Welcome back to a second helping of the Campaign Chronicles. It’s been a week full of (for lack of a better word) interesting public appearances from former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Before we dive into some talking points, let’s take a look at the polls.
Polling
A poll from Project 538, which averages data from multiple news outlets, shows Harris leading Trump at 48.4%, by 2.9 points, with Trump at 45.5%. A NBC poll released on Sept. 22 revealed that Harris has seen the largest increase in popularity since President George W. Bush following the events of 9/11. Of the 1,000 registered voters surveyed by NBC, 48% have positive views of Harris—a notable jump from 32% in July. In the same poll, 40% of voters view Trump positively compared to 38% months prior. It’s important to keep in mind that, for both candidates, the poll has a margin of error of 3%.
Harris Visits the National Association of Black Journalists
On Sept. 14, the VP visited a Philadelphia convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) where she emphasized the maternal mortality rate for Black women and the estimated 16 million new jobs created under the Biden administration—truthful claims fact checked by the NABJ. However, Harris failed to give details on her plan to secure an Israeli ceasefire deal; an issue she has been pressed on throughout her candidacy.
Harris said, “I absolutely believe that this war has to end, and it has to end as soon as possible, and the way that will be achieved is by getting a hostage deal and the cease-fire deal done, and we are working around the clock to achieve that end.”
Trump Speaks at the “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America” Event in D.C.
Former president Trump spoke to the Israeli-American Council on Sept. 19, an event held to commemorate the Oct.7 attacks. Trump conveyed his dedication to Israel and slammed the VP’s position on the topic, stating that her policy would involve “total annihilation” to the state of Israel.
In actuality, the Biden-Harris administration has done little to halt the shipment of weapons to Israel. While a pause of joint 2,000 lb and 500 lb bomb shipments took place in May, the administration continues to aid Israel with 500 lb bombs and $17 billion USD.
Trump’s speech became increasingly controversial as he stated that Jewish-Americans would be partially to blame if he doesn’t win.
“If I don’t win this election—and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40 percent, I mean, 60 percent of the people are voting for Kamala,” Trump said.
Routh’s (Alleged) Note
On Monday, the government provided an update on the Sept. 15 Trump assassination attempt carried out by Ryan Wesley Routh.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida revealed that Routh may have dropped a letter addressed to “The World” in the mailbox of a citizen months ago. In the letter, Routh appears to have written, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.”
The judge presiding over the case, magistrate judge Ryon McCabe, conveyed that he took the letter as a serious case of evidence in the alleged assassination plot.
Other new pieces of evidence include a notebook in which Routh seemingly listed the dates and locations of places Trump was scheduled to appear at and a “sniper’s nest,” complete with a gun alongside two ballistic plates to prevent Routh from getting hit by bullets.
This concludes the second edition of the Campaign Chronicles. We have 41 days until Election 2024, and the coverage will keep on coming.
