(Uniondale) Seven weeks before a historic presidential election, Donald Trump violently attacked immigrants in the United States on Wednesday, while his rival Kamala Harris continued to seek to attract minority voters, particularly by capturing the Latin American vote.
While a poll gives a slight advantage to the Democrat over the Republican in two key states that will decide the November 5 election, Donald Trump announced during a meeting near New York that he would go “in the next two weeks” to Springfield, a Midwestern city shaken by racist and conspiratorial rumors against Haitians accused of eating domestic animals.
“Springfield, Ohio, this nice little town, no crime, no problems. 32,000 illegal immigrants came into the town, almost the size of the population, in a matter of weeks. […] “I’m going to Springfield,” the populist tribune said, drawing laughter from his thousands of supporters when he added: “You may never see me again, but that’s OK.”
Springfield, with its 60,000 residents, overwhelmingly white, has indeed seen the city grow in recent years. Fleeing the terrible crisis in their country, about 15,000 Haitians have settled there, attracted by the economic recovery encouraged by the city and the state of Ohio, in the hands of Republicans.
But for ten days the city has been the prey of false information on social networks, amplified by Donald Trump, which targets Haitians who are “thieves” and “eaters” of cats, dogs and even geese.
This prompted 33 bomb threats and temporary school closures denounced by Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who has distanced himself from Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
“Animals” and “terrorists”
A central theme of the acrimonious and violent campaign, immigration occupied a large part of Donald Trump’s harsh and disjointed speech.
He called millions of immigrants and illegal immigrants “animals,” “terrorists” and “criminals.”
“They come from Africa, the Middle East, all over the world, from Asia […] “We are simply destroying our social fabric,” thundered the 78-year-old former conservative president, who promised to “get rid of these people” if he is re-elected.
He accused Vice President Harris of opening the borders to illegal immigration and predicted she would be “the invasion president” if she defeats him on November 5.
The 59-year-old Democrat, on the other hand, devoted her Wednesday to trying to attract the millions of Americans of Latin American origin. Invited to Washington by a pro-Hispanic organization, she warned of the “mass expulsions” of immigrants and the “detention camps” promised by her opponent if he returns to the White House on January 20.
Harris’s boon
On the economic front, the central bank (FED) announced that it would lower its main interest rate by 0.5 points, a first since spring 2020 as inflation gradually slows in the world’s largest economy.
It’s a boon for Kamala Harris to help her defend President Joe Biden’s record, which Donald Trump calls the worst in decades.
The Republican has also promised a program of reciprocity on customs tariffs against countries that tax American products too much.
“You make us pay, we make you pay,” he proclaimed.
Slight advance
According to a Quinnipiac University survey, Mme Harris has taken at least a five-point lead over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Michigan. A week after their televised debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Democrat has 51% of the vote in Pennsylvania, compared to 45% for the Republican.
This swing state is crucial in the presidential race because it provides its winner with more electoral votes than any of the other six most contested states.
It was in this rural, industrial northeastern state that Donald Trump was the target of a first assassination attempt on July 13, when a young gunman shot him in the ear.
Still according to this Quinnipiac survey, Mme Harris leads Mr Trump in Michigan (50% to 45%) and much less clearly in Wisconsin (48% to 47%).
The candidate who is defeated in these three states would virtually lose all chance of being elected nationally.
Donald Trump won them narrowly in 2016 and Joe Biden by a hair in 2020.
The life-president suffered a setback on Wednesday, however: the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a powerful truck drivers’ union with 1.3 million members that she met with on Monday, said it would not officially support either candidate.
A first after a quarter of a century of support for the Democrats.