appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Cyril Ip

Zhao Ziwen

This article has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app.
We are hours away from polls opening on election day as the United States faces one of the most unpredictable presidential races in years, with former US president Donald Trump and current Vice-President Kamala Harris neck and neck across several swing states and celebrities calling on fans to cast their ballots. Here is what we know so far on the eve of the election.
Final campaign events

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ final campaign rallies wrapped up on Monday in Michigan and Philadelphia, respectively.


Trump had a Monday morning rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, followed by two in Pennsylvania – one in Reading and another in Pittsburgh. He then had a final hurrah in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he closed out his winning 2016 campaign and returned in 2020.


Facing pressure to win over female voters, Trump’s Pittsburgh rally featured speeches by prominent women in politics, including Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, and talk show host and commentator Megyn Kelly.


At the same event, Trump said he wanted to see wrestlers from Pennsylvania State University and UFC champions fight people migrating to the US.


Harris dedicated the entire day to the swing state of Pennsylvania, hosting four rallies across Scranton, Allentown, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where she was joined by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ricky Martin and Fat Joe.


Harris’ speech at her campaign’s second-to-last rally in Pittsburgh deviated from her usual underdog posture, showcasing more confidence in victory, saying: “The momentum is on our side … Make no mistake, we will win, we will win.”


By his own count, Trump has held more than 900 rallies since announcing his first bid for the White House in 2015.


Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance asked voters to not let their political differences come between them, saying: “I really don’t like Kamala Harris and her policies, but most of the people who are voting for Kamala Harris are fundamentally decent people, I just believe that.”


Harris made a surprise appearance on sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. In a statement on Sunday, the show’s broadcaster NBC said it would give Trump an opportunity to speak under the “equal time” rules governing the country’s broadcasters and political campaigns. Trump later urged voters to vote in a direct-to-camera appeal that aired during the network’s Nascar post-race show on Sunday.


Polls and swing states
As of Monday, Trump and Harris were still in a neck-and-neck race in national polls as well as seven swing states.

Harris has a narrow edge in most national polls. According to combined polling averages compiled by The New York Times, Harris led national polls at 49 per cent compared to Trump’s 48 per cent. The latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll on Monday showed Harris with a 4-point lead over Trump.


Pennsylvania: On Monday, Trump led Harris by less than 1 percentage point in the state, where Trump had the support of 49 per cent of voters, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, a poll from the same day by 270ToWin had the candidates tied at 48.2 per cent each.


Wisconsin: Harris’s advantage in the Midwestern state continues to expand, but she led her rival by just 1 percentage point with the support of 49 per cent of voters as of Monday, according to The New York Times.


Michigan: Harris also enjoyed a narrow edge in Michigan, where she polled at 49 per cent compared to Trump’s 48 per cent on Monday.


Nevada: Trump has a 1-point advantage in Nevada, according to The New York Times. Polls from 270ToWin show an even narrower advantage of only 0.6 points in the state, where Trump has a 48.2 per cent support rate compared to Harris’ 47.6 per cent.


North Carolina: Trump led Harris by 1.3 percentage points with the support of 48.6 per cent of those surveyed, according to polls by 270ToWin polls and The New York Times.


Georgia: Trump enjoyed a narrow edge of 1.2 points in the Southern state, where he had a support rate of 48.7 per cent compared to 47.5 per cent for Harris, according to 270ToWin polls. The New York Times poll also showed Trump with a 1-point lead.


Arizona: The Southwestern state had the biggest polling gap among the seven swing states, with Trump gaining a 3-point edge over Harris with the support of 50 per cent of those polled, according to The New York Times. However, according to 270ToWin polls, Trump’s edge has narrowed to just 1.6 points over Harris.


Major endorsements

Musicians including Philadelphia rappers Meek Mill and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas released songs endorsing Harris ahead of a star-studded final rally.


Podcast host Joe Rogan, who interviewed Trump late last month, endorsed the Republican candidate in a post on social media platform X – an announcement that was immediately celebrated by Trump.


Comedian and television host John Oliver endorsed Harris during the most recent episode of his programme Last Week Tonight, saying, “Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where [Trump is] no longer an active threat?”


Singers Rihanna and Beyoncé made public their support for Harris. Beyoncé made an appearance at an October 25 rally in Houston, where the pop star was born and raised, in a campaign event later characterised by Trump as a “dance party”.


Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Harris in September, describing the former prosecutor as a “steady-handed, gifted leader” who “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them”. Trump, on the next day, said he was “not a Taylor Swift fan” and five days later posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on his own social media platform Truth Social.


Actors from Marvel’s Avengers film series, including Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jnr, and Chris Evans, teamed up for a video endorsement for Harris earlier this month.



Mexico mends ties with Spain in first presidential visit in 8 years

DOJ settles with ex-Trump adviser Flynn for US$1.2 million over ‘historic injustice’

US judge permanently blocks release of report on Trump classified documents case

Trump’s US$10 billion BBC defamation suit headed for 2027 trial

US presidential election 2024

Polls show Trump and Harris still neck and neck in White House race on eve of US election

Supporters hold signs at a campaign rally for US presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday. Photo: AP

A supporter waits for the arrival of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Voters cast ballots during early voting in the US presidential election at a polling station in Detroit, Michigan on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

US election: world braces for uncertainty as Trump storms back to the White House – as it happened

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has the Electoral College votes he needs to take the White House. Photo: Reuters

Awaiting US election, Asian officials see little difference in candidates’ policies

Illustration: Henry Wong

Candidates for US president and vice-president, Democrats Vice-President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Republicans former president Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, on a mail-in election ballot in New York. Photo: AP

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris boarding Air Force Two at Detroit’s international airport in Romulus, Michigan, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday. Photo: AP 

US presidential elections looms, with impact to be felt across Asia

US Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are seen on a screen as they participate in a presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Photo: TNS

Early voters fill out their ballots at the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester. Photo: AP

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China confrontation here to stay after election, says influential Beijing commentator

The United States will elect its next president on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

US election could shape China’s long-awaited fiscal stimulus package: analysts

Chocolate bars with the faces of Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, and Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump are displayed at a store. Photo: Reuters

Early voting for the 2024 presidential election has already taken place in some parts of the United States. Photo: dpa

News

China

Diplomacy

US Elections

US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rally swing state voters – and celebrity supporters – ahead of election day


US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rally swing state voters – and celebrity supporters – ahead of election day.


Donald Trump

Kamala Harris

J.D. Vance

US Politics

Polls show Trump and Harris still neck and neck in White House race on eve of US election

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rally swing state voters – and celebrity supporters – ahead of election day

US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rally swing state voters – and celebrity supporters – ahead of election day