Donald Trump’s town hall event in suburban Philadelphia turned into a confused impromptu music festival on Monday night after two people in the crowd suffered medical emergencies.
The former president was stuck awkwardly bopping his head on stage to various pop tunes and hymns while medics dealt with a pair of supporters who apparently fainted in the hot auditorium.
Despite promising several times to extend the event, Trump ended up walking out after answering only three questions – plus a parade of hits ranging from ‘YMCA’ and ‘Memory’ from the musical Cats.
At a dueling rally on the same night in Erie, Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris played recordings of of Trump threatening to deploy the National Guard or even the military against “enemies within” the United States.
A second Trump term, Harris said, “would be a huge risk for America” because Trump “is increasingly unstable and unhinged, and he is for unchecked power.”
Meanwhile, Fox News revealed that Harris has agreed to sit for her first ever formal interview with the conservative network, conducted by chief political anchor Bret Baier and broadcast on Wednesday.
Key Points
‘New York is reeling’: Trump campaign officially announces Madison Square Garden
Both White House candidates visiting Pennsylvania on Monday
‘Third suspected Trump assassination attempt’ stopped at Coachella rally
Harris unveils slate of new policies intended to attract Black male votes
Can Harris beat Trump? Latest poll updates
All alone in the moonlight
01:45 , Io Dodds
The live stream has unceremoniously cut out, which presumably means Donald Trump’s town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania has ended – not with a bang but with the heartbreaking strains of ‘Memory’ from Cats.
Thanks for sticking with us through this rollercoaster, and best wishes to the two people who took ill.
Lies, damned lies, and statistics
01:31 , Io Dodds
One running theme of this town hall, at least before the medical incidents, was Trump refusing to believe official statistics.
On crime, inflation, and deaths in the Ukraine war, he repeatedly claimed that he didn’t accept the currently public numbers and that the true numbers were far worse – without going into detail or offering evidence.
Meanwhile, according to my colleague Alex Lang, the town hall has now been in this interrupted limbo state for twice as long as it was actually running.
Trump continues to sway his body mildly to the music.
Trump’s town hall becomes an impromptu music festival
01:14 , Io Dodds
The town hall event is ending – or is it? Things are a little confusing at present.
After playing Luciano Pavarotti’s ‘Ave Maria’, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Time To Say Goodbye’, and James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s World’ (again featuring Pavarotti) – with a little bit of stiff dancing from the former president – Trump again addresses the crowd.
“How about this? We’ll play YMCA, and we’ll go home. But listen, whatever you can do, get out there. We have to win. This is the most important election in the history of our country…
“Those two people who went down are ptriots, and we love them. And because of them, we ended up with some good music, right?”
They then play ‘YMCA’ by the Village People, which often signals the end of a Trump rally (despite the opposition of its creators). But afterwards, Trump says: “Nobody’s leaving. What’s going on? There’s nobody leaving. Should we keep going?”
Then it’s on to Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. More exciting news as soon as we get it.
Armed suspect arrested at Trump rally insists he’s ‘an artist’ — not a would-be assassin
01:00 , Justin Rohrlich
Vem Miller insists he’s absolutely not a would-be presidential assassin.
Rather, the 49-year-old dual US-Canadian citizen, who was arrested Saturday with a loaded handgun, shotgun, and a high-capacity magazine in the parking area of a Trump rally in Coachella, California, is “but an artist,” he told The Independent.
Miller, a onetime journalist who has worked as a music video director and now runs a website called the America Happens Network — which features conspiracy-minded videos about 9/11 being “an inside job” and the “so-called” Covid-19 pandemic — said he “was certainly not there to cause any harm to anybody.”
At a news conference on Sunday, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco called Miller a “lunatic” with “fringe” views, and claimed his arrest may have headed off a third assassination attempt. But Trump was never in any danger at Saturday’s rally, the Secret Service, FBI, and US Attorney’s Office said in a joint statement.
Armed suspect at Trump rally insists he’s ‘an artist’ — not a would-be assassin
‘Would anyone else like to faint? Please raise your hand’
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:56 , Io Dodds
An extended musical break and some patter from Trump as the medics handle the situation.
”Sir, she’s on her feet and walking out,” Kristi Noem tells the former president, referring to the second person who fainted. “Let’s encourage her,” Trump tells the crowd. “Let her know well be praying for her.”
He says both people are in “good shape”, before joking: “Would anyone else like to faint? Please raise your hand.”
Then he asks the town hall staff to put on Pavarotti’s version of Ave Maria, lamenting that the previous version played had no vocals.
At one point, a bar chart showing border crossings at the US-Mexico frontier appears on the projector. It’s a familiar prop: Trump has claimed that turning his head to look at the chart during the assassination attempt back in July “probably saved my life”, and that he loves it “more than I even love the police”.
“There it is! That’s my favourite piece of paper anywhere in the world. I sleep with it every night. I kiss it, I kiss it.”
Pray, pray for us sinners
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:40 , Io Dodds
As the crowd watches the medics work, someone puts Ave Maria on the venue stereo, giving the proceedings an eerie and reverent air.
“Eyyy! Eyyyyy! Great! We love that man. We love that man,” says Trump as the music plays, apparently responding to some sign of recovery from off-camera. “It’s so beautiful though, right? Listen to that [music]. It’s nice. He’s going to be okay. Right?”
Then the town hall resumes. But within a minute or two, people start pointing over to the other side of the venue, shouting “Medic! Medic!” Looks like someone else needs help. Ave Maria begins again.
Someone needs a doctor
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:33 , Io Dodds
The town hall pauses for a while so that someone in the crowd can receive medical attention.
“Take your time, doctor. Take your time. Thank you very much,” Trump says. “We always have great doctors in the audience.”
After a long pause while he and Kristi Noem look offstage at what’s happening, Trump : “Look at the quality of care we have. It’s incredible, when you think. First responders – our first responders are amazing, in the way they can do things so beautifully and quickly.” People in the audience wave their hats in saute.
A while later, Trump admits: “That looks a little bad… don’t worry, we’ll extend for a little time. WE just want to make sure they’re fine. This is a little bit of a tough one, I think.”
Then the crowd breaks into a spontaneous song – sounds like a hymn (maybe Abide With Me?). Hopefully the person is okay.
Immigration, immigration, immigration
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:26 , Io Dodds
Second question is from Angelina, a Black woman in a blended family, who says she was raised among Philadelphia Democrats but is now being hurt by inflation.
“We’re going to do a lot of things,” says Trump, then pivots to talking about immigration.
Indeed, he’s taking every opportunity to talk about the border, namechecking Springfield, Ohio and Aurora, Colorado. He’s previously said he wants to use a 200-year-old wartime law to begin mass deportations of suspected illegal immigrants.
Trump wrongly claims inflation is worst in US history
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:19 , Lauren Io Dodds
During his answer, Trump wrongly claimed that we have recently seen the worst period of inflation in US history – although he qualified that this was just, like, his opinion, man.
“Such damage has been done – In my opinion, the biggest inflation in the history of our country,” he said. “They didn’t include a lot of the bad numbers.”
In fact that title goes to March and April of 1980, according to CNN, when the rate of inflation hit 14.6 per cent.
More recently, inflation hit a peak of just over 9 per cent in July 2022. It’s now back down at around 2.6 per cent, although of course that doesn’t erase the price rises we’ve already suffered through.
Trump promises to cut energy prices in half by 2026
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:08 , Io Dodds
After a brief intro speech lamenting the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump’s Q&A begins.
The first question is from a man named Reed. “I believe you’re a Navy SEAL, correct?” asks moderator Kristi Noem. No: he’s a single father and Iraq war veteran who “dreams of owning a home”, which he says interest rates under Biden and Harris have made “impossible”.
Trump says it’s too expensive to build a home due to regulatory red tape. But most of all, he says, he’ll bring interest rates down. He says he’ll do this by unleashing fossil fuel extraction – “drill, baby drill!” – to lower energy prices.
“It’s going to be beautiful. You’re going to have a house. Just wait a little while. Give me a little while. Let me get in,” he concluded.
“One year from January 20, we will have your energy prices cut in half all over the country.”
Gwen Walz outlines fertility struggles in Women’s Health essay
Tuesday 15 October 2024 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander
In an essay for Women’s Health magazine published on Monday, Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz outlined her and Governor Tim Walz’s struggles with fertility.
She urged voters to back Vice President Kamala Harris to protect reproductive rights, arguing that former President Donald Trump will put in place a “nationwide abortion ban” if he returns to the White House.
“We were fortunate to have access to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where we began fertility treatments,” Walz wrote. “I was prescribed Clomid, among other treatments we tried, which is a medication that increases the hormones that stimulate egg production in your ovaries and can help you get pregnant. I’d also have to take special shots before an intrauterine insemination procedure that would increase my chances of pregnancy and successful fertilization.”
Trump walk on stage in Oaks, Pennsylvania
Monday 14 October 2024 23:56 , Io Dodds
Noem lead cheers of “We love Trump! We love Trump!” She tells the audience: “He’s listening to you right now. He hears you!” Loud cheering.
Then comes Donald Trump, wading through his crowd of supporters and mounting the stage in suburban Philadelphia.
Kristi Noem: ‘Kamala Harris sucks’
Monday 14 October 2024 23:54 , Io Dodds
South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is now speaking to introduce Donald Trump in suburban Philly.
“Let’s face it, Kamala Harris sucks,” she says, to general cheers. “She sucks.”
She’s particularly proud, she says, of her resistance to Covid-19 lockdowns and other pandemic mitigation strategies such as mask mandates, saying that she never defined “essential business” because she didn’t believe the government had the right to determine what that meant.
Trump advisors ‘urged ABC to stop fact checking’ amid former president’s war on the media
Monday 14 October 2024 23:30 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump’s advisors reportedly blew up at ABC executives midway through his televised debate with Kamala Harris and complained about fact-checking.
People familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that top Trump aides Chris LaCivita and Jason Miller claimed the network had breached a pre-agreed set of rules for the debate on September 10.
In recent weeks Trump has bemoaned the insistence of networks to fact-check his speeches, raising spurious allegations of corruption and bias, and even threatened to somehow revoke broadcast licenses for major networks that air critical coverage.
Read more:
Trump advisors ‘urged ABC to stop fact checking’ amid ex president’s war on the media
Trump due to speak in suburban Philly
Monday 14 October 2024 23:19 , Io Dodds
Donald Trump is due to speak in a town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania – part of the Philadelphia suburbs.
Technically, according to earlier reports, he was meant to start 19 minutes ago, at 6pm Eastern Time. But he’s usually late, so we’ll be posting live updates here as soon as he begins.
Hurricane relief workers in North Carolina evacuated over threats from ‘armed militia’
Monday 14 October 2024 23:00 , Graig Graziosi
Government officials were forced to flee a county in North Carolina after they received reports that an “armed militia” was prowling around in trucks “hunting” for Hurricane relief workers.
On Saturday, the Washington Post reported on an email sent out by US Forest Service officials warning relief workers that “National Guard troops had come across two trucks of men saying [they] were out hunting FEMA.”
That email resulted in aid workers being evacuated out of Rutherford County.
Hurricane relief workers in North Carolina evacuated over threat from ‘armed militia’
Biden told Iran attempt on Trump’s life would be act of war
Monday 14 October 2024 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander
President Joe Biden is reported to have instructed his National Security Council to tell Iran that any assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump would be viewed as an act of war.
Several high-level former Trump officials have received increased security following the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savitt told Fox News Digital last month that Iran has wanted revenge for the killing.
“We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these brazen threats,” he told the network. “We have ensured that appropriate agencies are continuously and promptly providing the former president’s security detail with evolving threat information. Additionally, President Biden has reiterated his directive that the United States Secret Service should receive every resource, capability and protective measure required to address those evolving threats to the former president.”
WATCH: ‘I’ll be the first to let you know’: Trump hits out at media boasting his ‘ranting and raving’
Monday 14 October 2024 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Harris says it’s not her ‘experience’ that Black men are leaving Democrats for Trump
Monday 14 October 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander
VP Harris downplays polling that suggests Trump is making inroads among Black male voters:
“One, that’s not my experience. Two, Election Day has not arrived yet. And the third point … Black men are no different from anybody else. They expect that you have to earn their vote.” pic.twitter.com/6bPLbPBJn2
— The Recount (@therecount) October 14, 2024
Trump accused of ‘mimicking’ infamous Nazi rally with Madison Square Garden event
Monday 14 October 2024 21:00 , James Liddell
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville claimed that Donald Trump’s forthcoming rally at Madison Square Garden is mimicking a pro-Adolf Hitler Nazi event held at the venue more than 80 years ago.
With just 22 days to go until Americans head to polling stations to cast their ballots, the 79-year-old appeared on Sunday’s episode of MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki.
Carville claimed that Trump’s volatile language is reminiscent of rhetoric used during the Third Reich, as he urged the Harris campaign to switch up its attack lines from Trump being “weird” to downright “scary.”
“I did not realize when I said that that he would actually go on television and say, I’m going to use the military to round up my political enemies,” Carville said.
Trump accused of ‘mimicking’ infamous Nazi rally with Madison Square Garden event
Abortion most important issue for women under 30, survey shows
Monday 14 October 2024 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Abortion has become the most important issue for women under 30 since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the White House, according to a new survey.
The KFF Survey of Women Voters found that reproductive rights have become the top issue, beating out inflation, which took the top spot earlier this summer.
Thirty-nine percent of women now list abortion as their top issue – double the number who said so in June.
‘New York is reeling’: Trump campaign officially announces Madison Square Garden
Monday 14 October 2024 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The Trump campaign has issued its official announcement of the upcoming rally for the former president in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
Trump is set to deliver remarks at the stadium at 5pm on Sunday, October 27.
The Garden has a capacity of 19,500, while Trump’s average rally crowd size is about 5,600, according to the Ash Center.
“New York is reeling from the harmful effects of the dangerously liberal policies championed by Kamala Harris and Democrats like Eric Adams,” the Trump campaign said of the vice president and the New York mayor.
Trump is heading to New York, a state he’s sure to lose, as he at times treats the campaign as a national race rather than a battle for roughly seven swing states.
The Trump campaign said the former president’s “message to New York City is simple and built on his winning record: If you want to return to the strongest economy in over 60 years, rising wages, quality jobs, strong borders, and safer neighborhoods, then vote for the Trump-Vance ticket.”
The rally has been slammed as being akin to the 1939 Nazi event at the Garden.
Trump slammed for suggesting woman heckler should ‘get knocked out’ at Coachella rally
Monday 14 October 2024 19:30 , Kelly Rissman
Weeks after Donald Trump vowed to be a “protector” of women, he suggested a woman heckling him should get “the hell knocked out of her.”
The Republican nominee paused his October 12 rally in Coachella Valley, California, to address the woman in the crowd.
“This election is your chance to send a message,” the former president said, before turning around to the crowd apparently booing at a heckler. The boos turned to cheers when the heckler was seemingly escorted out of the California arena.
Trump then swung back to the microphone and said: “Back home to mommy. She goes back home to mommy. ‘Was that you darling?’ And then she gets the hell knocked out of her.”
Trump slammed for suggesting woman heckler should ‘get knocked out’ at rally
Trump says immigrants who commit murder have ‘bad genes’ in ‘racist’ slam of migrants
Monday 14 October 2024 19:00 , Michelle Del Rey
Former President Donald Trump is claiming migrants who commit murder are predisposed to doing so because of “their genes.”
Trump made the comments while speaking on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Monday, claiming that 13,000 migrants who have entered the US are “murderers.”
“How about allowing people to come through an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers? Many of them murdered far more than one person,” Trump told the show’s host. “And they’re now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer — I believe this: it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now. Then you had 425,000 people come into our country that shouldn’t be here that are criminals.”
Trump says immigrants who commit murder have ‘bad genes’ in ‘racist’ slam of migrants
Harris to take part on first-ever formal Fox News interview
Monday 14 October 2024 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Fox News revealed on Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to sit for an interview with the network to be broadcast on Wednesday.
The interview will be conducted by chief political anchor Bret Baier and is set to be recorded near Pennsylvania shortly before airing.
Fox News said the vice president is expected to sit for about half an hour of questions.
It will be Harris’s first formal interview with the conservative network.
What is a sovereign citizen? The anti-government group linked to armed suspect at Trump rally
Monday 14 October 2024 18:00 , James Liddell
As Vem Miller was arrested outside a Donald Trump rally in California on Saturday, authorities said they noticed something peculiar about his license plate: it was “obviously fake.”
The 49-year-old Las Vegas resident was pulled over about half a mile from the Coachella Valley campaign event armed with an unregistered shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a press conference that his deputies had “probably” just thwarted a third assassination attempt on Trump in as many months, though the Secret Service has since said that Trump “was not in any danger.”
What is a sovereign citizen? The far-right group linked to Trump rally gun suspect
Trump’s niece says Musk now ‘owns’ ex-president: ‘He’s always been up for sale’
Monday 14 October 2024 17:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Mary Trump is accusing her estranged uncle of having a “new owner” because of his increasingly close relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“Donald Trump has always been for sale,” she wrote in a Substack post this weekend.
“Given this decades-long pattern, it’s not surprising that the world’s richest fascist, South African jumping bean Elon Musk, would also be interested in purchasing a few shares in a man who is willing to sell whatever he can get his hands on — whether it’s steaks or American national security — because he values money more than anything.”
Josh Marcus has more.
Trump’s niece says Musk now ‘owns’ ex-president: ‘He’s always been up for sale’
Trump and Republicans are preparing their excuse for why they lost the election
Monday 14 October 2024 17:05 , Joe Sommerlad
While Trump promotes a baseless idea that non-citizens are illegally casting ballots to rig the election against him, voting-eligible citizens are being swept up in Republican-led purges across the country, Alex Woodward reports.
Trump is preparing his excuse for why he lost the election
‘I’ll be the first to let you know’: Trump hits out at media for questioning if he’s cognitively impaired
Monday 14 October 2024 16:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Having questioned his opponent’s mental wellbeing earlier for absolutely no reason other than the strategy worked for him against Joe Biden, here’s Mike Bedigan on the 78-year-old getting mighty shirty when the tables are turned on him.
Trump hits out again at media for coverage questioning if he’s cognitively impaired
Can Harris beat Trump? Latest poll updates
Monday 14 October 2024 16:25 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s our data correspondent Alicija Hagopian with all the latest election polling as the candidates apparently remain deadlocked.
Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates from the 2024 election
Trump tantrums over Apprentice biopic in middle-of-the-night rant: A ‘fake’ and ‘classless’ movie
Monday 14 October 2024 16:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander on the Republican nominee’s fury at the forthcoming new biopic in which Sebastian Stan plays his younger self, Succession’s Jeremy Strong his cutthroat mentor Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova his late first wife Ivana.
Trump says Ali Abbasi’s film, which has struggled to find an American distributor, amounts to election interference.
Trump brands Apprentice biopic ‘fake and classless’ in middle-of-the-night rant
It’s ‘deranged’ to not have children because of climate change, says JD Vance
Monday 14 October 2024 15:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Oh boy. Trump’s running mate has been sharing his thoughts on the nuclear family once again.
Rachel Sharp reports.
JD Vance says it’s ‘deranged’ for women not to have children due to climate change
Harris and Trump both visiting Pennsylvania on Monday
Monday 14 October 2024 15:25 , Joe Sommerlad
The two White House candidates are descending on the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania on Monday, which Joe Biden narrowly won four years ago and which promises to serve as kingmaker once again this time around.
Harris will be holding a rally in Erie, a Democratic majority city in the northwest of the state of about 94,000 people bordered by suburbs and rural areas that is home to plenty of registered Republicans in the hope of changing their minds.
Trump, meanwhile, will be in the southeast doing a town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in suburban Oaks.
Harris unveils slate of new policies intended to attract Black male votes
Monday 14 October 2024 15:05 , Joe Sommerlad
The Vice President has announced a plan to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that Democrats are worried lacks enthusiasm for her candidacy.
Harris’s “opportunity agenda for Black men” includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men.
The Democrat has already said she supports legalizing marijuana and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.”
She also is calling for better regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets.
Kamala Harris released new policy proposals tailored to Black men, including:
-1 million forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs
-Black male teacher, apprenticeship programs
-Protecting crypto assets
-Health initiatives on prostate cancer, sickle cellhttps://t.co/01bMtx9o7U— Matt Brown (@mrbrownsir) October 14, 2024
The VP’s plan is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or her opponent, Donald Trump, an issue Barack Obama attempted to tackle head-on in Pennsylvania last week.
Harris vs Trump: Who will make history? Join our exclusive US election event
Monday 14 October 2024 14:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Join executive editor Holly Baxter on October 15 as she sits down with a panel of experts from The Independent, including Bel Trew, Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia.
The event will delve into Harris’s platform, her vision for America and the implications of her presidency while also addressing Trump’s potential resurgence and what his return could mean for the nation and the world.
For more information and to sign up for a free ticket, click here.
Trump-Harris deadlocked nationally as key states tilt right, polls shows
Monday 14 October 2024 14:25 , Joe Sommerlad
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remain locked in a tight race in the final month of the 2024 election, according to a new batch of national polls published yesterday.
But the race may be slipping away from her in swing states as her “honeymoon” period following a late entry in the race ends, and her campaign’s messaging strategy pivots away from the aggressive push against MAGA Republicans’ views on women and the attacks on Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
The vice president and her opponent were tied in a new NBC News national poll of likely voters, both sitting at 48 percent. In a CBS poll, Harris was ahead by one point nationally, 51 percent-50 percent, and behind 49 percent-48 percent in a consolidation of battleground states; both results well within the margin of error. And, in an ABC News poll of registered voters, Harris was ahead 49 percent-47 percent.
Here’s more from John Bowden.
Polls show Trump-Harris deadlocked nationally while key states tilt Republican
Trump made shocking slur about Harris in rant to billionaire donors
Monday 14 October 2024 14:05 , Joe Sommerlad
As the 2024 race comes down to its final weeks, the former president is understood to be growing increasingly frustrated over the gap separating him and Harris in the fundraising world.
Trump vented those frustrations at a recent gathering in Manhattan with top donors including Paul Singer, Joe and Todd Ricketts, former education secretary Betsy DeVos and other high-profile Republican donors, according to The New York Times.
Several sources at the dinner described the former president going on a grievance-filled rant wherein he complained that his supporters weren’t sufficiently supporting his third bid for the presidency.
John Bowden has the story.
Trump’s shocking slur about Harris during angry rant to billionaire donors: report
Trump has a problem with women. Does that include Melania?
Monday 14 October 2024 13:45 , Joe Sommerlad
The former first lady has been wrongly described as a helpless woman unable to shape her own destiny, writes Jon Sopel.
A vocal defence of abortion rights in her new memoir shows she can play an important role in the election – but will it be one that Donald wants?
Trump has a woman problem – but does that include Melania?
Dennis Quaid supports Trump at California rally as Bryan Cranston backs Harris
Monday 14 October 2024 13:25 , Joe Sommerlad
The actor, who most recently took the title role in a budget biopic of Ronald Reagan, spoke up for Trump in Coachella, only to get roasted online by his former fiance, Lea Thompson of Back to the Future fame.
Meanwhile, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston gave an impassioned speech on behalf of the VP in Phoenix, Arizona.
‘Breaking Bad’ actor Bryan Cranston endorses Kamala Harris and Tim Walz:
“I am a father of a daughter…There should not be anyone but them deciding what happens to their own bodies.”pic.twitter.com/xQ9gskVHIg
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 13, 2024
Greg Evans has this on Cranston.
Breaking Bad star makes US election endorsement with powerful abortion speech
Watch: SNL mocks Melania Trump’s absence from campaign trail
Monday 14 October 2024 13:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Kenan Thompson played Steve Harvey hosting a Republicans vs Democrats edition of Family Feud on Saturday’s show, with the great James Austin Johnson and Maya Rudolph returning as Trump and Harris.
SNL mocks Melania Trump’s absence from campaign trail in Family Feud spoof
‘Absolute chaos’ as Trump supporters ‘left stranded’ after Coachella rally hit by assassination scare
Monday 14 October 2024 12:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s James Liddell on what happened to the Republican’s audience in the aftermath of the latest scare over his safety in California on Saturday.
Trump supporters ‘left stranded’ after Coachella rally hit by assassination scare
Multiple assassination attempts on Trump’s life signal a new darker trend and the secret service are worried
Monday 14 October 2024 12:25 , Joe Sommerlad
As details emerge over a possible third assassination attempt against the former president, Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War, talks to secret service insiders about living in a country where political violence has crossed such a threshold it is unclear whether it can cross back and if they can stop it.
Multiple assassination attempts on Trump’s life signal a new darker trend in the US
Trump says ‘we’ll see what happens’ on national abortion ban
Monday 14 October 2024 12:05 , Joe Sommerlad
This was not much more reassuring from the candidate in the same interview.
Josh Marcus takes this one.
Trump says ‘we’ll see what happens’ on national abortion ban
Trump floats sending military after US citizens on election day
Monday 14 October 2024 11:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Also this weekend, Trump claimed a major threat to America comes from what he termed “the enemy from within”, whom he characterized as “sick people, radical left lunatics”, a term he often applies to Democratic opponents.
The Republican told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures that they – US citizens – “should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military”.
Trump to Bartiromo on what worries him about election day: “I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within … sick people, radical left lunatics. And it should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.” pic.twitter.com/twRsilNJnz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 13, 2024
John Bowden has this on the vengeance-minded Republican’s latest public flirtation with authoritarianism.
Trump floats sending military after US citizens on election day
Harris medical report finds ‘mental resiliency’ to be president
Monday 14 October 2024 11:25 , Joe Sommerlad
In case you missed this one over the weekend, a medical report on the health of Vice President Kamala Harris was released with less than a month to go before the presidential election finding her to be in “excellent health” and possession of “the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president.
Dr Joshua Simmons, a US Army colonel and physician to the VP, wrote that Harris, 59, maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was “unremarkable.”
She “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” he wrote in the two-page letter.
The Harris-Walz campaign hopes the release of the letter will draw a contrast with Trump, 78, who has released only limited information about his health over the years.
Oliver O’Connell reports.
Harris medical report finds ‘physical and mental resiliency’ to be president
Trump pledges 10,000 more border agents, accuses Harris of sparking scandals and claims Democrats want to ban cows
Monday 14 October 2024 11:05 , Joe Sommerlad
As for the Republican, his remarks in Arizona yesterday included a pledge to hire a further 10,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and an astonishing piece of projection, even by his standards.
🚨 President Trump Announces Plan to Hire 10,000 New Border Patrol Agents
“I will be asking Congress to immediately approve a 10% raise for all agents, and a $10,000 dollar retention and signing bonus.” pic.twitter.com/ePibAx0y1t
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 13, 2024
He also falsely claimed the western state’s towns are being “invaded and conquered” by migrants (desperate stuff) and took time to proclaim the wonders of Tivo.
A night earlier, in Coachella, he threatened to withhold federal aid from deep blue California and flubbed badly on inflation.
Trump threatens to withhold aid to California: We’ll force it down his throat and we’ll say, Gavin, if you don’t do it, we’re not giving you any of that fire money that we send you for all the forest fires you have pic.twitter.com/EBneSYZrTG
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
Lol wow
Trump: I will very quickly defleet. We are going to take inflation. And we are going to deflate it. We are going to deflate inflation. We are going to defeat inflation pic.twitter.com/xi2bI76OV3
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
But perhaps his flat-out weirdest moment of the weekend was when he made the bizarre claim that Democrats want to ban cows.
Donald Trump bizarrely claims Democrats want to ban cows
Kamala Harris quotes ex-military chief to damn ‘dangerous’ Trump as she accuses him of hiding
Monday 14 October 2024 10:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Speaking in Greenville, North Carolina, yesterday, the Democrat invoked Mark Milley, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, to attack her opponent, also noting his resistence to transparency, suggesting his handlers know he is “weak and unstable” and are trying to keep him from self-inflicted disasters.
Kamala Harris: General Milley, former chairman of the joint chiefs under Donald said, “no one has ever been as dangerous to this country.” In referring in referring to Donald Trump. And we can already see what he’s up to as a candidate… pic.twitter.com/9cn5qmy6gG
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
Kamala Harris: He refuses to release his medical records. He is unwilling to do a 60 Minutes interview. He is unwilling to meet for a second debate. Why does his staff want him to hide away? Are they afraid that people will see he is too weak and unstable to lead America? pic.twitter.com/bLrX3Eabya
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
Truth Social: Trump lashes out at ‘human scum’ behind new film biopic
Monday 14 October 2024 10:25 , Joe Sommerlad
The Republican has also lashed out at the filmmakers behind the new biopic The Apprentice, which he calls “a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job, put out right before the 2024 Presidential Election, to try and hurt the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country”.
A FAKE and CLASSLESS Movie written about me, called, The Apprentice (Do they even have the right to use that name without approval?), will hopefully “bomb.” It’s a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job, put out right before the 2024 Presidential Election, to…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 14, 2024
Truth Social: Trump challenges Harris to cognitive test and accuses her of ‘importing criminal gangs to occupy America’
Monday 14 October 2024 10:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Over in the Republican’s social media swamp, he has been trashing the Vice President with false claims about her recent media appearances, claiming she was “slow and lethargic” answering questions and challenging her to a cognitive test.
“Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her,” he declares – citing no evidence, as usual.
I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility. Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her. Even 60 Minutes and CBS, in order to protect Lyin’ Kamala, illegally and unscrupulously replaced…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 14, 2024
That comes after she released her latest medical report indicating she was in robust health (more on which shortly) and after he admitted to “ranting and raving” himself during his Sunday rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
Trump: For weeks and weeks, I’m up here ranting and raving. Last night, a hundred thousand people. Flawless. Ranting and raving. I’m ranting and raving. I’ll say the, I’ll say duh. They’ll say he’s cognitively impaired. pic.twitter.com/9Gy0BpLuqH
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2024
Trump has also accused Harris of inflicting “violence and terror” on the public and “import[ing] criminal gangs to OCCUPY America” – an appalling and dangerous lie.
My message to the American People is very simple. No person who has inflicted the violence and terror that Border Czar Harris has unleashed on our Country can EVER be allowed to become the President of the United States. Anyone who would import criminal gangs to OCCUPY America…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 14, 2024
He also found time overnight to scaremonger about the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice to interfere in the election, an avenue it is widely feared he might be interested in traversing himself if he regains the White House.
One of the Greatest Examples of DOJ Weaponization is the fact that they are suing Virginia to put ALL of the Illegal Voters, which were fully exposed and removed by the important work of Governor Glenn Youngkin, back on the Voter Rolls. Obviously, this was done so that they can…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 14, 2024
Would-be assassin or Trump-supporting ‘sovereign citizen’? What we know about suspect Vem Miller
Monday 14 October 2024 09:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s more from Josh Marcus on what we know about the suspect, who has denied having any intention of targeting the former president despite the highly-suspicious items he was found to have in his possession.
What we know about Vem Miller, man arrested with guns at Trump rally
‘Third suspected Trump assassination attempt’ stopped at Coachella rally
Monday 14 October 2024 09:26 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
If you’re just joining us, Donald Trump was allegedly the target of a third assassination attempt on Saturday evening, California police have said, after arresting an armed man outside of a Trump rally in Coachella Valley.
A Las Vegas man named Vem Miller, 49, was apprehended, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, but has since denied wrongdoing and claimed he is “an artist” and a non-violent Trump supporter.
Josh Marcus has the latest.
Armed man arrested outside Trump rally as possible ‘assassination attempt’ thwarted
Inside the secretive church that’s become Trump’s biggest female fan group
Monday 14 October 2024 07:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Mike Bedigan writes:
Among the hordes of Donald Trump supporters in attendance at campaign rallies is a group that the former president fondly refers to as “those beautiful ladies from North Carolina.”
The women, often pictured smiling bigly and in their Sunday best, are all members of the same evangelical church.
The Word of Faith Fellowship, in Spindale, was established in 1979, and according to its website its members “strive to live righteous, godly lives.”
But they have also been accused of using foreigners, including teenagers, for unpaid labor.
Continue reading…
Inside the secretive church that’s become Trump’s biggest female fan group
Vance refuses to say he’s ‘OK’ with people traveling to other states for abortions
Monday 14 October 2024 06:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Senator JD Vance has made headlines for espousing anti-abortion rhetoric but in an interview published on Saturday, he said he accepts, that as a consequence of states regulating abortion, people will travel to obtain one – but stopped short of giving his approval.
Ariana Baio has the details.
JD Vance evades giving the ‘OK’ to people traveling for abortions
It’s ‘tricky’ to trust the government, claims Melania Trump
Monday 14 October 2024 05:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Melania Trump has claimed that it’s “tricky” to trust the US government as she continues her media blitz to plug her new memoir.
The former first lady, whose book Melania was released this week, appeared on Some Future Day podcast where she revealed her skepticism about there being “so many rules” for the American people.
“Trust, it’s [an] interesting word,” she said.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Melania Trump claims it’s ‘tricky’ to trust the government
Vance says it’s ‘deranged’ for women not to have children due to climate change
Monday 14 October 2024 04:45 , Oliver O’Connell
JD Vance has said it is “deranged” and “very crazy” for women not to have children due to concerns about the climate crisis in his latest comments wading in on the choices of childfree Americans.
Donald Trump’s running mate has struggled to shake off the backlash for calling Kamala Harris and other Democrats “childless cat ladies” in a resurfaced interview with Tucker Carlson from 2021.
Now, in a new interview with The New York Times published on Saturday, the VP candidate was confronted once again about his past sexist comments less than one month out from the election.
Read on…
JD Vance says it’s ‘deranged’ for women not to have children due to climate change
ICYMI: Chris Christie becomes latest to sound alarm over Trump’s ‘significant’ mental decline
Monday 14 October 2024 03:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Former Donald Trump ally turned staunch critic Chris Christie has become the latest to sound the alarm over the former president’s apparent mental decline, saying that he has seen a “significant” change in his capabilities.
The former New Jersey governor told The New York Times opinion journalist Frank Bruni that the Trump he saw during his first White House bid in 2016 appears to be very different to the man running for a third time today.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Chris Christie sounds alarm over Trump’s ‘significant’ mental decline
