in recent cycles, which Trump has sought to reverse.

Responding to Charlamagne Tha God’s “The Breakfast Club,” Harris stressed that black voters need to think carefully about the future.

As he often says, Harris warned that a new Trump administration would “take us backwards.” “You have two choices in voting in this election, or you don’t vote, but if you do vote, you have two choices with very different visions for our country,” he added.

In classifying the threat he believes the former president poses—which over the weekend suggested using the military to fight his “internal enemies”—he also went further than ever. The show’s moderator said one of the ways Trump represents is “fascism,” asking, “Why can’t we just talk about it?” “Yes, we can say that,” Harris said.