So far, Donald Trump has been observing from the sidelines while Vice President Kamala Harris has energized and reinvigorated Democrats by stepping in as their likely presidential nominee. However, on Wednesday, Trump re-enters the political arena. As the Republican presidential nominee, he will host his first campaign rally since Harris became his almost certain Democratic opponent in the 2024 election. The event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, a crucial battleground state in the November 5 election.
The Trump campaign claims to be ready for Harris' candidacy, suggesting that she acts as a stand-in for President Joe Biden on economic and immigration policies, which have negatively impacted his popularity with voters. A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll indicates that the race is now statistically even, with Harris leading Trump by two percentage points, 44% to 42%. Other national polls, however, show Trump with an edge.
Biden, who returned to Washington after recovering from COVID-19 in Delaware, will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday to explain his decision to withdraw from the race under pressure from his party. Meanwhile, Trump criticized Harris during a conference call with reporters, blaming her for the high number of migrants crossing the border. He described her as a radical leftist who supports open borders, a claim Harris has not explicitly endorsed.
Harris will travel to Indianapolis to speak at an event hosted by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, aiming to leverage the sorority's multigenerational network of Black women to boost Democratic voter turnout in November. At her first rally in Milwaukee, she criticized Trump, stating that he would lead the nation backward. She outlined her plans to expand abortion access, facilitate union membership, and tackle gun violence, contrasting sharply with Trump's policies.
Democrats will officially nominate their new ticket at the upcoming convention in Chicago, with North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, considered a potential running mate for Harris. The Harris campaign has been swift in consolidating support among Democrats in Congress and across the country, with potential rivals endorsing her. Despite a successful week for Trump, with his party uniting behind him after an assassination attempt, he has had to witness the narrative shift dramatically in Harris' favor due to Biden's sudden withdrawal from the race. The Harris campaign reported raising over $100 million since Sunday.
