Trump rallies/ Harris campaign/ Hurricane Milton impact/ Pennsylvania campaign/ 2024 election swing states/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ As Hurricane Milton looms, Donald Trump campaigns in Pennsylvania with rallies in Scranton and Reading, while Vice President Kamala Harris prepares for visits to Nevada and Arizona. Both candidates adjust their plans due to the hurricane, with Trump postponing virtual events in Florida and Harris focusing on federal storm response efforts alongside her campaign.
Trump and Harris Adjust Campaign Plans as Hurricane Milton Looms – Quick Looks
- Trump’s Campaign Stops: Holding rallies in Scranton and Reading, Pennsylvania.
- Harris’s Schedule: Set for Nevada and Arizona after a storm briefing at the White House.
- Hurricane Disruptions: Milton forces Trump to reschedule events, including a Univision town hall.
- Key Debates: Trump criticizes Biden’s record; Harris addresses health care and economic policies.
Trump Rallies in Pennsylvania, Harris Heads West Amid Hurricane Threat
Deep Look
Amid growing concerns over Hurricane Milton’s impending impact on Florida, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are adapting their campaign schedules as they head into critical swing-state events. Trump, the current Republican nominee, has planned rallies in Pennsylvania, a state pivotal for the 2024 election, with stops in Scranton—President Joe Biden’s birthplace—and Reading, a city with a large Hispanic community. Trump is expected to emphasize economic policy and immigration reform as key themes at his 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. EDT rallies.
The approaching hurricane has already forced Trump to adjust his campaign plans. He postponed a virtual town hall event with Univision scheduled for Tuesday night and delayed another virtual appearance focused on health care. In Scranton, Trump aims to rally support by focusing on issues central to Pennsylvanian voters, from inflation to border security.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is preparing to travel west to Nevada and Arizona, with a scheduled Univision town hall in Las Vegas on Thursday. This will mark her second trip to both states in less than two weeks, underscoring her strategy to energize voters in crucial battleground regions. Before departing, Harris will participate in a virtual briefing on Hurricane Milton and federal response efforts with President Biden, who recently postponed an international trip to Germany and Angola to remain in Washington.
Hurricane Milton arrives just days after Hurricane Helene devastated southeastern states, claiming over 220 lives. With communities already stretched thin from recovery efforts, federal agencies are mobilizing to brace for Milton’s landfall, which threatens to intensify as it approaches the U.S.
Harris spent Tuesday on the media circuit in New York, taping interviews on popular platforms like The View and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. During her appearance on The View, Harris was pressed on how her potential administration might differ from Biden’s. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” she responded, which sparked criticism from Trump. On his social media platform, Trump posted that Harris “would have done nothing different” and once again labeled Biden “the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.”
Harris also took the opportunity to criticize Trump, referencing revelations from Bob Woodward’s new book, War. She cited reports that Trump, while in office, had secretly sent COVID-19 test kits to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2020, when the kits were scarce in the U.S. Harris called Trump’s actions “concerning” and questioned his priorities, saying, “He thinks Vladimir Putin is his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friends.”
Trump has denied these claims, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the receipt of U.S. test kits, though he downplayed the exchange as routine. “There were no secret shipments,” Peskov said. “The pandemic was starting, and many countries exchanged equipment.”
As the hurricane approaches, both campaigns are keeping a close eye on developments, with Harris focusing on the storm’s potential impact on American lives and Trump redirecting attention to his policy goals and critique of the current administration’s handling of economic issues. This debate over leadership style and crisis management is likely to resonate with voters as the campaigns continue to shape their narratives.
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