In CNN Delco town hall, Kamala Harris calls Donald Trump a fascist and 'unfit to serve'
Wednesday marked the second time in a week the vice president was in the Philadelphia suburbs, as both campaigns are putting a focus on Pennsylvania.
Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the Philly suburbs, for a CNN town hall in Aston, Delaware County. She stopped at Philly's Famous 4th Street Deli ahead of the event.
Here's where else the campaigns of Harris and former President Donald Trump will have stops Wednesday.
The next week will be busy for the Harris campaign in the area, with Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz in Philly for a fundraiser on Friday, Harris herself back in the city on Sunday, and Bruce Springsteen holding a concert and rally with former President Barack Obama in support of Harris on Monday.
Harris, Trump, and their allies have made dozens of visits and spent more than $500 million in advertising in their efforts to win Pennsylvania's all-important 19 Electoral College votes.
Kamala Harris calls Trump a ‘fascist’ at Delaware County town hall, flounders on question about Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris said she thinks former President Donald Trump is a fascist during her CNN town hall in Aston.
Moderator Anderson Cooper asked Vice President Kamala Harris why voters should care about officials from former President Donald Trump’s administration speaking out against him. The question came following the New York Times’ publication of damning statements by John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff.
Asked by Cooper whether she thinks Trump is a fascist, Harris said, “Yes I do.”
Harris says Americans are tired of 'idea that we're just going to be divided and angry'
In the final question of tonight's town hall, Harris was asked about her proudest moment of her political career.
Among them, Harris said, is the creation of the Bureau of Children's Justice while she was attorney general of California, as well as the Biden-Harris administration's work to address maternal mortality.
"I have had the good fortune of, in my life as a public servant, knowing the impact that we can have," Harris said. "I know we can make a difference."
Harris addresses her shifting positions on fracking and criminal justice
After welcoming Harris to Delco, another undecided voter at the town hall told Harris that the area's residents "pride ourselves on being authentic," and asked her to clarify her shifting positions on topics like fracking and criminal justice.
"On fracking, I've been very clear," Harris said. "I am not going to ban fracking. I did not as vice president."
Harris added that as vice president, she cast a tie-breaking vote that opened up more fracking. And while she supports investing in a clean energy economy, it needs to be done without banning fracking, she said.
Harris pledges not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year
Harris pledged to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year, and said she would extend a tax cut to middle class Americans of $6,000.
Trump, she said, gave tax cuts to billionaires and large corporations during his presidency that "added trillions of dollars to our deficit." As president, Harris said, she would institute a tax plan that would impact 100 million Americans and benefit small businesses.
Harris initially began her answer speaking of billionaires who pay less by percentage in income tax than the average American, but faced pushback from a voter who wanted clarity on her plans for hard workers who have seen some success.
Harris reiterates that she wants war in Gaza to end, hostages brought home
Vice President Kamala Harris repeated the idea that she believes the Israel-Hamas war can be brought to an end and Israeli hostages brought home when answering a question about Gaza at the CNN town hall in Delaware County.
“Far too many innocent Palestinian civilians have been killed,” Harris said.
She said she believes especially that “we have an opportunity to end this war” in light of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar earlier in October.
Harris says Trump did not fix border problems when he was president
When asked about immigration, Harris said that "America's immigration system is broken, and it needs to be fixed."
"We have to have a secure border, and we have to have a comprehensive pathway for citizenship, requiring hard-working people to earn citizenship and do it in a comprehensive, human and orderly way," Harris said.
Harris added that former President Donald Trump did not work to secure the border, and proved that he would "prefer to run on a problem instead of fix the problem. She cited a border security bill that failed to advance earlier this year that would have provided additional border agents and resources to prosecutors to "investigate transnational criminal organizations."
Harris says she would tackle high consumer prices by fighting price gouging and anti-competitive practices
Harris was asked about her strategy for bringing down the price of groceries, which she said are "still too high."
As an attorney general, Harris said, she took on price gouging, and she would again use that strategy as president via a national ban on the practice. Harris added that she would focus on affordable housing as a way to bring down the cost of living.
Corporations, Harris said, have been "buying up blocks of property to diminish competition," causing an inflation in rent prices. Her administration, she added, would work to address that by making sure "there is a consequence and accountability" for companies that utilize that practice.
Harris calls abortion rights: 'probably one of the most fundamental freedoms that we as Americans could imagine'
Vice President Kamala Harris talked about abortion while recalling her three-state town hall with Republican former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.), which kicked off Monday in Chester County.
“She is unapologetically pro-life, and will also tell you that she doesn’t agree with what’s happening,” Harris said about Cheney.
On Monday, Cheney said she feels the rollback of reproductive rights with the repeal of Roe v. Wade has caused women not to get “the care they need.”
Harris calls John Kelly's statements about Trump: '911 call to the American people'
Opening the CNN town hall in Delaware County on Wednesday night, moderator Anderson Cooper asked Vice President Kamala Harris why voters should care about officials from former President Donald Trump’s administration speaking out against him.
The question came following statements by John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff.
“I do believe that Donald Trump is unstable,” said Harris, “increasingly unstable, and unfit to serve.”
Student asks Harris what she would do to encourage national unity
The first crowd question Vice President Kamala Harris answered came from a student at Bryn Mawr College, who asked what Harris would do to bridge the political divide in the country and create more unity among Americans.
Harris said that voters are "exhausted" with a political environment that encourages Americans to point fingers at one another. As a prosecutor, she added, she never asked a victim of or witness to a crime whether they were a Democrat or Republican, but rather focused on their well-being — a strategy she said she hopes to bring to the Oval Office.
"I do believe that is what the American people deserve in their president, and not someone who makes decisions based on who voted for them or what is in their personal interest," Harris said.
— Nick Vadala
CNN town hall in Delco with Kamala Harris now underway
Vice President Kamala Harris' CNN town hall in Aston, Delaware County is officially underway.
Harris will face questions from area voters who say they are undecided in their choice for president. Recent polls have shown a tight race in Pennsylvania between Harris and former President Donald Trump, and the state has been a regular focus for both candidates' campaigns.
The vice president's appearance in Delaware County comes following a stop at Famous 4th Street Deli in Philadelphia's Queen Village neighborhood earlier Wednesday afternoon. There, Harris thanked supporters for helping to get out the vote.
Local election boards must allow voters to cast provisional ballots if their mail ballots are rejected, Pa. Supreme Court rules
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling Wednesday finding that local election boards must allow voters to cast a provisional ballot, and count that ballot, if their mail ballot is rejected.
The case was filed by the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center on behalf of two Butler County voters who had failed to put their mail ballot in a secrecy envelope provided by election officials.
It is one of a handful of cases that could impact what ballots are counted in November's presidential election in Pennsylvania.
— Katie Bernard
Biden to appear in Pittsburgh Saturday
President Joe Biden will visit Pittsburgh on Saturday for "political engagements" the White House announced Wednesday.
Biden, who suspended his reelection campaign over the summer, had stayed largely in the background as Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. But he has been back on the campaign trail recently attending a private fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey earlier this month and speaking to Philadelphia Democrats last week.
It's unclear whether Biden's trip to Pittsburgh will be a public campaign event or private function. It is also unclear whether he is making the trip on to support Harris or another Pennsylvania candidate.
— Katie Bernard
Here's what Harris ordered at Famous 4th Street
Vice President Kamala Harris made a quick lunch pickup at Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village to a restaurant full of supporters and politicos.
Harris is in the region for a 9 p.m. CNN town hall in Delaware County with undecided Pennsylvania voters.
Harris entered the deli to roaring applause, accompanied by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. Harris then worked her way through the room of supporters, taking selfies and exchanging a few words with people thanking them for helping get out the vote.
Kamala Harris will participate in a CNN town hall event in Delco Wednesday. Here's how to watch.
Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to the Philadelphia suburbs Wednesday to participate in a live CNN town hall event, which will take place less than two weeks before Election Day.
What time does the CNN town hall start?
CNN’s town hall with Harris is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Philly time on Wednesday and will air live. Moderating the event is veteran CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
Kamala Harris stops at Famous 4th Street Deli
Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village was abuzz Wednesday as Philadelphia Police and federal law enforcement closed off the corner of Fourth and Bainbridge Streets awaiting Vice President Kamala Harris’ arrival.
Al Gamble, the New England businessman who bought the business early this year, said he and his family have been politically active in Connecticut, showing support for Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Kennelly.
Gamble said he took a chance floating the idea of a visit to the Harris campaign not sure it would go anywhere.
Philly firefighters and paramedics union endorses McCormick in U.S. Senate race
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick came to Philadelphia on Wednesday to accept the endorsement of the city’s firefighters and paramedics union.
McCormick highlighted his plans to shut down the fentanyl trade, which has become a major issue in his campaign against U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.).
“We need to reduce the supply of fentanyl with enormous investments of resources, including our military, to go after our cartels,” McCormick told reporters outside the International Fire Fighters Local 22 building. “We need to invest in demand reduction and help people deal with the horror of addiction. And we need to deal with harm reduction, which is given the people the resources they need.”
Suspected drunken driver arrested after passing within feet of Harris’ motorcade in Wisconsin
A suspected drunken driver heading the wrong way passed within feet of Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade following a campaign stop this week in Wisconsin.
Harris had just wrapped up a rally in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield on Monday evening when her motorcade passed a car heading the wrong way on Interstate 94 in Milwaukee. Sheriff’s deputies trailing the motorcade stopped the vehicle and took the driver, a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, into custody after he performed poorly on field sobriety tests and deputies found an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s spokesperson James Burnett told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The man allegedly told deputies that he was headed home after a night out and had no idea that he was driving the wrong way on the freeway, Burnett said.
Harris warns Trump wants 'unchecked power' following comments by his former chief of staff
Vice President Kamala Harris warned former President Donald Trump wants “unchecked power” following damning statements by John Kelly, his former White House chief of staff.
Speaking in Washington Wednesday afternoon, Harris called it “deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous” to hear Kelly’s remarks about Trump to the New York Times, where he said the former president meets the definition of a fascist and wants troops like Adolf Hiter who are loyal to him and not the U.S. Constitution.
“This is a window into who Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who worked with him side by side in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room,” Harris said. “Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable, and in a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to be the guardrails against his propensities and his actions.”
Howard Lutnick, Haverford College’s largest donor, could shape a second Trump administration
When students at Haverford College study for exams, they visit the Lutnick Library — a gift from ‘83 alumni and billionaire Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, the Wall Street financial services firm.
They exercise in the Douglas B. Gardner Integrated Athletic Center — named after Lutnick’s best friend, a colleague who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the upper floors of the North Tower alongside two-thirds of the company.
Artists can even exhibit their work in the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery — another result of the $65 million Lutnick has given to Haverford over several decades.
JD Vance will hold a town hall in Harrisburg Saturday
Ohio Sen. JD Vance will hold a town hall in Harrisburg on Saturday while his running mate, former President Donald Trump, rallies Penn State students in State College.
Vance's town hall comes as both campaigns are making final efforts to motivate Pennsylvania voters less than two weeks from the November election. The town hall will be held at Rock Church in Harrisburg at 7:30 p.m.
Trump and Vance's campaign stops have primarily been in smaller Pennsylvania counties, outside the Philadelphia area, as they seek to drive up turnout in redder parts of the state.
— Katie Bernard
Trump to rally at Penn State this weekend
Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally at the basketball arena on Penn State University’s campus Saturday, the campaign announced Tuesday.
The rally will take place at 4 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center on the college campus.
Trump’s trip to State College underscores his campaign’s focus on growing its margins with young people, particularly young men. The rally comes just hours after campaign surrogates, including former Defense Department chief of staff Kash Patel, will make a stop at a fraternity just off campus.
John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, confirms several disturbing stories on the record
John Kelly, Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff, confirmed several disturbing stories about the former president in an interview with the New York Times, and said Trump fits the definition of a “fascist.”
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” Kelly told the Times. “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
Kelly also confirmed previous reports about Trump making positive statements about Adolf Hitler, calling wounded service members “losers and suckers,” and expressing contempt for disabled veterans.
Trump attacks Harris with racist trope after canceling town hall
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday hurled a series of personal attacks at Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “lazy” — a word long used to demean Black people in racist terms — and repeatedly questioning her intelligence and stamina.
At an event in Miami aimed at courting Latino voters, he said Harris was “lazy as hell” for not holding a campaign event. Trump’s comments ignored that Harris spent her day in meetings in Washington and recording interviews with Telemundo and NBC. He referred to the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket as “slow” and having a “low IQ.”
Later in the day during a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, he called Harris a “stupid person” and went on to ask: “Does she drink? Is she on drugs?”
Where the Harris and Trump campaigns will be Wednesday
Vice President Kamala Harris will return to the Philadelphia area Wednesday, while former President Donald Trump’s campaign focuses on swing states in the South and Southwest.
Harris is slated to appear in Delaware County Wednesday night for a CNN town hall event, less than two weeks from Election Day. The event is slated to begin at 9 p.m., and will be aired live on CNN and streamed via the networks apps.
Wednesday will see second gentleman Doug Emhoff travel to Florida to deliver remarks at campaign events in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. And Walz will speak at a campaign reception in Louisville, Ky.
Pennsylvania’s mail ballot applications are down from 2020. Here’s what that means for election night.
With two weeks to go until Election Day, nearly 1 million fewer voters have applied and been approved for mail ballots than at the same point in 2020, which will likely speed up the election results in the state.
So far this year, there have been nearly 1.9 million mail ballot applications approved in Pennsylvania as of Tuesday, with nearly 58% of mail ballots going to registered Democrats, 30% to Republicans, and 12% to other voters who aren’t registered with either of the major parties. While Democrats dominate mail voting, Republicans have increased their share from 2020.
More than half of the mail ballots across the state have been cast and returned. Voters can request ballots through Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. — one week before the election. Ballots can be returned to a local election office, sent back in the mail, or left in a drop box, but they must be received by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
What's on the ballot in Pennsylvania
The 2024 presidential election is just around the corner, and The Inquirer’s voters guide is bringing you key information about your ballot in Pennsylvania.
General elections — this year’s held on Nov. 5 — determine which candidates will be elected for their respective offices. The major party candidates on the ballot are typically chosen through the primary elections held in the spring. Voters can pick any candidate in the general election, regardless of their political party. This guide provides key points for all federal and statewide races as well as state legislative races in Philadelphia and its four collar counties.
The ballot will be crowded this year. Pennsylvanians will vote for U.S. president; their representatives in the U.S. Senate and House; representatives in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including members of the state House and state Senate; as well as auditor general, attorney general, and treasurer. As a swing state, Pennsylvania holds a critical role in determining the next president, and winners of the House and Senate races also have national consequences as Democrats fight to hold on to their slim majority in the Senate and Republicans do the same in the House. Control of the House and Senate can determine whether the next president is able to pursue their policy proposals.
» READ MORE: Your candidate guide to the November election, from president to Pa. House and Senate races
— Aliya Schneider, Katie Bernard, Fallon Roth, Gillian McGoldrick, Layla A. Jones