Coverage on this live blog has ended.
What's happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump campaigned in Michigan today, participating in a roundtable in Oakland County before he took the stage at a Detroit rally that suffered from technical issues. Vice President Kamala Harris also held several events across Michigan throughout the day.
- Former President Barack Obama is continuing to stump for Harris, making an appearance earlier today in Tucson, Arizona
- Another debate in a critical down-ballot race took place this evening when Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican nominee Eric Hovde faced off in Madison, Wisconsin.
Trump says the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar makes a peace deal ‘easier’
Former President Donald Trump said Friday that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would make it “easier” to end the war in Gaza, echoing the sentiments of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in his first public remarks on the matter.
Trump’s comment came in response to a question from NBC News about whether reaching peace would be easier or harder after Sinwar’s death. The former president said, “I think it makes it easier.” He did not respond when asked for further details about this view.
Harris’ campaign mocks ‘exhausted’ Trump after he appears to nod off during an event
Kamala Harris’ campaign posted a video that appeared to show Donald Trump nodding off at a campaign event Friday, pushing a new line of attack that the former president is too “exhausted” to run for office.
“An exhausted Trump appears to be falling asleep during his campaign event,” the Harris campaign posted to its X account with a clip of Trump at a campaign roundtable event in Michigan on Friday.
Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde spar over abortion and the economy in tense Wisconsin Senate debate
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde sparred over abortion rights and economic issues Friday night during their first and only debate of a hotly contested Wisconsin Senate race that has tightened just weeks before Election Day.
The tenor of the hour-long face-off was mostly civil, but both candidates fired off acidic lines and retorts at times, with Hovde repeatedly accusing Baldwin of lying and Baldwin often accusing Hovde of misrepresenting his positions on an array of issues.
Trump calls Detroit 'a sacred place' after disparaging the city last week
During his rally in Detroit tonight, Trump said the city "has such great potential" and is "a sacred place," appearing to revise a remark he made in Detroit last week suggesting that the “whole country will end up being like Detroit” if Harris is elected in November.
"Detroit has such great potential, but Kamala and the Democrats have been wreaking havoc on this place," Trump said tonight.
"So many things happened in Detroit, and it’s been treated so badly, and they’ve been talking about comebacks for so long, but we’re going to bring it back better than it ever was," he added.
Michigan Trump voters share their thoughts on early voting
When it comes to early voting in Michigan, Trump supporters are split: some have or are planning to vote early and others do not trust the system.
Linda Lee Tarver said she has already cast her ballot for Trump.
“We wanted to make it too big to rig. We wanted to vote early and make sure our vote was banked and make sure that we could turn out more votes for Donald J. Trump,” she told NBC News.
Traver is encouraging other to vote early this election “so that Donald Trump can know who he’s banking, and we can turn out those who are low propensity and are undecided.”
Her husband, Clinton Tarver, who also said he voted early, said one reason people should consider doing so is to “avoid standing in line.”
Michael Harris said voting early is “important,” in part because “it stops all the rest of the political mail and door knocking.”
Harris said he trusts the early voting process “enough to make sure I get [my ballot] cast early.”
Chris Dempster, 20, who will be voting in his first presidential election, plans to vote in-person on election day.
“I don’t trust the system. I don’t trust what they’re going to do with my ballot,” he said.
When asked what he makes of Trump encouraging people to vote early — despite the former president's previous rhetoric undermining confidence in the security of votes that were cast ahead of Election Day — he said, “He can do what he wants to do, but I have my opinion.”
Dempster is not the only one who is skeptical of early voting.
Jim Klenner told NBC News he thinks it can be a “corrupt system.”
“I just don’t trust the votes coming in early. I was taught that it had to be the first Tuesday of November. So that’s the way I feel,” he said.
Obama praises the late John McCain during Tucson rally
Obama praised a onetime political foe, the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, while stumping for Harris in the battleground state.
“Being here in Tucson, I’m thinking about my friend John McCain,” Obama said.
Obama drew a contrast between McCain and Trump, saying McCain understood that “some values transcend” partisan differences.
“Now, I don’t want to over romanticize our relationship. And you know, John was conservative, to put it mildly,” Obama said. “He believed in honest argument and hearing the views of other people. He didn’t demonize his political opponents.”
Obama recalled a time when McCain defended him at a town hall after a woman falsely claimed Obama was “an Arab” and not a U.S. citizen.
“He knew that if we get in the habit — if we get in the habit of bending the truth to suit political expediency or party orthodoxy, our democracy can’t work,” Obama said. “The man had character.”
“One of the most disturbing things about this election and Donald Trump’s rise in politics is how we seem to have set aside the values that people like John McCain stood for, values we were taught,” the former president added.
Trump's mic cuts out during Detroit rally
Trump's mic cut out for about 17 minutes during his rally tonight in Detroit, Michigan, as he discussed his penchant for tariffs.
While his mic was out, the crowd chanted "USA!"
Upon audio being restored, Trump expressed frustration with the technical issue.
"I won’t pay the bill for this stupid company," Trump said when his mic came back on. "If it goes out again I’ll sue the ass off that company."
Harris has crowd shout their names, emphasizing that the campaign is 'about you'
Harris asked rally attendees in Oakland County, Michigan, to shout their own names.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Harris exclaimed as supporters yelled their names. "'Cause it's about you! It's about your family. It's about you."
Trump says he should get '100% of the Catholic vote' for showing up to Al Smith dinner
Trump suggested during tonight's roundtable in Oakland County that Catholic voters should back him because he showed up last night to the Al Smith dinner, an annual event benefitting Catholic charities.
"We should have gotten about 100% of the Catholic vote last night, because I showed up," Trump said.
The former president also criticized Harris for not attending "the big Catholic event" and took aim at her recorded video message to attendees, arguing it was “not an appropriate tape” for the occasion.
Harris is the first major party presidential nominee to skip the event in 40 years.
Trump has made similar comments about his entitlement to the support of Jewish voters, saying Jewish supporters of Harris’ presidential bid “should have your head examined.”
Trump says country is 'finished' if Harris is elected: 'We have to stop her'
During a roundtable with voters in in Oakland County, Michigan, Trump harshly criticized his opponent, saying Harris is a "disaster" and that the country will be "finished" if she is elected president next month.
"This woman has no idea what she’s doing, and we can’t let her be president. I don’t want to be rude about it. We can’t let her be president. This country is finished if that happens," Trump said. "So we have to stop her."