Donald Trump

Trump returns to site of Pennsylvania attack for rally with Vance, Musk

Former President Donald Trump plans to return Saturday to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, setting aside what are now near-constant worries for his physical safety in order to fulfil a promise really an obligation, he said recently to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania. I'll probably start off by saying, 'As I was saying ...' the Republican presidential nominee has joked, in a bit of black humour about a speech cut short when a bullet struck Trump's ear and he was whisked off stage fist aloft with blood dripping across his face. Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also will be on hand at the Butler Farm Show grounds, as will billionaire Elon Musk, as the campaign elevates the headline-generating potential of his return with just 30 days to go in their tight campaign against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The campaign is predicting tens of thousands of people will attend what is being pitched as a "tribute to th

Kamala Harris heading to North Carolina to survey Helene's aftermath

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is heading to North Carolina on Saturday as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving there one day after a visit by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster. Earlier in the week, Harris was in Georgia, where she helped distribute meals, toured the damage and consoled families hard-hit by the storm. President Joe Biden, too, visited the disaster zone. During stops over two days in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, Biden surveyed the damage and met with farmers whose crops have been destroyed. The two have been vocal and visible about the government's willingness to help, and the administration's efforts so far include covering costs for all of the rescue and recovery efforts across the Southeast for several months as states struggle under the weight of the mass damage. In a letter late Friday to congressional leaders, Biden wrote that while the Federal Emergency Managem

Elon Musk quietly spends millions backing conservative causes, says report

Elon Musk, who publicly endorsed Donald Trump earlier this year, has emerged as a prominent supporter of the former president's re-election campaig

Musk to attend Trump rally in Pennsylvania at July assassination bid site

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, called Republican presidential candidate Trump "tough" and officially endorsed him after he survived an assassination attempt in Butler on July 13

Melania Trump's support for abortion rights puts her at odds with GOP

Melania Trump revealed her support for abortion rights on Thursday, ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, exposing a stark contrast with her husband, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on the crucial election issue. In a video posted to her X account on Thursday morning, the former first lady defended women's "individual freedoms" to do what they want with their bodies -- a position at odds with much of the Republican Party and her own husband, who has struggled to find a consistent message on abortion while wedged between anti-abortion supporters within his base and the majority of Americans who support abortion rights. "Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard," Melania Trump said in the video. "Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom. What does 'my body, my choice' really mean?" The video appears to confirm excerpts of her self-titled memoir

No state would be allowed to ban gasoline-powered cars if he elected: Trump

Trump is looking to win votes in Michigan, a key swing state in the 2024 presidential election that is home to the Detroit Three automakers

Trump's campaign raised $160 mn in Sept, ending with $283 mn in bank

Former President Donald Trump raised USD 160 million for his campaign in September and entered October with USD 283 million in the bank for the campaign's final sprint, his aides announced. The September fundraising figure, which Trump's campaign released on Wednesday, is up from the USD 130 million he reported raising in August. It covers money raised by Trump's campaign and affiliated committees. Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's Democratic rival, has not yet released her fundraising numbers for the full month, but numbers previously released suggest she'll exceeded Trump's haul. Harris aides have said she raised USD 55 million during a fundraising swing through California last weekend alone, which included stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The prior weekend, she raised USD 27 million at a packed New York City fundraiser, which was at the time her largest fundraising haul since she took over at the top of the ticket from President Joe Biden, according to a Harris campaig

Hurricane Helene brings climate change to forefront of US election campaign

A trio of new trials -- a devastating hurricane, expanding conflict in the Mideast and a dockworkers strike that threatens the US economy -- are looming over the final weeks of the presidential campaign and could help shape the public mood as voters decide between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. How events shake out -- and how the candidates respond -- could be decisive as they claw for votes in battleground states. The president, Joe Biden, is still the steward of the US economy and foreign policy at this tumultuous moment and may well bear ultimate responsibility for how they play out. But how Harris and Trump approach the three disparate issues could have a rippling impact on how Americans perceive their two choices this November. "Unfortunately, there are going to be events like this, and this is where you see the leadership of a president show up," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday. "I think this should send a message t

How Donald Trump credits an immigration chart for saving his life

Ever since the assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump has professed a unique fondness for a bar chart he credits for saving his life. Trump was addressing the crowd in Butler about illegal immigration and reviewing a chart that detailed U.S.-Mexico border crossings during his administration and President Joe Biden's term. He had his head turned to the right to review the graphic on a projection screen when the gunfire began. One bullet nicked his right ear, coming millimeters from maiming or killing him. He has said having his head turned probably saved my life, adding at times that he loves the chart more than I even love the police and saying he will sleep with that chart for the rest of my life. He has made it a recurring campaign prop and is likely to show it again when he returns to Butler on Saturday. The chart helps the Republican presidential nominee connect an iconic moment from his 2024 campaign to his signature issue since he entered politics. It

Anti-abortion leaders undeterred as Trump says he would veto abortion ban

Anti-abortion leaders said on Wednesday that they're undeterred after Donald Trump said he would veto a federal abortion ban, the first time he has explicitly said so after previously refusing to answer questions on the subject. During Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate, the Republican presidential nominee posted on his social media platform Truth Social that "everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it". He then said that abortion rights should be left up to the states -- his most common response to questions about the issue since Roe v Wade was overturned by a conservative majority that included three of Trump's own appointees to the Supreme Court. In the two years since the ruling, abortion rights have emerged as a major vulnerability for the GOP, which has struggled to find a consistent message on the path forward, while driving turnout for Democrats. With the election less than five weeks away, Trump has

Trump 'resorted to crimes' after losing 2020 elections: Prosecutors

Donald Trump laid the groundwork to try to overturn the 2020 election even before he lost, knowingly pushed false claims of voter fraud and "resorted to crimes" in his failed bid to cling to power, according to a newly unsealed court filing from prosecutors that lays out fresh details from the landmark criminal case against the former president. The filing from special counsel Jack Smith's team offers the most comprehensive view to date of what prosecutors intend to prove if the case charging Trump with conspiring to overturn the election reaches trial. Though a months-long congressional investigation and the indictment itself have chronicled in stark detail Trump's efforts to undo the election, the new filing cites previously unknown accounts offered by Trump's closest aides to paint a portrait of an "increasingly desperate" president who while losing his grip on the White House "used deceit to target every stage of the electoral process". "So what?" the filing quotes Trump as ...

US VP debate: Vance refuses to say Trump lost 2020 presidential election

Republican vice presidential candidate J D Vance has refused to acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 elections, as he evaded a direct reply on whether the former president would seek to challenge this year's election results even if these were certified in every state. Senator Vance of Ohio came face to face with his Democratic rival Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday in the only vice presidential debate of this election cycle. The debate comes just over a month before the crucial US presidential elections when the country will choose between Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Trump as the next leader. In reference to the January 6, 2021 insurrection, Vance did not give a clear answer when asked if Trump would again challenge election results this year even if every governor certifies the results. "Look, what President Trump has said is that there were problems in 2020, and my own belief is that we should fight about those issues, deba

Walz, Vance argue their running mates would reduce Mideast instability

Tim Walz and JD Vance on Tuesday each pointed to the crises of the day as reasons for voters to choose their respective running mates for president, opening their vice-presidential debate by addressing the growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East and a natural disaster that has ravaged the southeastern US. Walz, answering a question on whether he would support a preemptive strike on Iran as it launched missiles into Israel, quickly pivoted to painting Donald Trump as too dangerous for the country and the world in an unstable moment. "What's fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter," said Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota. "And the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment." Vance, in his reply, argued that Trump is an intimidating figure whose presence on the international stage is its own deterrent. "Donald Trump actually delivered ...

Trump, Harris campaigns claim victories after fierce arguments in VP debate

The Trump and Harris campaigns have claimed victories in the vice-presidential debate as their running mates, Senator J D Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, battled fiercely in a live televised debate wherein they tried to convince their fellow Americans to support, vote and elect them. But unlike the presidential debate, this one lacked high-clash moments. The only vice-presidential debate was hosted by CBS News in New York. As the two vice presidential candidates concluded the 90-minute debate, Walz patted Vance on the side of his arm, and Vance gave Walz a pat on the back. Usha, wife of the US Senator from Ohio gave Vance a warm hug. Vance then introduced Usha to the moderators. Thank you guys for hosting, he said. The Walzes also chatted with the moderators. I think it was a good debate. The public got to see a contrast, and I think the ending sums it up. The democracy issue is important, Walz told reporters after the couple picked pepperoni pizza from Justino's pizza in t

Mike Johnson lays out agenda for Republicans as they fight to hold majority

Speaker Mike Johnson laid out on Tuesday a policy agenda should Republicans take the majority next year that extends the tax cuts approved when Donald Trump was president, reduces the size of the federal workforce and gives parents more choice on where they can send their children to school. Johnson emphasised five main policy points during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange. He talked of extending and building on the Trump tax cuts, confronting China, boosting oil and gas production, expanding school choice and cutting the size and scope of the federal government. "The survival of the American dream depends upon our victory," Johnson said. The speaker and House Republicans are fighting this election season to hold their narrow House majority, with just a handful of seats to spare. Republicans are hopeful that a Trump victory over Vice-President Kamala Harris in the election will help propel them to majorities in the House and Senate, which would give them unified control of ..

US elections: Trump won't participate in interview for '60 Minutes' special

CBS News said on Tuesday that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has declined to participate in an interview with "60 Minutes" for its election special, which will go forward next Monday with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris alone. Television's top-rated news programme regularly invites the two presidential contenders for separate interviews that air back-to-back on a show near the election. This year, it is scheduled for Monday instead of its usual Sunday time slot. Asked for comment, the former president's campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, "Fake news," adding that there were discussions but nothing was ever locked in. "60 Minutes" said Trump's campaign had initially agreed to an interview before telling CBS that the former president would not appear. The network said its invitation to sit for an interview still stands, and correspondent Scott Pelley will explain Trump's absence to viewers. Vice-President Harris will appear in a pretaped interview with Bill ...

US key state faces poll uncertainty after storm ravages multiple counties

North Carolina election officials say they will do everything in their power to ensure that voters in the crucial presidential swing state will be able to cast their ballots despite the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the destruction of basic infrastructure only about a month before the November election. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the state's election board, said on Tuesday that 12 county election offices in the hard-hit western part of the state remain closed after the storm unleashed "unprecedented" damage. Absentee ballots, some of which already have been mailed to voters who requested them, also face obstacles, from US Postal Service delays to road and residential damage that could render them undeliverable. The viability of early and Election Day voting sites remains unknown, she said. She described the storm as causing a "daunting" level of uncertainty, with early in-person voting scheduled to start in just over two weeks on October 17. Still, she said .

Trump rallies in Wisconsin's Democratic bastion ahead of vice prez debate

Former President Donald Trump spent more than an hour ahead of Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate campaigning in a Democratic county that is crucial to Kamala Harris' hopes for winning the key battleground state of Wisconsin. Republican Trump appeared at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee, a suburb of Wisconsin's capital city of Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County. Trump had never campaigned in Dane County nor visited as president. In an event advertised as economic-themed, Trump bounced from subject to subject, also criticising Democratic nominee Harris on issues, including foreign policy, crime and immigration, while intermittently pivoting to outgoing President Joe Biden. "I'm asking every citizen to join me in launching sort of a new golden age for America," Trump told hundreds inside Dane Manufacturing, a metal fabricator that has a long history of hosting Republican candidates and officeholders. Later on Tuesday, Trump was to hold an event at a museum

News Highlights: Israeli military says Iran has fired missiles at Israel

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Trump heads to Wisconsin's Democratic stronghold ahead of vice prez debate

Former President Donald Trump plans to spend the hours ahead of Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate campaigning in Wisconsin, stopping in a critical Democratic county that is crucial to Democrat Kamala Harris ' hopes for winning the key battleground state. Trump is scheduled to appear at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee, a suburb of Wisconsin's capital city of Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County. Trump has never campaigned in Dane County before and didn't visit as president. Later on Tuesday, Trump is expected to hold an event at a museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest city and home to the largest number of Democratic voters and second-largest number of Republicans. His appearance there will also give him reach into the city's conservative suburbs, a part of Wisconsin where his support has softened but where he must do well to win. Trump is expected to focus his comments on the economy. On Saturday, he held a rally in western Wisconsin where he blamed ...