Pictures copyright : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
What are Kamala and Trump doing before the election?
Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on the U.S.
News (1) to (2) / Reporter : Li Haoyue / Editor : Ren Zijun / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/16/n14351928.htm
News (1)
21 days until the election, what are Kamala and Trump doing?
Image : There are only 21 days left before the 2024 US election, and the respective campaigns of Kamala Harris and Trump are in full swing. (Shutterstock)
There are only 21 days until the final voting day of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and Kamala (or Harris) and Trump are working hard to win support from African-American voters, women and other key constituencies. The competition between the two candidates is very close and the campaign schedule is very tight.
On Wednesday (16 October 2024), Kamala was campaigning in Pennsylvania before being interviewed by Fox News; Trump recorded a town hall event with a Spanish-language TV station in Miami, Florida, and accepted a Spanish-language interview addressing questions from American voters before he holds a high-priced fundraiser tonight at Mar-a-Lago.
Kamala's interview show on Fox will air on Wednesday evening ET, while Trump's pre-recorded town hall event on women's issues with Fox News will air on the same morning.
News (2)
Kamala Harris calls on Republicans for support at Pennsylvania campaign event
Kamala appealed to Republicans and independent voters at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, portraying former President Donald Trump as a dangerous and destabilizing threat to American democracy.
Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who joined her campaign, said it was time to put "country before party."
Standing in front of a slogan that read "The country is above political parties," Kamala said the constitution was designed to ensure the peaceful transfer of power and was "not a relic of our past." The Constitution "determines whether we are a country where people can speak freely and even criticize the president without fear of being thrown in jail," she said.
In a town hall event hosted by Fox News that was broadcast that day, Trump once again called Democratic Party members "internal enemies" and more dangerous than foreign enemies. Trump called them "Marxists, communists and fascists."
The vice president's campaign criticized Trump's statement as "ridiculous."
News (3)
Trump answers tough questions at Miami town hall event
Trump faced tough questions at a town hall event hosted by Univision, the nation's leading Spanish-language television network.
A man at the scene asked about the incident at the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Trump reiterated his view that no one did anything wrong on 6 January and said that from the perspective of the millions of participants, it was a "day of love."
The former president made similar comments in an interview with Bloomberg yesterday, saying, "Some people went to the Capitol, and there were a lot of strange things happening there. People were waved into the Capitol by the police, and people were yelling, 'Get in ’, but these people never got into trouble.”
Trump also answered questions about immigration, guns and abortion, including whether he agrees with his wife Melania Trump saying in a new memoir that she supports abortion rights.
Trump responded by saying that he encouraged Melania to support positions she wanted to support while promoting her new book.
Trump regards the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the justices he selected for the U.S. Supreme Court as an achievement of his term but Trump has said he would veto the federal abortion ban if re-elected, arguing that the issue should be left to states to legislate.
News (4)
The outcome of the U.S. presidential election is determined by the 95 electoral votes in the decisive battle districts
Reporter : Wu Xianglian / Editor : Li Muen / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/17/n14352086.htm / Image : In the 2024 U.S. election, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris (left) versus Republican presidential candidate Trump (right). (Wu Xianglian/Epoch Times synthesis)
The U.S. presidential election will be held on 5 November 2024. According to the U.S. electoral system, the president is elected by 538 electors, including 270 electoral votes. is the threshold for electoral victory. The Wall Street Journal reported that the outcome of this year’s presidential election will depend on a total of 95 electoral votes in seven swing states plus one congressional district each in Nebraska and Maine.
The seven swing states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with a total of 93 electoral votes.
Among states, only Nebraska and Maine allocate part of their electoral votes based on the results of congressional district votes. Among them, Maine's 2nd Congressional District and Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District have 2 electoral votes. Together with 93 votes in the seven major swing states, there are 95 electoral votes in total.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday (16 October) that based on data analysis, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is likely to win 225 electoral votes, while Republican candidate Trump is likely to win 218 electoral votes.
The report pointed out that for Kamala, Michigan and Wisconsin must be preserved. At the same time, Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are also particularly important. If Trump wins Georgia and North Carolina, she must win Pennsylvania to have any hope of winning.
According to report analysis, the final result may be a deadlock. If Kamala wins comprehensively in the swing states of the "Rust Belt", Trump can tie it by winning all the electoral votes in other swing states and Nebraska, and then the House of Representatives will decide the winner of the presidential election, with each state's House delegation getting one vote.
The Journal's analysis draws on data from nonpartisan online reports: Cook Political Report, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales and University of Virginia Politics "Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball" from the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Lai Ching-te's "theory of motherland" promotes internal unity
Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Published by : "Pinnacle News" production team / Editor : Li Hao / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/10/n14348211.htm / Video / Image : Video Screenshot
On 5 October 2024, President Lai Ching-te of the Republic of China pointed out at the 113th National Day Gala of the Republic of China that the 75-year-old People's Republic of China can never become the motherland of the 113-year-old people of the Republic of China. What Lai Ching-te said is a piece of historical common sense, but it is logically impossible for the CCP to refute it. Expert analysis believes that Lai Qingde is uniting and integrating within Taiwan and creating a common enemy - the CCP, which invisibly increases the difficulty of the CCP's united front against Taiwan.
Lai Ching-te raises "theory of motherland" to promote internal unity and increase the difficulty of the CCP's united front
Taiwan's senior political and economic commentator Wu Jialong said in NTDTV's "Pinnacle View" program that there are people in Taiwan who call the People's Republic of China the motherland. Frankly speaking, it is a small number of people, especially the so-called blue camp, the Kuomintang side. Let me tell you the background of Lai Ching-te’s speech. Let's use an analogy from the international situation. When Israel bombed the Russian air base in Syria, everyone was watching how Russia would react and how Putin would react. What Lai Ching-te is saying now is to see how the CCP will react and how Xi Jinping will react.
In late August, Sullivan, the U.S. President’s National Security Assistant, visited Beijing. This is his first visit to Beijing since taking office. He is about to leave office, and the Biden-Harris administration is about to hand over the baton. At this time, he went to Beijing, which actually has a mission. Because he saw that after the Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee and the Beidaihe Meeting, Xi Jinping's status seemed to be shaken, his power was vacated, and his health was abnormal. He wanted to find out, test the CCP, and understand the latest situation of the CCP. So, Lai Ching-te's speech is equivalent to testing and testing the CCP to see how the CCP will respond, just like the United States. On the surface, Lai Ching-te's speech was aimed at Taiwan's internal affairs, but more importantly, it was addressed to the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping. When talking about these words, the focus is no longer on Taiwan's internal situation, but on the subsequent impact it can have on the trilateral relations between the United States, China and Taiwan. This is the focus.
Wu Jialong said that Lai Ching-te's speech attracted a lot of discussion. Because the name of the motherland is very sensitive, he mentioned the 75th birthday of the People's Republic of China and the 113th birthday of the Republic of China. On the surface, he was describing the facts, but there is something very strange about it. Because he is from the pro-independence faction, even if the pro-independence faction accepts the Republic of China, they will not admit that the Republic of China is 113 years old because the age of 113 includes the period in mainland China. Those who support Taiwan independence want to be separated from the mainland, so the Republic of China they talk about refers to the Republic of China that took root in Taiwan. It is called the 1975 year, which is related to the Republic of China. The People's Republic was established at the same time. Therefore, when Lai Ching-te talks about the 113-year-old Republic of China, he is taking over the Kuomintang’s sacred card. What he said is that the People’s Republic of China cannot be the motherland of the people of the Republic of China. He is talking about the people of the Republic of China, not the people of Taiwan. . Because the term used by the Democratic Progressive Party is Taiwan, an adjective was later added during the Tsai Ing-wen period, called Taiwan, the Republic of China. Now, Lai Ching-te did not mention Taiwan at the party, but all he talked about was the Republic of China. Lan Ying asked, "Do you really love the Republic of China?"
So, from this point of view, he is bidding farewell to the old independence faction's discourse, and is bringing the old independence faction's discourse over, and is bringing over the Kuomintang or the Republic of China faction in the blue camp. In fact, he is bringing in both factions. He is uniting within Taiwan, integrate within Taiwan and create a common enemy. This enemy is called the CCP. Such a result has virtually made it more difficult for the CCP to carry out a united war effort within Taiwan. The Kuomintang cannot say that Lai Ching-te is wrong because he took office as the president of the Republic of China and swore allegiance to the Constitution of the Republic of China.
The essential differences between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China
Wu Jialong said in the "Pinnacle View" that the Communist Party is still a revolutionary party. After it took power through the revolution, it began to so-called conquer the country and dominate the country. There is nothing wrong with the Chinese Kuomintang starting as a revolutionary party, but it is the democratic doctrine in Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles, which is to promote the democratization process. Another key is to establish local autonomy first, which is called grassroots democracy in mainland China. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek began to hold county and mayor elections in Taiwan in 1950, which were local elections. In fact, Taiwan implemented democratization very early. Chiang Kai-shek said, I am following the path of the Three People's Principles. Sun Yat-sen also wrote the preliminary principles of civil rights in Civil Rights, teaching people how to hold meetings, vote, and vote. Then we will decide how to conduct local elections, electoral rolls, vote verification, etc. Therefore, the Kuomintang has promoted elections in Taiwan very early, saying that it has transformed from a revolutionary party to a democratic party. Many people do not understand this difference. The Communist Party of China still regards itself as a revolutionary party. Therefore, to put it simply, all Xi Jinping’s actions have not encountered opposition within the party, because his appeal is very simple, just five words: protect the party and protect the power. This is the mentality of the revolutionary party, that is, if I make a revolution, I will take the throne. The Kuomintang said that I was engaged in revolution to promote democratic constitutionalism and a democratic constitution.
Wu Jialong said that both sides of the Taiwan Strait started as revolutionary parties. The difference is that the Chinese Communist Party has stopped at the stage of a revolutionary party, while the Chinese Kuomintang has become a democratic political party and has become an ordinary political party. Therefore, the Chinese Kuomintang's revolution is to establish a system rather than to obtain vested interests.
"The Epoch Times" editor-in-chief Guo Jun said in the "Pinnacle View" that based on general observation, one is a totalitarian autocratic system with one-party dictatorship, and the other is a democratized system. Democratic government; one is that the people have no freedom, the other is that the people have freedom; one is the ideology of the Communist Party’s dictatorship that has been proven to be a failure and has been eliminated by most countries; the other is freedom, democracy and equality that are fully integrated with the world’s mainstream civilization Values are completely different.
Guo Jun said that the Epoch Times editorial series "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" has made a very profound analysis of the Communist Party and the Communist regime. The Communist regime is a party that uses violence to maintain, control, and monopolize all social power. The other side of violence is lies. This kind of lie is spread through state power, and it has a certain effect in the West, including in Taiwan. Therefore, many Westerners used to believe that China was a country similar to Western countries, and that the CCP was just a so-called ruling party. In fact, China has no opposition parties at all, so there is no so-called ruling party at all. The Communist Party has been in power for ten thousand years. In order to monopolize power, they will not hesitate to use any means to deal with those individuals and groups they consider to be a threat to its power. It will use any means, including the cruelest and cruelest means.
Many people in Taiwan believe that Taiwan’s politics are very dark, but compared with the CCP, they are nothing but a drop in the bucket. At that time, most of the intellectuals in the Republic of China believed the lies of the CCP and supported the CCP against the Kuomintang. Most of them met a tragic fate later on. In the words of Chu Anping, head of the Democratic League, the one-party dictatorship of the Kuomintang is a question of whether there is more or less freedom; the one-party dictatorship of the Communist Party is a question of whether there is no freedom or some. The difference between the two is huge. Freedom can be gradually changed to some extent, but without freedom, we are slaves and can never stand up.
Lai Ching-te’s big move makes it difficult for the CCP to resist and rebuilds national identity
Kuo Jun said in the "Pinnacle View" that President Lai Ching-te has made several public speeches since he took office, which is different from previous Taiwanese leaders. In the early 1990s, the Chinese Communist Party proposed the implementation of three direct links with Taiwan, but at that time President Lee Teng-hui insisted on Chiang Ching-kuo's three-no policy, which was no negotiation, no contact, and no compromise. Because the Kuomintang suffered too much from the Communist Party, people of that generation were unable to cooperate with the CCP. At that time, I wrote an article in Hong Kong, suggesting that Taiwan abandon the Three Nos policy. The CCP wants three links, and Taiwan should counterattack by proposing five links. In addition to postal, trade, and aviation links, it also includes media links. Media from both sides of the Taiwan Strait can be distributed on the other side of the strait. There is also political links, which means that the Communist Party can develop in Taiwan. Taiwanese political parties can also go to the mainland to develop and participate in politics. Of course, the Taiwan Kuomintang would not pay attention to it, because Taiwan's economy was much better than that of the mainland at that time, so they could ignore it. However, as the mainland's economy slowly grows, Taiwan will become more and more passive. This is for sure.
I think now President Lai Ching-te has slowly broken away from the shackles of the older generation of politicians. His recent public speeches have been mainly offensive. During his presidential inauguration, he recognized the People's Republic of China as a sovereign and independent country. Neither the Kuomintang nor the Democratic Progressive Party had made such an expression before. This means that the Republic of China does not need to declare independence in Taiwan because the CCP established a separatist regime on the mainland and split the Republic of China. We didn't admit it before, but now we face reality and admit that you are independent. This is essentially an announcement that from now on the Republic of China will only be limited to Taiwan, Penghu, Jinma, and will not care about the mainland. Not long ago, Lai Ching-te also publicly said that the Communist Party should take back millions of square kilometers of Chinese land seized by Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. Xi Jinping has said that China will not recognize anyone who seizes any Chinese territory at any time and by any means. As a result, Lai Ching-te defeated the entire army. The Chinese Communist Party was unable to respond to Lai Ching-te's two public speeches, so it had no choice but to remain silent and pretend not to hear. This time, Lai Ching-te also said that the Republic of China is 113 years old and the People's Republic of China is only 75 years old. The underlying logic of the CCP's external and internal propaganda about the reunification of the motherland or the return to the motherland has been destroyed, because this is a fact. , the Chinese Communist Party cannot refute, and probably cannot respond. So it seems that offense is the best defense, and the same is true in politics. President Lai Ching-te’s move was beyond the CCP’s expectations.
Wu Jialong said that when Lai Ching-te talks about the Republic of China, he is talking about one thing. The People's Republic of China is to separate mainland China from the Republic of China. We call it mainland independence. Now the People's Republic of China talks about Taiwan independence, as if Taiwan is independent from the People's Republic of China. This is wrong. Because the People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan. So he said that Taiwan's sovereignty does not belong to the People's Republic of China. To put it another way, it means that you, the People's Republic of China, are trying to separate mainland China from the Republic of China. You are pursuing mainland independence and separatism. Because Lai Ching-te brought over the Kuomintang’s god card and the Republic of China flag, he followed the Kuomintang’s path.
Wu Jialong said that the Kuomintang is not easy to respond and can only wonder, does Lai Ching-te really love the Republic of China? However, Lai Ching-te did not mention the words "people of Taiwan" at that party. He was talking about the people of the Republic of China. He was redefining the Republic of China. Therefore, in this paragraph, he unites the independence faction, the Republic of China faction, and the Taiwan faction. Instead, it raises a question within the CCP, which is whether to treat Lai Ching-te hard or softly, whether to be a war-fighting faction or a peace-promoting faction. How to deal with it? Sending the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council is too low-level, and sending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond is wrong. Taiwan cannot do the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China can come, so can the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Should Wang Huning respond, or should Xi Jinping himself respond? This raises a question that is causing headaches within the CCP. Moreover, if the CCP insists on the framework of the 1992 Consensus, both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an stereotype of the Party. People are now using new words to speak, but you are still repeating the same old tune, saying all day long that the purpose of reunifying Taiwan by force is to fight for Taiwan independence. People are talking about the Republic of China now and asking whether the Republic of China counts as Taiwan independence. This really makes it difficult for the CCP to respond. Lai Ching-te not only defeated the Kuomintang army, but also the CCP army.
Shi Shan, senior editor and chief writer of The Epoch Times, said in the "Pinnacle View" that all countries have a mechanism for national recognition and basic collective values. In the past few decades, Taiwan has not been able to solve this problem. I think this speech by President Lai Ching-te laid a foundation for reshaping national identity based on the basic national values of the Republic of China. We cannot say he is completely finished, but he certainly laid a foundation but some people in Taiwan still say that if we do not pursue Taiwan independence, the Communist Party will not attack us.
Guo Jun said in the "Pinnacle View" that political reality and common sense and logic are two different categories, especially for a regime like the Communist Party that is essentially established on the basis of medieval values. The most fundamental aspect of its regime is The essence is violence, fists. Under such violent values, all common sense and logic are worthless. Under this slave's values, your humiliation and patience are the same as kneeling down and surrendering. They are both worthless. After the CCP established power, it killed more than two million military and political personnel of the former Republic of China government, including more than 200 generals. Most of these generals were heroes of the Anti-Japanese War, and most of them voluntarily surrendered to the Communist army. According to the CCP’s logic, the fish caught do not need to be baited. To fight the CCP and defend freedom, the only way is to get rid of fear and fight. Otherwise, the end will be even more tragic.
Trump will not debate with Kamala as she cannot explain differences with Biden's policies
Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on the U.S.
News (1)
Trump: The election campaign is almost over and he will no longer debate with Harris
Reporter : Zeng Ziheng / Editor : Li Muen / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/10/n14347659.htm / Image : On 10 September 2024, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Trump and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris held the first debate at the National Constitution Center. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Trump rejected Fox News’s debate invitation on Wednesday (9 October 2024) , once again stated that there would not be a second debate between him and Democratic opponent Harris Harris. He pointed out that the 2024 election campaign is coming to an end, and Kamala has also stated that she will not make any changes different from Biden, so he believes that there is no need to continue the debate.
Trump published a post in capital letters on the Truth Social platform, reiterating that he had won both debates. He said that he had previously promised Fox News to debate Kamala on 4 September but Kamala rejected the proposal. As the campaign enters its later stages and early voting begins in states across the country, he refuses to hold another debate with her.
Trump said: "I won the last two debates, one with the crooked Joe and the other with the lying Kamala. I accepted Fox's invitation to debate her on September 4th, but she refused to debate me, and my partner, J.D. Vance, easily won the debate against self-proclaimed idiot Tim Walz."
"I'm also leading in the polls, and my lead is growing day by day, leading in all the swing states."
"The first thing a fighter does after losing a fight is say he 'demands a rematch,'" Trump wrote. However, the campaign has come to an end and voting has begun - there will be no reruns! Moreover, Kamala made it clear yesterday that she will not make any changes that are different from Joe Biden, so there is nothing to debate. Thank you for your attention to this issue! "
Fox News invited Trump and Harris to debate on Wednesday, scheduled for 24 October or 27 October. The debate will be hosted by the network’s reporters Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Kamala accepted the invitation.
News (2)
Kamala Harris failed to explain differences with Biden's policies, Trump responded
Reporter : Zeng Ziheng / Editor : Li Muen / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/10/n14347633.htm / Image : On 8 October 2024, U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris attended the talk show "The View". (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris recently changed her past campaign strategy of avoiding exclusive interviews with the media and frequently appeared on major TV programs. In an interview with the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday (8 October 2024), she described herself as a reformist leader, but was unable to explain the political differences between herself and current President Biden, which aroused attention from all walks of life.
When Kamala was asked on "The View" how her policies or governance style would be different from Biden's if she served as leader, she failed to give a specific answer. She replied: "We are obviously two different people, and I will bring my leadership style to some sensitive issues."
When asked about specific policies, Kamala said: "I don't have any ideas yet."
She later added on the show that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet.
The Associated Press article pointed out that Harris was only 9 years old when Biden was elected senator. When Trump was still a real estate tycoon and published the book "The Art of the Deal", Harris was studying in law school. Analysis said that in the two and a half months since her candidacy, Harris Harris has mainly relied on her age and prosecutorial experience to highlight her differences with 82-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Republican opponent Trump; in this fierce election battle , she must reevaluate how she discusses discussions with her superiors and how she will act independently if she wins the White House.
According to Harris' campaign assistant, Harris is very loyal to President Biden and will not publicly make any move that may be interpreted as criticizing Biden. During a time of global crisis, if she draws a line with Biden on foreign policy, there may be consequences. Any disagreement is reckless.
Republican presidential candidate Trump caused a stir when he played a clip of Kamala Harris from "The View" at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Trump said Kamala was unable to make policy changes that were different from Biden's, so she was not qualified to be president of the United States.
"Her response was that she wouldn't do anything different, which disqualified her," Trump said.
Trump recently posted on social platforms, calling this "Kamala Harris's stupidest answer so far."
News (3)
Polls show most U.S. voters are more concerned about the economy
Reporter : Qiusheng / Editor : Li Lin / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/9/n14347467.htm / Image : The picture shows American people buying daily necessities in a supermarket. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
There is less than a month left before the U.S. election. The latest poll shows that most voters believe that the economy is the most important issue in the election. President Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris on this issue.
The Gallup poll, which surveyed 941 registered voters from 16 to 28 September 2024, had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
The Gallup survey found that 52% of voters said economic issues are "extremely important" to them and will determine who they vote for in November.
This is the highest proportion of voters focusing on economic issues since the financial crisis in October 2008, when 55% of voters held the same view. A Gallup poll showed that when the COVID-19 (Chinese Communist Party virus) epidemic was at its worst in 2020, 44% of voters said that economic issues were extremely important to their voting choices.
The Gallup survey also found that no other issue surpassed the 50% threshold to become an extremely important issue for voters. Just under half of respondents (49%) said America's democratic system is extremely important to their choice to vote.
The survey also found partisan differences on the issues voters consider most important. About 66% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say economic issues are extremely important, but only 36% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the same.
The survey showed that on economic issues, Trump received a slim majority of respondents' approval, with more than half of voters (54%) believing that he would do a better job than Kamala in handling economic issues.
According to a report by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday (October 8), although U.S. inflation is cooling, the unemployment rate is declining, and various indicators show that the U.S. economy is moving in a stable direction, inflation is still serious, and voter sentiment is still sluggish, and there is still a lack of confidence in the economy. The outlook remains pessimistic, a mood that has frustrated Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. "While consumers are aware that inflation has slowed, they are still frustrated by high prices," said Joanne Hsu, a research associate professor at the University of Michigan.
Nearly half of respondents believe the current economic situation is "very bad," according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Tuesday.
Many polls have shown that the economy is currently the issue that voters are most concerned about, especially inflation. Although Kamala worked hard to narrow Trump's lead on economic issues, polls show that voters favour the former president on economic issues.
At the same time, former President Trump is taking advantage of such voter sentiment, repeatedly claiming that he created "the greatest economy in American history" and that it was the Biden-Harris administration that destroyed it.
Trump told the media on 6 October 2024, "Inflation has destroyed our economy," and linked last week's East Coast longshoremen's strike to inflation, emphasizing that inflation has dealt a severe blow to workers. He also promised to "make America affordable again."
(This article refers to the report of "Capitol Hill")
News (4) to (7) / Reporter : Cheng Wen / Editor : Ren Zijun / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/9/n14347597.htm
News (4)
Election bellwether Trump and Kamala battle fiercely in Pennsylvania county
Image : On 5 October 2024, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally held at the site of the first assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jim Watson/AFP)
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, making it the largest vote bank among the battleground states that determine who wins the U.S. presidential election. Erie County in Pennsylvania has voted for the winning presidential candidate in the past four presidential elections, making it a bellwether for the general election and a battleground between the two parties. In the 2024 election, the two camps of Trump and Kamala have invested heavily in a fierce battle here.
News (5)
Both Trump and Kamala have campaign command centers in Erie County, Pennsylvania
According to Reuters, Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump’s campaign command center in Pennsylvania is located in a small office on a commercial street in Erie County.
Two staff members of the Erie County Republican Party are here to host a network of volunteers known as "Trump Force 47" to collect votes.
A few miles away, in an office in downtown Erie, there was even more activity, as paid staff and volunteers from the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris were busy making phone calls. Or press the new campaign button. The results of their door-knocking activities are recorded on the blackboard: so far, they have knocked on the doors of 12,000 families to collect tickets. Their target is 20,000 households, almost one-fifth of the county's households.
The Harris campaign and the Democratic Party have three offices in Erie County, eight paid staff and more than 300 volunteers.
Marie Troyer, a 60-year-old retired teacher, found a job on the Harris campaign team, answering calls and managing volunteers in Erie County. "This is the leader of it. The fact that this particular city, this particular state, ultimately gets to decide who is president, they know that," she told Reuters.
Erie County is a blue-collar area with 177,000 registered voters. It is also a must-win county among the must-win states in the history of American elections. In the 2020 election, Biden won Erie County by less than 1,500 votes (or 1.03 percentage points). Biden's overall victory advantage over Trump in Pennsylvania was 1.2 percentage points. In 2016, Trump defeated Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Erie County by less than 2,000 votes.
News (6)
Trump and Kamala have different campaign strategies in Erie County
With less than four weeks left before the November 5 presidential election, Kamala's campaign is using its considerable cash advantage to build a massive ground campaign aimed at mobilizing supporters and finding new voters while the Trump campaign team focuses on identifying infrequent voters and pushing them to register and vote.
Federal financial disclosures show Kamala and the Democrats raised $361 million in August, while Trump and the Republicans raised $130 million. In addition, she spent nearly three times as much as Trump in August.
Reuters spoke to about 40 supporters, campaign workers, volunteers and voters who said Harris's ground-war advantage could test whether physical campaigns still work as much of the campaign now takes place on social media networks. carried out.
"Trump and his team appear to be relying on his personal influence," said Chris Borick, a pollster and political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.
"Kamala and the Democratic Party are deeply invested in a more traditional ground battle here, so this election will be a test of a very different strategy." Borik added.
Volunteers and voters also described an increase in digital and television ads, robocalls, text messages and door-knocking campaigns from both camps, signaling a tense race as the two presidential candidates' campaigns pour millions of dollars into each campaign. The situation continues to escalate.
“I was bombarded with emails, phone calls and texts,” said Erin Miller, 38, a bartender and mother of six who recently moved from Colorado to Pennsylvania has yet to vote in the presidential election, making her a target voter that both campaigns are trying to win over.
Voter numbers from both parties in Erie County dwindled.
According to an interview with Reuters, although Kamala's campaign team has a ground war advantage, they found it very difficult to mobilize black male voters in Erie. About 16% of the city's population is black.
Howard Pratchett, a 48-year-old barber, said he planned to vote for Trump because he believed Trump was more "fact-oriented" than Harris. "We don't care about LBGT rights. We don't care about abortion rights. We don't worry about that. They (Democrats) have nothing to offer straight black male voters," he said.
Monty Davis, 51, who runs a local youth program, said he appreciates President Joe Biden's efforts to reduce costs and plans to vote for Harris but he warned that Erie County's black community isn't as enthusiastic about Democrats now as it was in the past for President Obama or President Biden.
"It just wasn't that intense," Davis said.
Kamala will visit Erie County for the first time on 14 October. Her vice presidential running mate Tim Walz came here in September.
Since Trump became the Republican political leader in 2015, the Democratic Party's voter registration advantage in Erie County and Pennsylvania overall has narrowed significantly.
In 2015, Democrats enjoyed a voter registration advantage of about 33,000 in Erie County but that number has shrunk to 10,000 based on current county election records.
Pennsylvania voter data shows that statewide, Democrats now have a voter registration advantage of about 338,400 over Republicans, down from 892,624 in 2016.
Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Sam Talerico acknowledged that the surge in Republican voter registration was unwelcome news to them.
"We certainly don't want to see these registration numbers close, and that's the bad news. The good news is, I still think we have an advantage in terms of independents turning to us, and that's having an impact," he said.
News (7)
Trump uses outside groups to mobilize voters in Erie County
As in other battleground states, the Trump campaign relies on deep-pocketed outside groups, such as tech billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC, and a network of supporters and volunteers. A loose network formed to mobilize voters.
Erie County Republican Party Chairman Tom Eddy said the Trump campaign’s two paid staffers in the county also oversee campaigns in two other counties.
The Trump campaign and local Republicans declined to say how many volunteers they had in Erie County, but local officials acknowledged their numbers were smaller than Democrats'.
Republicans are also counting on Trump's frequent visits - five rallies at three campaign events in Erie County, including two visits. Large rallies give the opportunity to mobilize large numbers of voters. Rally organizers can collect information such as mobile phone numbers and emails and promote voter registration and voting.
Volunteers from the Trump Troop 47 network will knock on the doors of infrequent voters to determine if they plan to vote and for whom. Volunteers who knock on a lot of doors can receive prizes such as hats and sweaters.
"We're not trying to convince anyone," said volunteer Justin Berkheimer, 39, who works for a group that helps people with intellectual disabilities. "More importantly, the campaign just wants to make sure that people who are already inclined to vote are People who voted for Trump, go out and vote.”
There were scenes of confrontation and fierce fighting between the two campaign camps
Volunteers say the intensity of the battle for Erie County could turn into confrontations and pitched battles on both sides of the aisle between Trump and Harris.
According to local officials and volunteers, Erie County was filled with pro-Trump signs in 2016, but it will be a completely different story in 2024.
Six die-hard Trump supporters told Reuters they would be threatened if they publicly identified themselves as Trump supporters.
Credit union employee Patrick Fuller, 50, said he knocked on more than 2,000 doors for Trump during this year's campaign, but instead of wearing his red MAGA hat, he keeps the hat at home to avoid confrontation with anti-Trump people.
"A lot of people are afraid to get involved because they're afraid someone will curse them or threaten them," Fowler said.
Several other Republican volunteers said they had been spat on for having pro-Trump stickers on their car bumpers.
Erie County Democrats say they are also encountering tension as they expand into rural areas to open campaign offices. Trump won rural Erie in 2020 with 72% of the vote.
Volunteer Kelly Chelton, 62, described a man charging toward a Democratic volunteer who was angry because the volunteer had a large wooden sign that read "Christians Against Trump." .
"He came looking for a fight, and he asked, 'How do you know Trump is not a Christian?' and he started yelling," Chelton said. Chelton said the Erie County government later installed video security cameras.
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