Nearly 25 million Americans have cast their votes less than two weeks before the election, setting records in multiple key states. This surge in early voting is partly driven by Republicans following Donald Trump’s call to vote early.
In Georgia, over 1.9 million early votes have been cast, surpassing previous records in a state where Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden in 2020. North Carolina also saw record turnout, with more than 1.7 million voters participating, despite disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene last month. Trump celebrated the record turnout at an event in Georgia and urged his supporters at a rally to “just vote—however you prefer.”
A former model has accused Trump of inappropriate conduct at Trump Tower in 1993, claims the campaign has dismissed as “unequivocally false” and politically motivated. Trump appeared at various events in Georgia, including a faith-focused town hall with 2020 election denier Burt Jones and a rally in Duluth, where he criticized Kamala Harris.
Additionally, the Justice Department warned Elon Musk’s Super PAC about potential legal issues regarding his $1 million daily giveaways, which support Trump. Trump also lashed out at John Kelly, his former chief of staff, who labeled him a “fascist” and “authoritarian.” Some military officials agreed with Kelly, while others dismissed the remarks.
In her campaign, Kamala Harris condemned Trump as a “fascist” during a surprise speech, echoing Kelly’s comments and accusing him of seeking “unchecked power.” She reiterated this claim at a town hall with undecided voters, calling out Trump for his authoritarian tendencies. Harris’s campaign announced a significant speech next week at the site where Trump addressed supporters before the January 6 Capitol attack. Her running mate, Tim Walz, voted early in Minnesota, describing it as an opportunity to “move forward” from Trump.
In other campaign updates, the opinion editor of the Los Angeles Times resigned after the paper’s owner blocked an endorsement of Harris. New research revealed China-linked bots targeting Republicans, while Russian actors spread disinformation against Tim Walz. Finally, Pennsylvania’s top court ruled to allow provisional ballots for voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected due to technical issues, which dealt a blow to the Republican National Committee’s legal efforts.
