Kamala Harris turned 60 on Sunday, now the oldest presidential candidate in US history, in the final stages of a knife-edge election battle with 78-year-old Donald Trump. Age has been a significant factor in a campaign that President Joe Biden abandoned due to fears about his competence, and where Harris has repeatedly taken aim at Trump’s mental fitness for office.
With just two weeks to go before Election Day, the Democratic vice president and the Republican billionaire are in a fierce race that polls show are effectively tied.
Both candidates will be in action again Sunday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state considered must-win among seven key states that decide the Nov. 5 election.
Biden passed the torch to Harris after concerns grew in the Democratic Party about her mental acuity following her disastrous debate against Trump.
But Trump’s age may not be a major obstacle for voters, as surveys show a close contest.
“Now he’s avoiding debates and canceling interviews out of exhaustion,” Harris said at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday, mocking his absurd, off-script speeches.
While Donald Trump is canceling interviews and skipping debates out of “exhaustion,” the American people are tired of his same old, tired tricks.
He is unfit to be President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/SxFfuCcGvt
– Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) 20 October 2024
He said, “They called it knitting. But we’ll call it bullshit here.”
‘Across the finish line’
Harris also tried to provoke Trump with a report on October 12 that described her “excellent health,” but the former president’s campaign said she was also “perfect to be commander-in-chief.” And is in excellent health”.
The Republican, who is running for a second term in the White House, responded to Harris’ allegations with a marathon speech in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a day after saying she “doesn’t have the energy of a rabbit.”
Both candidates are spending their final campaign days in key battleground states, but so are their surrogates.
Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk has personally launched the campaign in Pennsylvania, and has organized several events in the must-win state.
Speaking in the southeastern city of Harrisburg, he announced he would randomly distribute a cash prize — $1 million every day until the Nov. 5 vote — to a registered voter in the state who signed his organization’s petition. Will start.
Harris deployed surrogates in the form of pop stars Lizzo and Usher to get her point across to voters.
Lizzo expressed joy at a Detroit rally, saying America was more than ready for its first female president, referencing her own hit song, saying: “It’s about time!”
Usher, one of Atlanta’s leading stars, told voters there that “I’m counting on you” to “get Harris’s campaign over the finish line” in Georgia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
