Voters at Vegas rally talk about strained relations over election – Deseret News

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Happy Friday, friends. I hope everyone had a safe Halloween. My best costume ever and my first attempt at election prediction was when I dressed up as a “ballot box” in elementary school. (Evidence Here.) People cast their votes by sliding candy next to pictures of Obama or McCain. It turned out to be a successful attempt at prediction: Obama outperformed McCain among neighbors in my red Virginia town.

Have any of you tried the sugar survey? Let me know. Their guesses about what will happen on Tuesday are as good as mine.

3 things you need to know

• Harris and Trump campaigns They are deadlocked in a campaign race to turn out as many of their voters as possible. In a race this close and this close to Election Day, both campaigns’ on-the-ground operations have shifted their focus from convincing undecided voters to getting people on their side to mail in ballots or go to the polls. In Pennsylvania, I joined activists on both sides to watch them in action and write about the county that could decide everything. Read more here.
• Trump promises to defend Christians. So what about Christians who are persecuted abroad and seek refuge in the United States? Trump’s plan to stop refugee resettlement from day one contradicts his promise to be an “advocate” for Christians; because a new report shows more than 360 million persecuted Christians worldwide are seeking asylum. Read more here.
• Republicans in Arizona One last step for Harris. John Giles and Jeff Flake, two lifelong Republicans, are some of Harris’ leading surrogates in Arizona. Both Latter-day Saints and BYU alumni argue that “Kamala Harris is a better Republican than Donald Trump.” Read more here.

big idea

Campaign trash talk

In the upper chamber of a Las Vegas-area arena on Thursday afternoon, Brian Holland looked tired. Below, a raucous crowd of MAGA believers anxiously awaited Trump’s arrival, swaying to the music and chanting Trump’s name. Holland, wearing a custom “Trump 45” football jersey, said it was “nice to be around like-minded people.” But instead of losing himself in the crowd, he stood alone above.

He said the idea of ​​a Trump presidency was exciting to him. But there was also something gnawing at him. “There’s a lot of tension right now,” he said. Politics was taking a toll on his relationships, and as a result, some of his friends are no longer his friends. “More than anything, it’s my family,” he added, “and social media. That’s probably the biggest place we’ve created division.”

“I hope it will calm down after the elections,” he said. “I hope we get there.”

Over the past 14 months, I have attended dozens of Trump rallies and spoken to hundreds of voters. This was a feeling I’d never felt before. I heard this from many people on Thursday, during what is likely Trump’s last visit to Nevada before Tuesday’s election. They said things had gotten very bad and they were ready for the election to be over.

That doesn’t mean they’re any less passionate about Trump’s candidacy or his platform. Some have told me that’s exactly why they’re tired of this election. “I try to block out all the noise because it’s about the issues,” said Kate, from Henderson. (He declined to give his last name.)

The noise in the final week of an already messy and ugly election appeared to have reached a fever pitch. What started as a comedian’s irreverent warm-up act at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday quickly turned into a series of derogatory comments and, for a day, the main story of the election. The loudest of the slurs was the claim that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” and Puerto Ricans were understandably quick to react. Prominent Puerto Rican celebrities have endorsed Harris or retracted their endorsement of Trump. The Trump team tried: distance themselves but one attendee of Harris’s speech in Washington on Tuesday told me the comment was the long-awaited “October Surprise.”

But then even when Harris was giving a message unity-oriented closing argument Outside the White House, President Joe Biden was on Zoom calling Trump supporters “trash.” (Biden later walked back comments.) Biden White House is now facing allegations He changed the text of his words.

A day later, when Trump was given the chance to respond, he turned it into a spectacle. A Trump-branded garbage truck picked him up when he arrived on the tarmac in Green Bay on Wednesday. When he addressed a rally that night, he wore an orange safety vest, the kind worn by sanitation workers. “These are terrible people,” Trump said. “Oh. ‘We must get along with everyone.’ They are terrible people! You can’t get along with some people. “You can’t.”

With the election just days away, it’s the kind of news cycle that infuriates even some of Trump’s staunchest supporters. Some, like Ariel, a Las Vegas real estate agent, think the outburst over Biden’s comments distracts from more important issues. “Just like I would give grace to Donald Trump, I’m kind of letting this get off my back,” he said. “The moment you let words like that affect you is when you stop thinking logically and start thinking emotionally. “I also think this choice should be supported by logic.” (Ariel voted for Trump.)

But for some, the election cycle has already negatively impacted their lives. “Of course I lost friends,” said Allan Talley, 37, who just moved to Carson County. “That’s a little sad.” This isn’t a problem unique to Trump supporters: At a Harris event in Philadelphia earlier this month, a Missouri man told me his daughter stopped talking to him because of her vote, and a woman from Arizona told me she had become an “outsider” in he said. Church community because of their political views.

“It’s okay to disagree,” Talley said. “We stopped being open and listening to people.”

At Thursday’s rally, Trump appeared to have taken a step in the right direction. “My answer (to Biden) is very simple: If you don’t love America, you can’t govern America,” he said. “You can’t be president of America if you hate the American people.” But he soon returned to name-calling. “He is the worst vice president in the history of our country,” he said. “Kamala, you are fired. Get out of here.”

Is it Trump’s obligation to lower the temperature? Even his most jaded followers don’t think so. “This is ours,” he said. “I mean, we all make our own personal choices. “We can either agree or disagree.”

Poll coup

This has been a tour, guys. Latest batch of swing states, all within the margin of error:

what am i reading

Musk against Cuba: In the celebrity-versus-billionaires battle, two prominent businessmen — Elon Musk and Mark Cuban — have emerged as top surrogates for the respective Trump and Harris campaigns. The economy is voters’ top concern, and Musk and Cuban come into play with the ability to reach voters that top candidates can’t. (Last week, Cuban said Harris was “not a good salesperson” on the economy.) But the two celebrities have very different messages about the economy: Cuban preaches that Harris’ economic plan is gold for entrepreneurs and small businesses. owners (“grinders” as he calls them). Musk, meanwhile, is proposing a complete overhaul of the US financial sector: cutting government spending, triggering a market crash and creating some “temporary hardship” before a “rapid recovery to a healthier, sustainable economy.”

Trump received great support from Nikki Haley over the summer. Nothing has happened since then. Haley says the two haven’t spoken since June and the former president hasn’t called, although Haley offered to campaign with Trump. It’s a mind-boggling strategy, considering Haley received 4.4 million votes in the nationwide Republican primaries. Trump makes no effort to reach them, whereas groups like “Haley Voters For Harris” do. Trump Keeps Nikki Haley Aside (Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal)

On the battlefield of Nevada, the election may be decided by “old Californians who hate the politics of their old home state.” California expatriates make up more than 20 percent of Nevada’s population; More than 150,000 Californians have flocked to Nevada since 2020 alone. During this period, the gap between registered Republicans and Democrats in the state narrowed significantly. “In a state decided by fewer than 34,000 votes in 2020, a bloc of motivated, California-hating, axe-wielding former Californians could play a pivotal role in shaping this year’s outcome.” Former Californians Who Hate Kamala Harris – And Could Flip Nevada (Calder McHugh, Politics)

BONUS: The Honorable Thomas B. Griffith, retired federal judge, writes for the Deseret News: “When did conservatives decide that the success of our economy — or anything else — was more important than the character of our leaders?”

See you on the road.

Editor’s note: The Deseret News is committed to covering important issues in the 2024 presidential race from its in-house publication. unique perspective and editorial values. Our team of political reporters will provide you with the most relevant news and information in depth to help you make an informed decision. Find our full election coverage Here.