October 4, 2024, presidential campaign news

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Supporters watch as former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Saginaw, Michigan, on Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday suggested he thought Israel should strike Iranian nuclear sites in response to Iran’s launching of ballistic missiles towards Israel this week and said he disagreed with President Joe Biden counseling Israel to take a proportional response and not strike the nuclear sites.

Trump said at a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, “They asked (Biden), ‘What do you think about, what do you think about Iran? Would you hit Iran?’ And he goes: ‘As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you want to hit, right? I said, ‘I think he got that one wrong. Isn’t that the one you’re supposed to hit?’”

Biden is hoping Israel will adopt a measured approach that can both uphold its right to strike back while avoiding action that could prompt further retaliation and tip the region into full-scale war. Israel has not given assurances to the Biden administration that targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities is off the table, a top US State Department official told CNN on Friday.

A sign after a ceremony renaming Fort Bragg as Fort Liberty, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, on June 2, 2023.

Former President Donald Trump said during a town hall in North Carolina on Friday that if elected back to the White House, he would change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg after the US Army renamed it last year as part of a push to rename bases that bore the name of Confederate leaders.

“Should we change the name from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg?” the Republican presidential nominee said at the campaign event in Fayetteville.

“So here’s what we do: We get elected, I’m doing it,” Trump said.

Trump said later in the town hall, “I think I just learned the secret to winning absolutely and by massive margins: I’m going to promise to you as I said at the beginning that we’re going to change the name back to Fort Bragg.”

The fort, which is one of the largest military installations in the world, was previously named after Gen. Braxton Bragg, an unpopular Confederate general who was widely criticized for his temper and subpar performance on the battlefield.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally in Flint, Michigan, on October 4.

Vice President Kamala Harris attacked former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, at a rally in Flint, Michigan, on Friday for not committing to continuing funding for an automobile manufacturing plant that received grant funding from the Biden administration.

On Wednesday, Vance was asked by reporters at an event whether Trump would continue funding a $500 million federal grant for GM’s Lansing Grand River Plant. The grant came as part of funding approved by President Joe Biden to incentivize automobile manufacturers to invest in electric vehicles as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed after a tie-breaking vote from Harris.

“The $500 million grant came along with some really ridiculous strings and no protections for American jobs not getting shipped to foreign countries, because a lot of — not just the cars themselves, but the battery components, the minerals, this stuff is all produced in China,” Vance said at an event in Marne, Michigan, on Wednesday.

“And so when we write massive checks on American taxpayer expense to these companies, a lot of times, what we’re doing is selling American middle class jobs to the Communist Chinese, and we ought to be doing exactly the opposite,” he added.

Harris seized on Vance’s comment at her rally on Friday, telling voters they “deserve a president” who won’t jeopardize the estimated 650 jobs preserved by federal funding.

Vice President Kamala Harris discussed efforts to end the war in Gaza with leaders from the Muslim and Arab American community in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, according to a campaign official.

Activists pushing for a halt to US military aid to Israel have threatened to erode Harris’ coalition in the critical swing state, which has one of the country’s largest Arab American population.

Harris told the leaders that she was seeking to end the war in Gaza in a way that provided for Israel’s security, the release of hostages, an end to suffering in the enclave, and guarantees of dignity and self-determination for Palestinians, according to the official.

Harris also “expressed concern about civilian casualties and displacement” to the leaders and reiterated that the administration wants to see a diplomatic solution to ongoing tensions while preventing a wider war, the official said.

Aw’el Alzayat, the CEO of Emgage Action — an organization aimed at boosting the Muslim American vote that endorsed Harris last month — also released a statement on the meeting. Alzayat said the organization called on Harris to do “everything in her power, should she win, to end the war and reset US policy in the region.”

“Emgage Action also reiterated the organization and the Muslim community’s disappointment in the handling of the crisis that has endangered the wellbeing of our communities at home and is now widening to a broader regional war,” Alzayat said in the statement.

Some context: The meeting came as tensions escalate even further in the Middle East. Israel has turned much of its attention to a fight against Hezbollah to its north, launching days of heavy bombardment in Lebanon. The region is also on edge waiting for Israel’s response to an Iranian missile barrage earlier this week, its largest-ever attack on Israel.

Judge Scott McAfee presides in court during a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse, in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 28.

A judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by Republican Party officials in Georgia that sought to cast doubt on the security of voting machines that will be used across the state in the upcoming 2024 election.

Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee noted in his ruling issued Friday that the equipment remains certified and the consequences of potential security risks “are — at this point — purely hypothetical.”

The failed lawsuit, filed by GOP officials in Dekalb County and a familiar cast of pro-Trump lawyers just weeks before early voting begins in the state, argued the Dominion voting machines are not in compliance with Georgia law. The officials wanted the Secretary of State’s office to make voting records and ballot images available for public inspection within 24 hours of the election.

But McAfee said the relief sought by GOP officials would not have addressed any vulnerabilities and that the matter should be decided by policymakers, not courts.

State officials including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, insist the voting equipment is secure and there has been no proof of widespread fraud. Officials said the lawsuit was an attempt to mislead voters and lay the groundwork to once again question the 2024 election results if Donald Trump loses.

Kamala Harris is taking her advocacy for reproductive rights to a conversational and sometimes risqué place: The hugely popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

Harris taped an interview with podcast host Alex Cooper on Tuesday, according to Harris campaign aides. The episode will be released sometime next week. “Call Her Daddy” typically drops new episodes on Wednesdays.

The campaign said the conversation focused on reproductive freedom, abortion rights and other issues of importance to women. This comes as she and former President Donald Trump race to make their pitch to voters with 32 days until Election Day.

Spotify bills “Call Her Daddy” as “the most listened-to podcast by women.” It routinely ranks in the streaming service’s top 20 podcasts overall. Cooper and the show have a reputation for raunchy sex and relationship conversations. Earlier this year, Cooper struck a $125 million deal to move the show to SiriusXM starting in 2025.

Harris also recently appeared on “All The Smoke,” a podcast hosted by two retired NBA stars.

Trump has also taped multiple podcast interviews during his reelection campaign, including a chat with financial broadcaster Dave Ramsey that came out earlier this week.

As both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump court endorsements from the highest echelons of corporate America, there’s at least one name who won’t be taking sides: JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

The chief executive and chairman of the country’s largest bank is once again staying on the political sidelines, according to a spokesperson, who confirms he will “not be endorsing a candidate for president.” The clarification comes after Trump reposted a post from a little-known social media profile on X, claiming falsely that Dimon had endorsed Trump.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Dimon raised eyebrows when he praised some of Trump’s policies, while stopping short of suggesting he’d vote for him.

During the prior administration, Dimon found himself on Trump’s speed dial as the former president sought his advice on tariffs and taxes. Dimon, sources said, often tried to soften the president’s harder-line positions to avoid trade wars.

More about the JP Morgan CEO: Dimon, a registered Democrat for much of his life, has been engaging with both political candidates and their respective advisers to share his policy views, according to a source with knowledge of the outreach. As CNN has reported, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Dimon for lunch at the US Naval Observatory in April.

His wife, Judy, however, has donated roughly $300,000 to the Democratic National Committee and various Harris-affiliated entities. She also attended a small-group gathering with Harris at the Washington home of a top JP Morgan executive in July, as CNN has reported.

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at a temporary relief shelter as he visits areas impacted by Hurricane Helene on Friday, October 4, in Evans, Georgia.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday was briefed on the impact of Hurricane Helene in Georgia and praised GOP Gov. Brian Kemp for his response and recovery efforts after the storm devastated parts of the state.

Trump was joined by Kemp a the briefing, and it was their first face-to-face meeting since their relationship frayed around the 2020 presidential election. Kemp clashed with the former president after he refused to call a special legislative session to help Trump as he sought overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Trump thanked the Georgia governor for his work amid the hurricane devastation.

During Trump’s visit, the Georgia Republican thanked the former president “for coming back to our state again for the second time to view storm damage and keep a national focus on our state as we recover.”

Trump also asked about communication in the state and Kemp gave him an update, telling the former president “it’s getting better.”

Trump also thanked Elon Musk for providing Starlink to areas impacted by the hurricane. On Wednesday, SpaceX’s satellite internet service announced it would provide free service for 30 days in affected regions.

Asked about the possible impact the storm will have on voter turnout, Trump said he “is not thinking about voters right now, I’m thinking about lives.”

This post was updated with additional remarks from Trump and Kemp.

Sen. JD Vance speaks during a campaign event in Lindale, Georgia on Friday.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance said he respects former first lady Melania Trump voicing her support for abortion rights, but it won’t impact the way he or the Trump campaign speaks about the issue.

The former first lady said in a new video posted Thursday that she believes there is “no room for compromise” when it comes to a woman’s “individual freedom,” after The Guardian reported excerpts from her forthcoming book in which she says she supports abortion rights “free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”

Vance did not take a particular stance on whether the Georgia six-week abortion ban, which was struck down this week, should be reinstated. Vance said Donald Trump “couldn’t be more clear” that he wants individual states to determine their abortion policy.

“The national government is going to be focused on national issues and the people of Georgia can make up their own minds,” he said.

Vance was also asked by CNN which state he believes has the best abortion policy, which he did not address.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a campaign event at a fire station in Redford Charter Township, Michigan, on Friday, October 4.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday highlighted her record on labor issues, contrasting it with former President Donald Trump’s, while visiting a fire department near Detroit, just after a major firefighters’ union declined to endorse either candidate.

The vice president told the firefighters she was “thankful for the union that supports you and your right all that you deserve,” also expressing gratitude to other labor unions represented at the event at the Redford Township Fire Department in Michigan.

The president of the International Association of Firefighters announced on Thursday the group decided not to endorse a presidential candidate this election cycle in an effort to “preserve and strengthen” unity, after previously backing President Joe Biden in 2020.

Harris also commented on the tentative deal reached between dockworkers and management that allowed members of the International Longshoremen’s Association to resume work on Friday after being on strike, calling it “another example of the power of collective bargaining.”

Democrats outspent Republicans on advertising by a combined total of more than $31 million across 20 of the most competitive US House races in September, ad data shows, and held the edge in 17 of those contests.

Each of the races drew between about $5 to $10 million in ad spending during the month, with two toss-up contests in Alaska and Pennsylvania topping $10 million, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The list of 20 races that saw the most ad spending last month stretches across the country, with five states hosting a pair of top contests, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona.

And overall, including races not on the top 20 list, California and New York are dominating the House map – those two states accounted for nearly a quarter of all ad spending in House races in September (24%).

Counting all US House races, California saw more than $30 million worth of ad spending in the month, while New York saw $28.5 million. Pennsylvania ($20 million), Michigan ($17 million) and Arizona ($13 million) were also bombarded with ads.

Across the country, the parties combined for a total of about $245 million spent on advertising for House races in September – including all advertisers, campaigns and outside groups, from both parties – and Democrats led Republicans by about $153 million to $91 million.

Sen. JD Vance speaks during a campaign event in Lindale, Georgia, on Friday.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance reiterated that he is focused on the future, not the past, when asked if he would describe the 2020 election as “rigged,” as former President Donald Trump falsely and repeatedly alleges.

“Bless your heart,” Vance said after the reporter was booed heavily by the Georgia crowd.

He continued, “And I think it’s interesting that the American media wants to talk so much about 2020, and the reason they want to talk about 2020 is because they don’t want to talk about what happened afterwards.”

Remember: During the vice presidential debate this week, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz put Vance on the spot during a discussion of the January 6, 2021, insurrection and Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election.

“Did he lose the 2020 election?” Walz asked Vance, attempting to force the Ohio senator to acknowledge a reality that Trump himself won’t.

“Tim, I’m focused on the future,” was how Vance began his response.

“That is a damning nonanswer,” Walz shot back.

President Joe Biden, standing with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaks during a surprise appearance to take questions during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday.

President Joe Biden said he’s “singing from the same song sheet” as Vice President Kamala Harris as his administration deals with multiple crises on the domestic and international levels.

“I’m in constant contact with her,” he said while answering questions in the White House briefing room for the first time as president on Friday. “She’s aware … we’re singing from the same song sheet.”

He told reporters Harris “helped pass all the laws that are being employed now.”

Biden also joked that he was getting back into the presidential race

Asked if he wanted to reconsider dropping out of the race, Biden paused and turned around as he was walking out of the room.

“I’m back in!” he said with a smile.

President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 4 in Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance at the podium during the White House news briefing, where he answered a question on the upcoming November election.

A reporter asked Biden: “I’d like to know how you’re feeling about how this election is going. And then also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful?”

Biden responded: “Two separate questions. I’m confident it’ll be free and fair; I don’t know whether it will be peaceful.”

More context: Biden, who has pitched the 2024 contest as a choice between the continuation of democracy in America and its possible destruction, has long said he doubts whether Trump would concede if he lost a second time — or whether the country will see a repeat of his efforts four years ago to shake Americans’ trust in the integrity of their vote and go to extreme lengths to deny any outcome unfavorable to him.

In an August interview, the president said he’s “not confident at all” at a peaceful transfer if Trump loses.

Biden on Friday also referred to a moment during the vice presidential debate this week, when GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance was put on the spot by Democratic running mate Tim Walz during a discussion of the January 6, 2021, insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election.

Watch the moment below:

Video Ad Feedback

Biden confident 2024 election will be fair, not so sure it will be peaceful

00:39 - Source: CNN

CNN’s Michael Williams contributed reporting to this post.

This post has been updated with additional context on Biden’s remarks.

An employee installs components on a vehicle at the General Motors Co. Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan, in February 2020.

Vice President Kamala Harris will hit Ohio Sen. JD Vance for refusing to commit to continuing federal support for a General Motors plant in Lansing, Michigan, during her remarks in Flint, Michigan on Friday, a senior campaign official told CNN.

On Wednesday, Vance was asked by reporters at an event whether former president Donald Trump would continue funding a $500 million federal grant approved by the Biden administration for GM’s Lansing Grand River Plant. The grant came as part of funding approved by Biden to incentivize automobile manufacturers to invest in electric vehicles as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed after a tie-breaking vote from Harris.

“And so when we write massive checks on American taxpayer expense to these companies, a lot of times, what we’re doing is selling American middle class jobs to the Communist Chinese, and we ought to be doing exactly the opposite,” he said.

Harris is expected to argue Trump and Vance are threatening manufacturing jobs in Michigan by refusing to commit to maintaining funding for plants that manufacture electric vehicles, the official told CNN. The Biden administration has estimated funding for the plant has helped preserve 650 jobs.

Harris is also expected to highlight a $60 million in federal funding to help create an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Flint, which the administration estimates will create 150 jobs.

Magic Johnson at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in February 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.

NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson will speak at Vice President Kamala Harris’ event in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, organizers at the event told CNN.

Johnson, a native of Lansing, Michigan, has previously endorsed Harris and joined the leadership of multiple outreach coalitions for the Harris campaign, including “Athletes for Harris” and “Business Leaders for Harris.”

A key voting group: Johnson’s remarks come as the Harris campaign continues to make efforts to connect to Black voters in key states, including Black male voters. Recent polls have indicated Trump is performing stronger with Black male voters than he did in the 2020 election against President Joe Biden.

Additional speakers scheduled to speak tonight include United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President April Verrett, Michigan Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, among others.

Some Americans have already started casting their ballots in states with early voting, as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump continue to push toward Election Day.

While policy proposals have featured heavily on the campaign trail, other headlines have also spread widely on social media.

Here are some of those viral stories you might have missed this week:

“Your mics are cut”

Vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz faced off Tuesday in their first and only debate. In the middle of a heated exchange on immigration, Vance and Walz started talking over each other. CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, one of the two debate moderators, tried to regain control several times.

Then she said, “The audience can’t hear you because your mics are cut,” as the candidates could be faintly heard talking in the background. Ahead of the debate, CBS News said it reserved the right to turn off the candidates’ mics during the showdown.

A clip of the moment was posted on CBS’ TikTok account — drawing more than 3 million views and more than 319,000 likes. CNN also posted a clip on its TikTok account and got 1.8 million views.

Political impressions out in full force

“Saturday Night Live” returned last week — and so did the star-studded political impressions, garnering millions of views online. The cold open featured Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump, among others.

“Donald Trump is stuck in the past. But it’s like what I say to my husband, Doug, when he leaves his phone at the Chilis: We are not going back,” Rudolph said as she impersonated Harris. Samberg as Emhoff later came out to the song “Teach Me How to Dougie.”

The sketch received more than 8 million views and 179,000 likes on SNL’s YouTube account.

Comedians on TikTok are also jumping in on the action. Comedian Allison Reese, who is no stranger to viral fame for her Harris impressions, got more than 174,000 likes and 1.2 million views for a TikTok of her Harris persona reacting to the vice presidential debate. On the other side of the impression ticket, comedian Austin Nasso, known for his viral video impersonations of Trump, garnered more than 32,000 likes and 390,000 views for a video posted Monday.

Melania Trump’s comments about abortion rights

Former first lady Melania Trump suggested a break with her husband over abortion rights in her new memoir and social media video.

In a video posted to X on Thursday morning, the former first lady said that she believes there is “no room for compromise” when it comes to a woman’s “individual freedom.” The video followed a story from The Guardian on excerpts from her forthcoming book in which she says that “restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body.”

In the first five hours after it posted, the video got more than 473,000 views on X. “Melania Trump” was trending on Thursday afternoon, with more than 35,000 posts about her circling the platform — many also mentioned the CNN story about her book publisher requesting a quarter of a million dollars for an interview. As of Friday afternoon, the video had surged to about 4.3 million views.

Donald Trump regularly takes credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which eliminated federal protections for abortion and led to the enactment of severe restrictions on the procedure in mostly Republican-led states.

Supporters watch as former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Saginaw, Michigan, on October 3, 2024.

When absentee ballots first landed on doorsteps in Michigan last month, so did Paul Hudson, a Grand Rapids lawyer and a Republican running to represent the area in Congress. Armed with an app that told him where likely voters lived and which houses might be swayed, he spent that morning walking a densely populated purple community where single-story ranches with Trump flags neighbor homes with “Harris Walz” signs on their lush, well-manicured lawns.

It’s a conventional strategy to compete in close races, one battle-tested by campaigns big and small every election. And it’s a playbook that former President Donald Trump’s campaign has tossed aside.

Targeting irregular voters, teaching supporters to surveil polling places and bombarding states with voting-related lawsuits – this is the machine the Trump campaign has built for an election that many expect to hinge on just tens of thousands of ballots cast across seven battleground states. It’s a gamble, Trump’s campaign internally acknowledges, but one that they insist is built on data they have collected over nearly a decade and tested for the past six months.

That, and tens of millions of dollars injected lately by a super PAC aligned with tech billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump’s most vocal and influential supporters.

The campaign’s untraditional strategy was on display when conservative commentator Tucker Carlson came to Grand Rapids last month. He urged his audience to download an app – 10xVotes – that promises to help them find the non-voting conservatives among their family and friends. Days later, the Michigan state party chairman also plugged 10xVotes when he rolled into Traverse City, Michigan, alongside Trump running mate JD Vance.

Read the full story.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a campaign event of Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance in Lindale, Georgia, on Friday.

GOP Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene drew attention to the low turnout problem in northwest Georgia and told voters November 5 is not an “ordinary” election, but Republicans’ opportunity “to take our country back.”

Urging residents to resist the urge to tune out politics, Greene said if they don’t vote, they are part of the problem.

“If you don’t participate in this election, you’re going to be part of the very problem that we are trying to fix,” she said.

Greene also used her speaking time to draw attention to murders she said, without evidence, were committed by undocumented immigrants.

“You aren’t going to sit on the sidelines and let America go to hell. You’re going step up and you’re gonna step on the battlefield and make sure that northwest Georgia turns out the vote for President Trump and JD Vance,” Greene said.

Greene, a staunch Trump ally, represents Georgia’s 14th congressional district, which includes Lindale and Floyd County.

CNN observed Trump signs and signs with the name of the Georgia lawmaker on the road leading up to the event. There was also a “Republicans for Harris” sign on the same street.