November 3, 2024, presidential campaign news

Former President Donald Trump is closing his presidential campaign with “total darkness and anger,” a senior Harris campaign official said Sunday during a briefing with reporters.

The campaign was responding to comments that the former president made on the campaign trail Sunday morning, invoking dark rhetoric at his first rally of the day, saying that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after he lost the 2020 election and that he didn’t mind that somebody would have to “shoot through the fake news” to get him.

Harris, meanwhile, spoke at a Detroit-area church, where she said the community must act to “decide the fate of our nation.”

Supporters watch as former President Donald Trump lands before a campaign rally in Kinston, North Carolina, on Sunday.

Former President Donald Trump is addressing supporters at a campaign event in North Carolina, holding his third rally in two days in the Southern battleground state.

The event, which is being held in the city of Kinston, comes as polls show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in a tight race for the state’s 16 electoral votes.

North Carolina is among the seven states viewed as likely to determine the presidential election. Both Harris and Trump campaigned there this weekend, underlining the state’s importance in the final days of the race.

This is Trump’s second rally Sunday, after a morning event in Pennsylvania where he invoked an increasingly dark closing message.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making their closing arguments to voters in battleground states during the final two days before Election Day.

Trump was in Pennsylvania earlier today, is rallying in North Carolina this afternoon, and will stop in Georgia this evening. Harris is focusing her day in Michigan, with a series of stops in the Detroit area before a rally in East Lansing.

Here’s what’s happened on the campaign trail so far Sunday:

Trump:

• The former president began his day in Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he invoked dark rhetoric during a lengthy rally. Trump said he thought he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after he lost the 2020 election, which he has still not conceded.

• He also said he wouldn’t mind if a gunman had to “shoot through” the group of reporters at the event if that person was trying to get to him, in reference to the layout of the bulletproof glass surrounding him. Later, his campaign sought to clean up the former president’s violent rhetoric toward journalists, claiming he had been “looking out for their welfare.”

• Trump continued to slam the final Iowa poll from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom, which shows him trailing Harris by 3 points among likely voters, saying it is not accurate. The poll found no clear leader in the race, and was considered notable because Trump carried the state in both 2016 and 2020.

• He later told NBC News that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent comment about removing fluoride from public water “sounds OK to me.” Trump has suggested Kennedy, who has prominently promoted baseless conspiracy theories about public health, would have a role in shaping his future administration’s health policy.

Harris:

• The vice president made her first stop in Detroit where she addressed the congregation at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. Harris focused her message on unity and a need to act in service to democracy in the country. “So church, in just two days we have the power to decide the fate of our nation — for generations to come,” Harris said.

• Later, Harris confirmed to reporters that she has cast her mail-in ballot in the 2024 election, sending it to California, where she is registered. She declined to comment on how she voted on a crime-related statewide ballot measure.

• Harris also said she is continuing to work to earn the support of Arab American voters — a critical demographic in Michigan — amid criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.

• Harris then made stops to greet customers at Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles in Detroit and Elam’s Barbershop, a Black-owned barbershop in Pontiac.

Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent comment about removing fluoride from public water if Donald Trump wins the 2024 election “sounds OK to me,” the former president told NBC News on Sunday.

Kennedy said in a Saturday post on X that Trump’s administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”

Trump has said Kennedy would “have a big role in health care” if he were to win reelection, and that Kennedy wants to address vaccines specifically. Kennedy has been a leading promoter of debunked conspiracy theories about vaccines.

NBC News asked Trump whether banning certain vaccines would be an option.

“Well, I’m going to talk to (Kennedy) and talk to other people, and I’ll make a decision, but he’s a very talented guy and has strong views,” Trump told the outlet.

Some background: The CDC recommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health.

Exposure to fluoride above the public health recommended amount over many years can result in skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes weaker bones and joint pain. A federal review published in August by the National Institutes of Health’s toxicology program concluded that higher levels of fluoride is linked to lowered IQ in children. The program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

In addition to his vaccine rhetoric, Kennedy has promoted other baseless conspiracies about the impact of man-made chemicals in the environment, including suggesting that they could be making children gay or transgender.

Read what health experts have to say about fluoride here.

CNN’s Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump is seen at a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

Former President Donald Trump said on Sunday he expects the winner of the presidential election to be declared on Election Day, according to ABC News.

Trump, who has been making unfounded claims about cheating in the 2024 election and has not conceded the 2020 election, was asked whether he thought there was any way he could lose.

“Yeah, I guess, you know,” Trump said. “I guess you could lose, can lose. I mean, that happens, right? But I think I have a pretty substantial lead. … Bad things could happen. You know, things happen, but it’s going to be interesting.”

Asked by ABC News when he plans to address the country on Election Day, he said, “I’ll be out there at the right time.”

Some background: In 2020, Trump prematurely declared himself the victor in the early morning of the day after the election, despite millions of outstanding ballots left to be counted in key states. In brief remarks from the East Room of the White House, Trump attacked the legitimate vote-counting efforts, calling it “fraud” with no basis. He then claimed he “did win” the election, despite the millions of votes that have yet to be counted.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to diners at Kuzzo's Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles in Detroit, a local restaurant owned by former Detroit Lions player Ron Bartell, according to reporters traveling with Harris.

During her stop at Kuzzo’s, the vice president greeted and spoke with customers, took selfies and picked up lunch.

Harris is spending the day in the critical battleground state of Michigan, where she’s making several stops in the Detroit area and will later hold a rally in East Lansing, a senior campaign official told CNN.

Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

Donald Trump’s campaign sought to clean up the former president’s violent rhetoric toward journalists Sunday, issuing a statement arguing Trump was actually “looking out for their welfare” when he said he wouldn’t mind if someone were to “shoot through” reporters if that person was trying “to get to me.”

The statement, issued by campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung shortly after Trump wrapped his remarks, did not accurately reflect what the former president said during his Pennsylvania campaign rally and was a blatant attempt by the campaign to spin the violent comments two days from Election Day.

Trump on Sunday said he wouldn’t mind if somebody were to “shoot through the fake news” if they were trying “to get to me,” as he talked about the way the protective glass around him onstage was laid out.

“I have a piece of glass over here … and I have this piece of glass here. But all we have really over here is the fake news, right? And to get me somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind,” Trump said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday that she is continuing to work to earn the support of Arab Americans — a critical demographic especially in the battleground state of Michigan.

Harris told reporters in Detroit that while the community is “not a monolith,” she understands the Biden administration’s policies throughout the Israel-Hamas war have been of particular concern.

“The issues are as varied as they are for any voter, it includes that, but it is also about bringing down the cost of living. It is about supporting small businesses in the community. It is about bringing down the cost of housing, groceries, extending the Child Tax Credit. These are issues that resonate in our community, as well as every other community, and I will continue to speak to members of that community and to ask for their vote, which I hope I earn,” she said.

Harris pointed to support she has garnered from some leaders in the Arab American community and pledged that if she is reelected as president she will seek to end the war.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rallied volunteers at a canvass launch event in Georgia on Sunday, projecting confidence in the key battleground state while urging supporters to ignore polling and keep working in the final hours to earn as many votes as possible on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Democratic vice presidential nominee thanked supporters gathered at a field office in Norcross, Georgia, for taking the time to campaign for Harris, making a few nods to possible churchgoers in the Gwinnett County office.

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Al Schmidt said Sunday that the state was aware of potentially fraudulent voter registration applications in Lancaster County and is investigating.

Schmidt, a Republican, stressed that the potential issue being caught and going under review should bolster confidence in the security of the election.

Some background: Last month, law enforcement and election officials in Lancaster County announced they had identified “incidents of suspected voter registration fraud.” The suspected fraud, according to the bipartisan board of elections and the county’s district attorney, likely stemmed from “a large-scale canvassing operation” that submitted registration applications with duplicate handwriting and inaccurate or unverifiable addresses.

The officials said “approximately 2,500 voter registration forms have been contained and segregated” to be reviewed and investigated but did not say how many of those have been found to be fraudulent.

Donald Trump has claimed Lancaster County, along with York County, is experiencing voter fraud as the former president and the Republican National Committee appear to be laying the groundwork to challenge voting results if Trump loses.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in West Allis, Wisconsin, on November 1.

Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters Sunday that she has cast her ballot in the 2024 election, recently filling out her mail-in ballot and sending it to California, where she is registered.

“I actually just filled out my mail-in ballot. So, I have voted,” she told reporters in Detroit.

After a follow-up question about whether the ballot had been returned, she said: “My ballot is on its way to California, and I’m going to trust the system that it will arrive there.”

When asked about Proposition 36, a statewide ballot initiative that would allow for increased sentencing for people convicted of repeat retail theft or drug crimes, Harris declined to weigh in.

“I am not going to talk about the vote on that because honestly, it’s the Sunday before the election, and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it,” she told reporters.

Former President Donald Trump waves as he finishes a campaign rally in Litiz, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday said he thought he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after he lost the 2020 election that he has not conceded.

“We had the safest border in the history of our country the day that I left. I shouldn’t have left. I mean, honestly, because … we did so well, we had such a great — so now, I mean every, every polling booth has hundreds of lawyers standing there,” Trump said during a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania.

The former president has refused to concede the 2020 election and has promoted conspiracy theories about that contest and this year’s election.

Some background: In the days following his 2020 loss, Trump repeatedly told aides that he would remain in the White House rather than let incoming President Joe Biden take over, according to reporting in a 2022 book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

“I’m just not going to leave,” Trump told one aide at the time, according to Haberman.

“We’re never leaving,” Trump told another. “How can you leave when you won an election?”

Trump’s comments at the rally Sunday came as he also appears to be laying the groundwork to dispute the 2024 presidential election results, returning to the playbook he used in 2020. He repeated unfounded claims of election cheating on several occasions at the Pennsylvania rally.

Just hours prior, Republican Sen. Tim Scott avoided condemning Trump’s spreading of misinformation about voter fraud. Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” whether he would like Trump to stop spreading the rumors and encouraging supporters to question the election, Scott said, “I would never tell any candidate on the ballot to talk about what happens if they lose.”

Focusing his closing message on the economy, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance brought out a stack of $5,000 in cash at a Saturday rally, attempting to demonstrate how much Vice President Kamala Harris would continue to cost Americans and telling voters “they can have it so much better” under former President Donald Trump.

“This is $5,000 right here. This is five months of Kamala Harris’ inflation,” the Ohio senator said in Sanford, North Carolina.

Vance praised the North Carolina crowd for voting early and urged them to get others to the polls.

“You can’t take the next two days off. You got to keep getting people to the polls. The only way we’re going to win this race is to swamp the vote and make the state too big to rig,” he said.

Some context: Trump’s campaign is making a last-minute push to advocate for early and mail-in voting, methods the former president has falsely vilified for years as dangerous and fraudulent.

Oprah Winfrey will deliver remarks at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Philadelphia the night before the election, according to a statement from the campaign.

Lady Gaga and other famous artists are also expected to perform.

Harris will also appear at a rally in Pittsburgh on Monday, which will feature performances by Katy Perry, Andra Day and D-Nice.

Remember: Pennsylvania is one of the seven pivotal battleground states considered likely to determine the outcome of the presidential election.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed concern over former President Donald Trump’s statement at a rally on Sunday that he wouldn’t mind if somebody had to “shoot through the fake news” to get to him.

The California Democrat referenced the violent break-in at her home in 2022, when a man attacked Pelosi’s husband with a hammer and repeated the refrain “Where’s Nancy?” that insurrectionists used when storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Pelosi expressed concern about the impact of these threats, saying it has “a chilling effect on people who may want to run for office to think that they may be endangering themselves, or more importantly their families.”

Pelosi also condemned Trump’s recent comment that he will “protect women whether they like it or not,” saying, “That is violence against women.”

“Women have a lot to lose in this election, but more importantly they have a lot to gain by the election of Kamala Harris,” Pelosi said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit on Sunday.

“So church, in just two days we have the power to decide the fate of our nation — for generations to come,” Harris said at the start of her remarks to the congregation.

The vice president then quoted a line from scripture from the prophet Jeremiah, which garnered cheers and applause. “For I know the plans I have for you. They are the plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope,” Harris said.

She added that God’s plan is to “heal us and bring us together as one nation,” but that it is not enough to believe in those plans, “we must act.”

Without mentioning her Republican rival former President Donald Trump, the vice president said there are some people who are trying to “sow hate, spread fear and spread chaos.”

After her remarks, the presiding priest led the church in praying over Harris.

Some background: During her travels across the country, Harris’ visits to predominantly Black churches have played a key role in her community outreach and mobilization efforts. The “souls to the polls” push was launched in October with a board consisting of Black faith leaders from around the country.

Harris is spending the day in the critical battleground state of Michigan, where she’s making several stops in the Detroit area and will later hold a rally in East Lansing, a senior campaign official told CNN.

CNN’s Sam Fossum and Ebony Davis contributed to this report.

Donald Trump said Sunday that he wouldn’t mind if somebody had to “shoot through the fake news” to get to him, adding to a long list of derogatory comments the former president has made against the press.

Trump was speaking at a rally in Lititiz, Pennsylvania, about the measures taken to ensure his safety following the two assassination attempts against him, specifically complaining about how the bulletproof glass makes him appear less appealing on television.

The president was gesturing to either side of the spot where he was standing, saying, “I have a piece of glass over here … I have this piece of glass here.” Then he gestured toward the area where media was gathered, saying, “But all we have really over here is the fake news.”

Some background: The former president has said he would seek retribution against the news media if reelected and has consistently referred to reporters as the “enemy of the people.”

This post has been updated with additional remarks from Trump.

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Trump says he wouldn't mind if somebody had to "shoot through the fake news" to get to him

03:34 - Source: CNN

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz met with students who attend Atlanta-area historically Black colleges and universities to kick off his final swing through Georgia before Election Day.

The Minnesota governor met six students at a hotel in Atlanta on Sunday and encouraged them to continue advocating for their fellow students to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. When he asked the students how they were feeling, one replied, “Scared, right now.” Walz then shared his own feelings on the race, attempting to inspire confidence in the students and telling them he’s “cautiously optimistic.”

Walz acknowledged the feelings of trepidation, saying “you always feel nervous” before big moments in your life. But, he told the students, the best way to deal with those feelings is “going to action.”

Walz’s meeting with the small group of students comes after he held a larger event with dozens of students from Atlanta-area HBCUs during his last visit in September.

Remember: Georgia is one of seven pivotal battleground states considered most likely to determine the outcome of the presidential election.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday continued to slam the final Iowa Poll from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom, which shows him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris by 3 points among likely voters.

Trump said the poll, released Saturday, was “fake,” asserting: “I’m not down in Iowa.”

The final Iowa Poll before Election Day showed Harris at 47% to Trump’s 44%, a margin that falls within the poll’s margin of error and suggests no clear leader in a state once widely viewed as a solid GOP win. Trump won the state in 2016 and 2020.

The findings suggest a shift toward Harris compared with the previous Iowa Poll, in September, which found a narrow edge for the former president. In that poll, 47% of likely voters backed Trump to 43% for Harris.

Earlier Sunday, Trump called the poll “heavily skewed” in a social media post.

The Trump campaign on Saturday called the survey a “clear outlier poll.”

More than 100 bipartisan political and military figures issued a statement Sunday calling for the upholding of election integrity, protection of election workers and peaceful transfer of power.

The signatories include former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

The list also includes former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele and Republican former Sen. Rob Portman.

More broadly, they called for all Americans to stop from spreading misinformation, undermining trust in the election. Former President Donald Trump, as recently as his Sunday rally, has cast doubt on the fairness of the election against Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We call on all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, to refrain from using threats, misinformation, or tactics that undermine the public’s trust in the electoral process. We urge all Americans to support fair elections and honor their results,” he said.

The statement stressed that the “peaceful transfer of power is essential for ensuring stability in governance.”

“Trust in our elections is the cornerstone upon which our principles and values for self-governance are built. Without trust in the electoral process, the legitimacy of government, the will of the people, and the very principles of our Constitution are at risk,” the signees concluded.

Sen. Marco Rubio sits in the spin room ahead of the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on September 10.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio defended former President Donald Trump’s comment that former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of his most outspoken Republican critics, should face gunfire.

Trump made the comment at a rally alongside former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson after describing Cheney as an out of touch “war hawk.”

“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” Trump said of the former representative. He has since said the point of his remark was that Cheney supports foreign wars but would not want to fight herself.

Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump was not inciting violence against Cheney, but making a statement about her lack of experience on the battlefield.

On foreign threats: Rubio — who serves on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — also expressed worry about threats from Russia, China, and Iran to the presidential election and the US government. The Florida senator referenced threats from Iran on the former president’s life, as well as the two assassination attempts on Trump, saying, “Of course we’re all concerned about it.”

Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, November 3.

Former President Donald Trump is kicking off his Sunday campaign swing with a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, as he focuses on the critical “blue wall” state.

Trump started the rally with what he said was a simple question, “Do you like it better now, or four years ago?” before diving into familiar talking points on immigration and the economy.

He also criticized Democrats for their handling of Harris’ ascension to party nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and complained about the length of time it takes to count votes, saying that it should be much faster and that the system needs to be changed.

Trump has been laying the groundwork to dispute the results of the 2024 election, sowing doubts about the process in the final days of the presidential race.

According to a CNN poll released last week, the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is tied in Pennsylvania (both with 48% support). The Keystone State is the largest electoral prize of the three blue wall states and a central piece of either candidate’s hopes of winning the White House.

Lititz is in the southeast of the state, about 9 miles north of Lancaster.

Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly said “of course” Vice President Kamala Harris would certify the election results even if former President Donald Trump wins.

“Yes, of course she would,” he said on “Fox News Sunday,” adding that Trump doesn’t understand “the peaceful transfer of power.”

In her role as president of the Senate, Harris will oversee the certification of the election on Capitol Hill. Kelly contrasted her with Trump, who called on then-Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to refuse to certify the 2020 results when he lost to President Joe Biden and told his supporters to march on the Capitol to stop the proceedings.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks during a campaign rally on October 24 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has offered a warning to the young men who are considering voting for former President Donald Trump, saying, “He is not your friend.”

Emhoff conceded in an interview with MSNBC’s Symone Sanders, which aired Sunday, that the “fun side” of Trump is appealing to some voters: “the dancing, the going to wrestling matches, going on the podcasts and trying to portray himself as someone who he really isn’t.”

Quoting artist Cardi B, Emhoff said, “It’s all just a hustle.”

The second gentleman implored young men to “do the research” before voting.

Polling suggests the gender divide between who is voting for which presidential candidate is becoming increasingly clear with the election less than one week away. CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein also said all signs suggest that the partisan divide over changing gender roles in society could widen even further in the 2024 election, adding a new source of uncertainty to a contest already on a knife’s edge.

The Capitol building on September 9 in Washington, DC.

Senate control is up for grabs Tuesday. And although Republicans are well positioned to win the majority, Democrats cannot be counted out entirely.

That’s because their well-funded candidates have consistently overperformed the top of the ticket in polling of many of the most important races. And even as the Senate map has become more daunting for Democrats with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin retiring, opportunities to mitigate GOP gains have opened up in Texas and, increasingly, Nebraska.

With Manchin almost certain to be succeeded by a Republican, the GOP needs to either pick up one more Senate seat or win the White House to flip the chamber. That math puts the pressure on Democrats to hold all their competitive seats while trying to knock off Republicans in Texas and Florida.

The battle for the Senate has evolved over the past two years, and CNN’s rankings of the top 10 seats most likely to flip — which is based on our reporting, as well as polling, fundraising and advertising data — has reflected those shifts.

These are the states most likely to flip:

• West Virginia

• Montana

• Ohio

• Wisconsin

• Michigan

• Pennsylvania

• Arizona

• Nevada

• Texas

• Nebraska

Read more about why they could flip here.

Rep. Elise Stefanik criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not condemning recent comments by pro-Harris businessman Mark Cuban, who said Donald Trump avoids “strong, intelligent women.”

“Kamala Harris did not condemn Mark Cuban’s just disgraceful comments saying that President Trump does not surround himself with strong, intelligent women,” the New York Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Stefanik also said Democrats’ focus on the issue of reproductive health care and abortion is a “scare tactic.”

“The reason why Democrats are only talking about this issue is these are scare tactics, because they are losing on every other issue, whether it’s the economy, the border, safety and security around the world,” she said.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who represents the key swing state of Pennsylvania, on Sunday mocked former President Donald Trump’s lies about election fraud and criticized the Trump campaign’s attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on transgender issues.

Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by a little more than 81,000 votes.

Fetterman said he was confident Harris would win Pennsylvania but acknowledged that it would be a tight race and that there was “strong energy on both sides.” The Democratic senator also blasted recent pro-Trump ads attacking Harris’ stance on transgender rights, leaning into his own masculinity and sense of toughness.

Over the first half of October, Trump and his allies poured more than $21 million into television ads attacking Harris over her past support of certain rights for transgender people, betting any voters still choosing between the two candidates could be swayed to take sides in a cultural fight that has torn apart statehouses and school boards in recent years.

Fetterman added, “It doesn’t make you a man to pick on trans or gay kids, it just makes you an a**hole.”

Sen. Tim Scott speaks during a Senate hearing on July 9 in Washington, DC.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday avoided condemning the spreading of misinformation about voter fraud by former President Donald Trump.

When asked by CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” about false rumors undermining the integrity of the election, Scott deflected by blaming the media rather than the former president for spreading misinformation.

Asked if he would like Trump to stop spreading the rumors and encouraging his supporters to question the election, Scott said, “I would never tell any candidate on the ballot to talk about what happens if they lose.”

Scott did say the Trump campaign will respect the results, and expressed high confidence the former president will prevail.

“I’m confident that he’s going to win without any question. And yes, I do believe that we will have a fair election. We will honor the results, and we will celebrate the 47th president being Donald Trump,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

A new poll from NBC News finds Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump running about even nationally among registered voters.

In a matchup with third-party candidates included, 47% support Trump and 46% Harris. In a head-to-head matchup with those who originally backed third-party candidates or were undecided and leaned to Harris or Trump, the race is tied with 49% each.

That’s a similar picture to previous NBC polling, but a tighter race than in the ABC News poll of likely voters released earlier this morning.

Overall, most national polling on the race released recently has shown a tight race between Trump and Harris, with the CNN Poll of Polls average of surveys of likely voters standing at 48% for Harris to 47% for Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joins former President Donald Trump for a campaign rally on October 23 in Duluth, Georgia.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Saturday that Donald Trump’s administration will order fluoride to be removed from water supplies if the former president wins Tuesday’s presidential election.

Kennedy, who Trump has suggested would oversee a health portfolio in a potential future administration, wrote in a social media post that Trump’s administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” which he claimed was tied to numerous medical conditions. The former independent presidential candidate called the element an “industrial waste.”

When asked about Kennedy’s comments, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told CNN, “While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election.”

Some background: State and local governments control most of the water supplies in municipalities across the country. The CDC recommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health.

Exposure to fluoride above the public health recommended amount over many years can result in skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes weaker bones and joint pain. A federal review published in August by the National Institutes of Health’s toxicology program concluded that higher levels of fluoride is linked to lowered IQ in children. The program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

While fluoride can be a byproduct of some industry, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is also found naturally in the environment in water and rocks.

Kennedy has a long history of sharing baseless conspiracy theories about the impacts of man-made chemicals in the environment.

Read more about the public health portfolio both Trump and Kennedy have teased here.

Maya Rudolph, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris appear on "Saturday Night Live" on November 2.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “Saturday Night Live” last night, making a surprise stop during the show’s last episode before Election Day.

The vice president gave her fictional self some advice ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election, saying in part, “You got this.”

If you didn’t stay up late to watch the show, here’s a look at the sketch:

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Kamala Harris speaks to Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris on SNL

01:09 - Source: CNN

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff delivers remarks in Washington, DC, on October 7.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff made a stark economic argument for Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy, warning there has been a “chilling effect” for businesses that disagree with former President Donald Trump.

“Part of it is they don’t want to get in the crosshairs,” he added.

Asked about their plans for election night, Emhoff said “a lot of family is coming in” to Washington for the occasion. “There’s food and people; there’s a sense of our family and community,” he said.

Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir that she keeps a tradition of a family meal on Election Day. CNN previously reported she will hold an election night event at Howard University, her alma mater.

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots during early voting on November 1 in Atlanta.

Across the seven states most likely to decide this year’s presidential election, neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump has built a clear advantage, with the two locked in margin of error races in six of them, according to the final New York Times/Siena College polls of this election cycle.

Looking at the results for matchups factoring in third-party candidates, the surveys find Harris and Trump tied in Georgia (46% each), Michigan (45% each) and Pennsylvania (47% each) among likely voters there, collectively worth 50 electoral votes in Tuesday’s election. Harris holds 48% to Trump’s 45% in both Wisconsin and North Carolina, and 48% to Trump’s 46% in Nevada, gaps within each poll’s error margin suggesting no clear leader, and Trump narrowly leads in Arizona, 48% Trump to 44% Harris. Head-to-head matchups between the two suggest a similar picture, with only Trump’s edge in Arizona outside the error margin in that state.

The survey suggests that late deciding voters across these states may be breaking in Harris’ direction. According to The Times, the 8% of likely voters who decided on their vote in the last few days or weeks split 55% for Harris to 44% for Trump.

In some states, the polls also suggest some shifts in voter priorities as the campaign’s end nears. In Wisconsin, abortion is now nearly as frequently named as a top issue as the economy, and immigration is on the rise in Arizona. Across all seven states, 24% call the economy the top issue, 18% abortion, 15% immigration, and 8% mention democracy.

The surveys were conducted between October 24 and November 2. Results combined across the seven states have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points, details for each state are below.

A view of the House chamber in Washington, DC in 2023.

Entering Election Day on Tuesday, the battle for control of the US House of Representatives rests on a knife’s edge, with a historically small universe of competitive races poised to determine the chamber’s majority in the next Congress — an outcome that could have far-reaching consequences for the next president’s agenda.

All 435 House seats are on the ballot, with Republicans defending a slim majority and Democrats needing a net gain of four seats to flip control of the chamber. There is a clear consensus among both parties that whichever side emerges with a majority is likely to have little room to spare.

If ex-President Donald Trump is returned to the White House, a Republican House could help advance his agenda while a Democratic-controlled chamber would serve as a potential roadblock, particularly if the GOP is able to flip the Senate, as it appears poised to do given a favorable map. As for Vice President Kamala Harris, she could be the first newly elected Democratic president in more than a century to start her term without concurring House and Senate majorities, though controlling at least one chamber could give her some much-needed leverage in negotiations.

With so much at stake, CNN has identified 10 races to watch on Tuesday. They include:

Read a breakdown of each race here.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 12.

The latest national polling from ABC News/Ipsos shows Vice President Kamala Harris with a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump among likely voters.

Forty-nine percent support Harris, compared with 46% who support Trump. That’s similar to a previous ABC News/Ipsos poll released last weekend, which showed Harris at 51% nationally to Trump’s 47%.

Likely voters are broadly dissatisfied with their choices, according to the ABC/Ipsos poll. Sixty percent say they are at least somewhat dissatisfied with Harris and Trump as the major-party candidates for president this year — with nearly three-quarters saying the country is on the wrong track (74%).

Perceptions of how the candidates would change things differ widely. A narrow majority (51%) say Trump would “shake things up in a bad way” if elected, while just 31% say Harris would do the same. Still, more see Trump’s brand of change as shaking things up in a good way than say Harris (45% for Trump compared with 35% for Harris). A sizable 34% say Harris would “leave things pretty much as they are.” A scant 4% of likely voters think things would remain as they are should Trump win Tuesday’s election.

More likely voters nationwide say Harris than Trump has contacted them to ask for their vote (45% say Harris has, 40% that Trump has); among likely voters in the seven key battleground states, 67% say they’ve heard from Harris’ campaign, 60% from Trump’s.

With the results of the new poll incorporated, the latest CNN Poll of Polls average of recent high-quality national polling of likely voters finds that 48% of likely voters nationwide back Harris and 47% support Trump, unchanged from the previous average.

Election Day is fast approaching, with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump racing to deliver their closing pitches to voters in key battleground states.

This is where the candidates will be on the campaign trail today:

Harris: The vice president is expected to make a series of stops in the Detroit area on Sunday, according to a senior campaign official, including attending a church service and visiting local businesses.

On Sunday evening, Harris will hold a campaign rally in East Lansing, Michigan.

Trump: The former president will start the day with a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, according to his campaign, as he continues to focus on the critical “blue wall” state.

Later this afternoon, Trump is expected to hold a rally in Kinston, North Carolina — marking his third campaign event in the Southern battleground state in two days. Later, he will deliver remarks at a rally in Macon, Georgia, according to his team.

We’ll bring you updates on the candidates’ events throughout the day.

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris makes an appearance during the cold open of "Saturday Night Live," alongside actress Maya Rudolph, on November 2, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” making a surprise stop during the show’s last episode before Election Day to give her fictional self some advice ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. “You got this,” Harris told her “SNL” alter ego, Maya Rudolph.

The cold open started with a spoof of CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” showing viewers a parody Donald Trump before cutting to a shot backstage at a fictional Harris rally in Philadelphia.

After Andy Samberg, as Doug Emhoff, left the set, Rudolph walked over to sit at a dressing room table and wondered out loud, “I just, I wish I could talk to someone who’s been in my shoes, you know, a Black, South Asian woman running for president, preferably from the Bay Area.”

Harris was seated across from Rudolph, who has played the vice president several times this fall on “Saturday Night Live,” wearing a similar outfit.

“You and me both sister,” the vice president responded.

“It is nice to see you, Kamala, and I’m just here to remind you you got this because you can do something your opponent cannot do. You can open doors,” the vice president said through a set piece designed to look like a mirror.

At one point, Rudolph satirized the vice president’s laugh, to which the vice president responded, “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?”

“A little bit,” Rudolph, as Harris, responded.

Harris’ appearance aligns with the campaign’s media blitz of recent weeks that aims to reach voters where they are — including friendlier interviews with Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” and radio personality Charlemagne Tha God — as she remains in a dead heat race with Trump with two days until Election Day.

She later told reporters the appearance on SNL was “fun.”

Former President Donald Trump is reusing his 2020 playbook to baselessly claim the 2024 election is being stolen from him and is being joined by allies with big megaphones amplifying his falsehoods ahead of Election Day.

Trump has made repeated false claims that Democrats are cheating in the election, and he’s twisted isolated problems with voting leading up to Election Day, all in an effort to prime his supporters to falsely believe the election is not legitimate if he loses.

This includes saying voting by noncitizens is a widespread problem. He’s claimed there’s no verification for overseas or military ballots. He’s claimed election officials are using early voting to commit fraud. He’s claimed that massive swaths of mail-in ballots are illegitimate, even as he’s encouraged his supporters to use mail voting this time around.

Most importantly, Trump has claimed that the only way Vice President Kamala Harris can win the election is by cheating.

The claims are baseless.

“It’s unfortunate that he sees his path back to the White House as denigrating a basic American institution like elections,” said Ben Ginsberg, a CNN contributor and Republican campaign attorney who has served as general counsel for several previous GOP nominees.

Read more about Trump’s attempts to discredit the election results here.

A person picks up a sticker while voters head to a polling station as Georgians turned out a day after the battleground state opened early voting, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Megan Varner

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have spent considerable time in a handful of states during their presidential campaigns as they race to make their pitch to voters.

The campaigns have put their focus and efforts there as these battleground states are likely to decide who wins the election.

Here’s what to know about them:

When Americans cast their votes this election, they are not directly electing the presidential candidates themselves. Voters are casting ballots for competing slates of “electors” who will in turn cast the actual votes for president and vice president on December 17. Collectively, the electors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are referred to the Electoral College.

The candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote on election night does not necessarily win the White House. To win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

How the Electoral College Works:

Read more about how the US election works.