NationalWatch

Vice President Kamala Harris was mocked by the Trump campaign and other conservatives online for a “word salad” after a heckler interrupted her speech in Nevada on Thursday night.

“You know what?” the vice president said in Reno, Nevada after shouting could be heard from the audience as she spoke. “Let me say something about this.”

“We are here because we are fighting for a democracy. Fighting for a democracy. And understand the difference here, understand the difference here, moving forward, moving forward, understand the difference here.”

“What we are looking at is a difference in this election, let’s move forward and see where we are because on the issue, for example, freedom of choice,” Harris continued as the heckling went on. 

TRUMP SUES CBS NEWS FOR $10 BILLION ALLEGING ‘DECEPTIVE DOCTORING’ OF HARRIS’ ’60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW

RENO, NEVADA – OCTOBER 31: Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign rally at the Reno Events Center on October 31, 2024 in Reno, Nevada. With five days to go until election day, Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning in Arizona and Nevada. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“That’s OK,” Harris said as the voices of her supporters drowned out the heckling. “That’s alright. That’s OK.”

“You know what? Democracy can be complicated, sometimes it’s okay. We’re fighting for the right for people to be heard and not jailed because they speak their mind. We know what’s at stake.”

Harris quickly drew criticism from conservative critics on social media. 

MARK CUBAN TRIES TO ‘CLARIFY’ AFTER COMMENT ON ‘THE VIEW’ WIDELY SEEN AS INSULT TOWARD PRO-TRUMP WOMEN

Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on October 28, 2024 (Brandon Bell/Getty Images))

“Kamala spirals after ANOTHER speech is interrupted by protesters,” an account run by the Trump campaign posted on X.

“CRACKS UNDER PRESSURE,” Trump adviser Stephen Miller posted on X. “CHOKES EVERY TIME. Not a quality you want in the commander-in-chief.”

“She is the word salad Queen!” Author Tom Young posted on X.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Resch Center, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“The gibberish never ends,” Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce posted on X. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response. “

“Nevada, I am here asking for your vote,” Harris told the crowd. “I am asking for your vote. And here is my pledge to you, and I got your back, as president, I pledge to you to seek common ground and common sense solutions to the challenges you face. I am not looking to score political points.”

“I am looking to make progress. And I pledge to listen to experts, to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make and to listen to people who disagree with me. Because that’s what real leaders do.”

Presidential election recounts are rare, but they do occur, and the rules vary by state.

Among the pivotal swing states, there are different processes for requesting and conducting recounts.

Of the 6,929 statewide general elections between 2000 and 2023, only 36 statewide recounts occurred, according to FairVote, a nonpartisan election research organization.

If there’s a 37th on the horizon. Here are the rules that could govern it:

Arizona

An automatic recount is triggered in the state if the candidate with the most votes leads his closest competitor by half of 1% or less of the total votes cast for the top two contenders, according to the Arizona secretary of state’s office.

FOX NEWS DEMOCRACY ’24: THE KEYS TO THE COUNT IN EVERY BATTLEGROUND STATE

Voters cast their ballots at official ballot boxes Nov. 8 2022, in Portland, Ore.  (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland)

A court order must be issued for the process to begin. Once a recount is initiated, the paper ballots are tabulated through electronic voting equipment. If requested, a hand count may also occur after the electronic count.

Georgia

The Peach State does not initiate automatic recounts for elections. But candidates can request a recount from the secretary of state within two business days of the election certification if the margin of victory is less than or equal to 0.5%, according to the Georgia state website.

TRUMP CAMP TAKES VICTORY LAP FOLLOWING ELECTION CASE LEGAL WIN IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

While ballots are being recounted, candidates may be present or have a representative at the site.

Nevada

A recount may be requested by a candidate through written demand within three business days of the results being certified. However, the candidate requesting the recount must pay an advance deposit for the estimated costs of the recount for the request to proceed.

Voters stand in voting booths and fill out their ballots at a polling center at Rancho High School on Nov. 8, 2022, in Las Vegas.  (Getty Images)

The recount must start within five days of receiving the demand, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office.

North Carolina

A written recount request may be submitted if a race’s margin of victory is less than or equal to half of 1% or fewer than 10,000 votes.

The request must be made by noon on the second business day after the county canvass, according to the North Carolina General Assembly.

Voters cast their ballots at an early voting location in Mecklenburg County, N.C.  (Nathan Posner)

Wisconsin

Candidates in Wisconsin may file a petition for a recount with the clerk or officer with whom nomination papers were filed. 

In elections in which more than 4,000 votes are cast, the losing candidate may file a recount petition if the victor wins by no more than 1% of the total votes. A recount petition must state that the petitioner was a candidate for the office in question and that there is belief of a mistake or fraud.

The request must be made by 5 p.m. on the third business day after the board of canvassers certifies the election results. 

The Badger State does not have any limits set that trigger automatic recounts.

Michigan 

In Michigan, a candidate may request a recount on the grounds of suspected fraud or error within the precinct. The request must be submitted no later than six days after the conclusion of the canvassing process. A deposit must be paid for each precinct in advance of a recount.

Applications to vote are available on a check-in table at a polling location where voters cast their ballots during Michigan’s early voting period Oct. 29, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (Bill Pugliano)

A recount is automatically conducted in all precincts if there are 2,000 votes or fewer separating the top two candidates.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania law allows three types of recounts: statewide automatic recounts ordered by the secretary of the commonwealth, recounts directed by a county board of elections and court-ordered recounts.

An automatic recount occurs if the margin of victory is no more than 0.5%. A recount petition must be submitted to the secretary of state by 5 p.m. on the second Thursday after the election.

A petition for a court-ordered recount must be filed by at least three qualified electors within five days of the completion of canvassing. Each petition requires a deposit in advance.

In the case fraud is found, an additional five days is awarded to the interested parties to count ballots. 

Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site Oct. 17, 2024, in Hendersonville, N.C. (Melissa Sue Gerrits)

Virginia

If a candidate wins by no more than 1%, state law allows a losing candidate to file a petition for a recount to the state board or the electoral board. The petition must be made within 10 days of the election being certified. 

The process is slightly different in the case of a presidential election. Recount petitions in a presidential race must be filed by 5 p.m. on the day after results are certified.

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The chief judge of the circuit court, subject to review by the full court, decides whether to initiate a recount. State law requires that only one recount of the vote will take place in each precinct. After the ballots have been recounted, a court declares the results of the race.

One Apprentice alum and attorney has joined the campaign for Donald Trump as some alumni of the reality show have publicly endorsed Kamala Harris ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election.

Erin Elmore appeared on season three of NBC’s The Apprentice in 2006 and was “fired” after nine episodes, but she says the experience was immeasurable in the impact both it and Trump have had on her career.

Elmore is one of the 11 Apprentice contestants who recently penned a public letter in support of former President Trump’s re-election bid after another cohort publicly endorsed Vice President Harris.

‘APPRENTICE’ ALUMNI, INCLUDING SEASON WINNER, SUPPORT TRUMP IN ELECTION’S CLOSING DAYS: ‘GRATEFUL’

Their letter read, “it is disappointing and shameful that these contestants would use the platform that Donald Trump gave them to attack him in this manner. Is this the thanks he gets for literally changing the trajectory of our lives?” 

A letter obtained by Politico from six people formerly involved with The Apprentice claimed that former President Trump is a “divisive, self-interested, and erratic leader with a fragile ego.”

Media personality/Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization Donald Trump speaks with reporters during An Evening with “The Celebrity Apprentice” at Florence Gould Hall on April 26, 2011 in New York City. (Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

Elmore wholeheartedly disagrees with the letter’s characterization, claiming in an interview with Fox News Digital that “every bit of success I have in this life and everything that I’m doing is because of Donald Trump.”

She joined the show in 2006 as a 26-year-old who had recently graduated law school and made it nearly all the way through season 3. 

FORMER NBC BIGWIG LAMENTS CREATING A ‘MONSTER’ BY POPULARIZING TRUMP WITH ‘THE APPRENTICE,’ ENDORSES HARRIS

“Yes, I heard the words, ‘you’re fired.’ But I was rehired on the campaign many, many years later,” said Elmore in an interview with Fox News Digital. “But before we get into that, you know, Donald Trump was someone that saw a young person who was ambitious; he gave me every opportunity in the world. After I left the show, he asked me, ‘what do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘I want to get into journalism.’ And he wrote me a letter of recommendation, handed me a folio with people that I could contact. He said, This is on you. This is your job to do it.”

“And he wrote me a letter of recommendation, handed me a folio with people that I could contact. He said, ‘This is on you. This is your job to do it.”

— Erin Elmore

Elmore landed a job in news media after her time on the show in Jacksonville, Florida before going on to work at QVC. She says everything changed when Donald Trump first went down that escalator in 2015 and threw his hat in the ring for commander-in-chief.

“I was there for about ten years and I was very comfortable,” said Elmore to Fox News Digital. “I had gotten married. I had had a child. And by the way, in both of those monumental situations in my life, who did I get surprise phone calls from Donald Trump saying, ‘congratulations on your wedding. I heard you had a beautiful son. Congratulations.’ So our paths were always connected.” 

“But when he came down that golden escalator and said he was running for president, I called his personal assistant that I kept in touch with over those ten years. I said, ‘Rona, I am quitting my job. I have a six-month-old baby at home. I am going to dedicate my life to getting this man elected.”

Erin Elmore appeared on season 3 of The Apprentice on NBC in 2006. (Courtesy of Erin Elmore)

Erin Elmore served as a deputy press secretary in 2016 for the RNC and as a Trump surrogate in the same cycle. She has stepped up again in 2024 for re-election efforts as part of the Women for Trump bus tour visiting swing states with figures like Lara Trump.

She says that she finds it “sad” that other alumni from the Apprentice haven’t seen the character she sees in former president Trump.

“Not only were you exposed to the American platform, you had everyone in America watching you,” said Elmore to Fox News Digital. “But Donald Trump gave us the opportunity to meet with titans of industry, business leaders, CEOs–the networking opportunities were absolutely to the moon.”

Elmore has joined the Trump campaign onboard the Women for Trump tour bus which has traveled across the country. (Courtesy of Erin Elmore)

“And I just don’t know how anyone could possibly say that they weren’t afforded every opportunity in the world. Yes, I approached Donald Trump after I was on the show and I said, ‘Would you write me a letter of recommendation? Would you help me with some job opportunities?’ But you know what? That’s how the world works. We have to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and make ourselves successful. And the fact that these people can’t really see what the show has done for them is just sad and it speaks more about them than it does about us,” added Elmore.

As for what’s in store after next week’s presidential election, Elmore says she plans to first focus on her family, including her son’s student council campaign.

“We’re all scared. We’re all emotional. But to me, the most important thing is being a good wife and a mother,” said Elmore. “And I’ve been in this game a long time and I know so many people want so many amazing things. I think what I’m going to do is I’m going to manage my son’s student council campaign, because I know exactly what to do in politics.”

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“And if I, as my husband also says, ‘never say no to a job you haven’t yet been offered,” she added. “So if I am offered a position, I will once again, like I did in 2016, pick up that phone and say, ‘President Trump, whatever you need. I am there because I believe in you and I support you.”

Harris campaign surrogate Mark Cuban’s suggestion that women in Donald Trump’s orbit are weak and dumb is blowing up on her campaign even as the furor continues to rage over President Biden’s dismissal of Trump supporters as “garbage.”

“Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” Thursday. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them and, you know, Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”

The comments resulted in a firestorm of criticism from Trump supporters – both men and women. 

‘STRONG, CONSERVATIVE WOMEN’ STRIKE BACK AGAINST MARK CUBAN’S INSULTS

“Obviously, I wasn’t talking about Nikki Haley, and I wasn’t talking about all Trump supporters,” Cuban told Fox News Digital. “That’s ridiculous.” 

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley waves to the crowd as she is introduced at a campaign rally on March 4, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas.  (Photo by Emil Lippe/Getty Images)

Asked if he would have chosen his words differently in hindsight, Cuban said: “I would probably just add that I’m only speaking to the point that I haven’t seen [Trump] side-by-side on the campaign trail with women I consider strong and intelligent. Like Nikki Haley, Kellyanne [Conway] and Tulsi [Gabbard], among others.”

Cuban also sought to add context with a post on X, formerly Twitter, shared Thursday afternoon, noting that he knows “many strong, intelligent women voting for Trump,” citing members of his “extended family” as an example. He also said that women who have worked for Trump in the past, such as Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway, represent “strong, intelligent women.” 

MARK CUBAN DISMISSES BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE: ‘IT DOESN’T MATTER AT ALL’

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban speaks at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris at University Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Oct. 17, 2024. 

Cuban stated in his post on X that he still stands by his opinion that Trump “does not like being challenged publicly.”  

Meanwhile, In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Cuban’s comments “extremely insulting to the thousands of women who work for president Trump, and the tens of millions of women who are voting for him.”

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Businessman and television personality Mark Cuban addresses a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris Oct. 17, 2024 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 

“These women are mothers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, and they are, indeed, strong and intelligent, despite what Mark Cuban and Kamala Harris say.” 

She added: “The joy at Kamala HQ has been replaced by division, vitriol, and a disturbing level of disrespect for the millions of Americans who are supporting President Trump after four years of destruction under Kamala Harris.”

Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” during a Zoom call with Hispanic voters earlier this week. During Cuban’s appearance on “The View,” he argued Biden’s remarks did not “matter at all.”   

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Billionaire Mark Cuban appeared to try and spin him out of a mess, after making some insulting comments on “the View” about women who support former President Trump.

Cuban appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday morning when he made the comments.

“Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them, and, you know, Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”

After taking a verbal beating for his remarks on social media, Cuban turned to social media on Thursday afternoon to clear up his statements.

MARK CUBAN: TRUMP DOESN’T ASSOCIATE WITH ‘STRONG, INTELLIGENT WOMEN, EVER’

“This is what I said during a conversation about why Nikki Haley was not active in his campaign,” Cuban said. “I know many strong, intelligent women voting for Trump, including in my extended family. I’m certainly not saying female voters are not smart, strong and intelligent.

“I know he has worked with strong, intelligent women, like Elaine Chao, Kelly Anne, Ivanka and many others,” Cuban added. “I stand by my opinion that he does not like being challenged publicly.”

Jimmy Failla commented on Cuban’s post, saying, “Shoulda just told us there was an apostrophe in your statement. This is junk, babe.”

‘STRONG, CONSERVATIVE WOMEN’ STRIKE BACK AGAINST MARK CUBAN’S ‘INSULTS’

LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 17: Businessman and television personality Mark Cuban addresses a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris October 17, 2024, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Harris continues to campaign daily in battleground swing states ahead of the November 5 election. (Photo by Andy Manis/Getty Images) (Photo by Andy Manis/Getty Images)

Failla was referring to the White House’s spin on President Biden’s remarks earlier this week, when he apparently described Trump supporters as “garbage” during a Zoom call with Voto Latino on Tuesday.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said in response to comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.

The White House immediately denied that the president was referring directly to Trump’s supporters, but instead added an apostrophe in the word “supporter’s,” and claimed he was referring to the comedian’s garbage.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN BLASTS TOP HARRIS SURROGATE MARK CUBAN FOR ‘INSULTING’ PRO-TRUMP WOMEN

President Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” during a  virtual Harris campaign call. (Screenshot/Voto Latino)

Failla was not the only person commenting on Cuban’s spin.

“Everyone heard what you said, Mark. Now you’re trying to rewrite history. You insulted tens of millions of American women, and they won’t forget this!” one person wrote.

Another wrote, “You know exactly what you said Mark. Be a man and own up to it instead of back [pedaling].”

BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY

Trump also responded to Cuban’s remarks on Thursday evening.

“Mark Cuban, a really dumb guy, who thinks he’s ‘hot stuff’ but he’s absolutely nothing, is now out there saying that I don’t surround myself with strong women,” the former president said. “Actually, he is very wrong. I surround myself with the strongest of women – with the understanding that ALL women are great, whether strong or not strong.

“This guy is such a fool, he’s constantly on television being critical, and only for the reason that I tuned him out completely while President because he called incessantly. I told him, very pointedly, ‘Look Mark, I’ve got a lot of things to do, I just can’t be taking so many pointless calls from you,’” Trump continued. “In any event, that affected him greatly, because he’s a very insecure guy, and a MAJOR LOSER, always has been and always will be! Nobody likes him, nobody respects him, and he’s unattractive both inside and out! He should go back to talk about the person he was forced to support, because I didn’t want it, Lyin’ Kamala Harris. Also, he’s got no clubhead speed!

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“I may, in fact, be surrounded by the strongest women in the world, including Heads of Countries, who make Mark look like a ‘baby!’ All strong women, and women in general, should be very angry about this weak man’s statement,” he concluded.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Michael Lee contributed to this report.

The race for control of the House is tight. The classic political jumpball. It’s hard to judge which way the House will tilt.

Republicans are heavily favored to win the Senate. But nearly every competitive Senate contest is razor-thin. Pennsylvania. Ohio. Michigan. Wisconsin. Texas is suddenly in play. Some observers would never rule out Florida. Montana appears to be slipping away from Democrats. Democrats seem in good shape in Arizona. But what happens if former President Trump wins Arizona? Republicans might seize the Senate majority with a robust 53 or 54 seats – even if all of these races are decided by just a percentage point or two.

But, we could be talking about a very different scenario for control of the House and Senate had President Biden not withdrawn from his reelection bid in mid-July.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THE HARD STUFF IS YET TO COME

On July 21, the President said he would stand down because it was “in the best interest of my party and the country.”

House and Senate Democrats breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Although many wouldn’t publicly admit it – even now – they feared that Mr. Biden had lost more than a step. He appeared tired. Utterly incoherent at times during the late June debate with former President Trump. Few were excited. They fretted that another Biden candidacy would drain all enthusiasm from the Democratic side. Former President Trump would bludgeon Mr. Biden in the race for the White House. But what truly petrified them was the impact of President Biden standing for re-election on down ballot races.

President Joe Biden is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images)

Competitive Senate seats in Pennsylvania and Ohio? Probably down the drain.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., prognosticated that the GOP would pick up several dozen seats in 2022. McCarthy may have been off by two years. Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket likely would have triggered a blood-letting in House contests.

Now, the House is anybody’s ballgame.

Biden campaign officials met with House Democrats at the Democratic National Committee on a sizzling morning in mid-July. Some senior House Democrats like Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., declared he was “ridin’ with Biden” as he entered the forum. But the ground was already shifting.

WHO’S IN CHARGE: THE MUDDY HISTORY OF THE 50-50 SENATE

The president stubbornly stayed in the race. But former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is always mindful of the caucus she used to lead. Pelosi understood the political catastrophe which probably awaited Democrats if the President didn’t step aside. The San Francisco Democrat couldn’t publicly call on Mr. Biden to drop out. Pelosi would be more artful than that. She would quietly urge concerned Democrats to speak out. Without directly saying anything, a groundswell of Congressional Democrats began to demand the President bow out.

A group of Biden advisers huddled with moribund Senate Democrats at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) on a sweltering hot afternoon in mid-July. Almost every Senate Democrat who attended tried to avoid the press. In fact, many had drivers take them the several hundred yards from the Senate wing of the Capitol to the DSCC across the street. All to duck the press corps. Their silence spoke volumes about President Biden remaining in the race.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., even visited with President Biden in Delaware, just hours before the assassination attempt of former President Trump in Pennsylvania. News of Schumer’s audience with the president disappeared into the milieu of news coverage of the disaster in Butler, Penn. But Schumer feared a GOP blowout if Mr. Biden stuck around.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) departs a news conference with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Capitol Hill on July 23, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The deft touch of the former Speaker was classic Pelosi. A read of the climate. No fingerprints. A wink and a nod. A green light to others to do something. Someone close to Pelosi once described to me the former Speaker’s subtlety: “You will be bleeding out and never even realize you’ve been cut.” 

When Pelosi served as Speaker, allies and foes alike always wondered in awe how she got the votes. Helping orchestrate the exit of President Biden from the presidential sweepstakes was no different. Just switch the improbable into the inevitable.

A longtime confidante of Pelosi confided to me years ago that Pelosi knew how to gingerly prod House Democrats to move constituents in their districts. The constituents would then support the given issue – giving cover to Members to vote yes and not face blowback. The base now supported the issue. But not without some cunning engineering from Pelosi.

AFGHAN CHARGED WITH ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT RAISES QUESTIONS, FEARS FROM LAWMAKERS: ‘THIS IS REAL’

That crafty tactic was also at play in convincing Mr. Biden to withdraw. After a few weeks of massaging this behind the scenes, the President understood he had no alternative but to quit. Otherwise, he likely would likely lose. Congressional Democrats would be resigned to their fate.

Vice President Harris may win. But Democrats never had a primary season to settle on their nominee. Sure. Harris likely would have been favored initially in a conventional primary process. That’s simply because she ran for president before and has served nearly four years as Vice President. But the quick pivot to Harris was in the interest of efficiency. After President Biden stepped aside, Democrats had an automatic nominee-in-waiting who was credible, qualified and whose resume resonated with the party. So, switching mid-stream to Harris was about as seamless a transition as possible.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

But, just as importantly, handing over the keys to Harris immediately infused congressional Democrats and the base with much-needed energy. The change buoyed Democrats in ways which were impossible under President Biden. Suddenly, congressional Democrats were back in the game. 

Republicans have a strong chance of winning the Senate on Tuesday night. But had Mr. Biden remained at the top of the ticket, Democrats faced a tidal wave. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., appears to be on the ropes. There are tight races involving Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio and Bob Casey, D-Penn. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is in a dogfight in Michigan with former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., for the seat of retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. Even Rep. Colin Allred, D-Tex., has a puncher’s chance in his Senate race with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex. It’s conceivable that Democrats may have lost most or all of those races had President Biden remained on the ballot. But because of the president’s decision, Democrats are now competitive in all of those and may win a few – even if they lose control of the Senate.

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The same is true in the House. It’s nip-and-tuck. Yes. Republicans might hold their narrow majority – or even gain seats in a best-case scenario. But Democrats are well-positioned in every battleground district to potentially gain ground. That wouldn’t be the case had the Ppresident stuck around. 

So this is the fundamental lesson of the seismic decision by President Biden in July to quit: it may have bolstered the chances of Democrats holding the White House. But the real dividend of the president’s decision might be realized on Capitol Hill. Not by holding the Senate and winning the House. But by avoiding an ugly blowout.

A viral video shows a Trump staffer berating the Mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, for trying to take down barricades ahead of former President Trump’s rally there Tuesday evening. 

Videos posted on TikTok show Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk arguing with the staffer about road closures and his concerns they would prevent people from dropping off ballots. 

The staffer continually shouts at the mayor and accused him of lying. He notes that the city had put out a public advisory days before the rally about road closures and that the campaign had been given clearance by police. 

“You think I’m gonna remove the barricades now? Yeah, you’re out of your f—ing mind,” the staffer says. “Don’t ever pull that s— on me again.” 

TRUMP, HARRIS WILL MAKE FINAL PITCH TO NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS IN OVERLAPPING RALLIES ON WEDNESDAY 

A Trump staffer shouts down the mayor of Allentown, Pa.  (Tiktok/@magdalenrodriguez8)

He told Mayor Tuerk people can simply walk around the barricade if they wish to access the ballot drop box. He also accused the mayor of being afraid people are going to vote for Trump. 

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks at a campaign rally at the PPL Center Oct. 29, 2024, in Allentown, Pa.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“The Trump-deranged Democrat Mayor of Allentown tried to disrupt the buildout of President Trump’s rally, despite the campaign having proper permitting and approved road closures,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “We appreciate local law enforcement’s assistance in ensuring the rally was a major success.” 

WHITE HOUSE SEEKS TO PLAY CLEANUP AFTER BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’

Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Tuerk for his side of the story. The mayor said he went over to see how staging was going on Monday evening and noticed that the “‘bike rack,’ as Mr. Nelson called it, appeared to restrict access to mobility-impaired voters to cast a ballot at the county government center.”

Mayor Tuerk said he tried to engage with the staffer on this point, but “his frustration appears to have boiled over.” 

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign rally at the PPL Center Oct. 29, 2024, in Allentown, Pa.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The mayor said he was eventually able to resolve the situation with the Allentown police chief and supervisor. 

“I’m disappointed the Trump campaign misrepresented the interaction and that various commentators have jumped on the opportunity to start hurling hateful invective my way,” Tuerk said. “Allentown did its job on Tuesday. I’m proud of the employees of the city that successfully allowed anyone to vote and also allowed anyone to participate in a political event.” 

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Trump held a packed rally at Allentown’s PPL Center Tuesday evening. 

Maricopa County must provide a conservative watchdog group with a list of noncitizens currently registered to vote, the Arizona Superior Court ruled on Thursday.

America First Legal (AFL) filed the suit in August.

“As the Court admonished the parties prior to and during the hearing, the issue for the Court to decide is whether the records that Plaintiff requested must be released pursuant to Arizona’s public records law,” the high court’s order reads. “Despite the political undertones, this is simply a public records case.”

During an evidentiary hearing, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes testified that a system error had affected approximately 218,000 registered voters, the court document states.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY

Voters cast their ballots during Michigans early voting period on October 29, 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan. Early voter turnout has been heavy in Michigan, a key battleground state with 14 electoral votes, with over 250,000 early votes being cast in just the first two days. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The order notes that Fontes acknowledged having a partial list of about 98,000 voters who have not confirmed their proof of citizenship but stated that no complete list of all 218,000 affected voters exists. Fontes attributed a government press release’s mention of a complete list to “hasty drafting” and unclear language. He also claimed that the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) had not provided him with any list containing personal information for the additional voters potentially lacking sufficient documentation. 

However, the court concluded his testimony was inconsistent; Fontes initially denied possessing the list of 98,000 voters before amending his statement.

“His testimony suggested that he lacked detailed familiarity with the AZSOS’s [Arizona Secretary of State] efforts with regard to the issue and with regard to the records in the possession of the AZSOS related to the 218,000 individuals,” the court document states.

Additionally, the order chides Arizona’s Department of State for presenting Professor Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, as an expert witness. 

IN ARIZONA SPEECH, VANCE SAYS NEXT PRESIDENT MUST PUT AMERICANS FIRST, SLAMS FEMA MONEY FOR MIGRANTS

The court said it assigned minimal weight to his testimony and report. Much of Pape’s testimony focused on national trends in political violence, lacking specific analysis related to Arizona, according to the court document. 

During cross-examination, Pape acknowledged that he had conducted no research pertinent to the state. His assertion that releasing the requested information could lead to violence or harassment was largely speculative and based solely on national statistics, the court document notes.

“The credibility of Professor Pape’s testimony and report was further diminished by what appeared to be gratuitous political bias in his report and in his testimony,” the high court concluded. “The Professor’s opinions regarding general political violence focused almost entirely on allegations of past and anticipated prospective violence from only one side of the political spectrum, and only related to former president Donald Trump.”

Fontes and Pape “argued that producing the list of 218,000 voters to to AFL’s client would expose those individuals to the risk of harassment and violence.”

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: VOTER OUTREACH, BALLOT EFFICIENCY AND A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes speaks following Tuesday’s ruling from Arizona’s high court upholding a 160-year-old abortion ban, at an event in Tucson, Arizona, U.S., April 12, 2024.   REUTERS/Rebecca Noble (Reuters/Rebecca Noble)

“However, the only evidence they presented was about generalized threats of elected-related political violence, most against elected officials,” the court document read. “They failed to identify any specific threats of violence or harassment.”

The decision comes after AFL filed suit on behalf of the nonprofit group Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen in Maricopa County, in August. 

AFL had previously given Maricopa County one week to address the alleged noncitizens on its voter rolls.

The lawsuit claims that, as of April 2024, more than 35,000 registered voters in Arizona had not provided proof of citizenship, limiting them to voting only in federal races, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

The lawsuit alleges that Arizona’s voter registration system creates a split between those who provide proof of citizenship (DPOC) and those who do not. Under Arizona law, DPOC is required for state and local elections, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal voter registration form does not mandate this requirement. Consequently, Arizona has a bifurcated system where voters who use the federal form – known as Federal-Only Voters – are restricted to voting only in federal elections.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, through his attorney, stated that he would not take any action, “citing, among other things, concerns for the safety of voters, and concerns about the accuracy of the list,” and claimed his office is already complying with the law, the Arizona high court document read.

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On Sept. 26, Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona was informed through the secretary of state’s portal that its Public Records Request (PRR) had been “closed.” A note added to the file indicated that a response was released on Sep. 23, leading the organization to conclude that the PRR had been denied.

“THE COURT FINDS specifically that the letter of September 24, 2024 and the NextRequest closure of the file with an explanatory note stating that ‘our response was released’ collectively constitute a denial of the PRR,” the high court’s Thursday order stated.

Fontes told Fox News Digital that the office “is considering all of our legal options.”

FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Trump super PAC has launched a closing message ad against Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground states focusing on illegal immigration, the economy and the Biden-Harris agenda.

The 60-second ad, which will be run at high frequency in Michigan and Wisconsin through Election Day, was produced by Preserve America PAC and starts off with Harris being asked on “The View” if she would have done anything “differently” than Biden over the last four years.

Before Harris answers, the ad plays clips of Biden being pressed in an interview about poor economic numbers and clips of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border as Biden was set to end Title 42.

The ad then includes clips highlighting crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants in the United States, including the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas.

BIDEN ADMIN FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE TO DISMANTLE MIGRANT PAROLE PROGRAM AMID ‘STRESS’ ON SMALL TOWNS

Former President Trump and VP Kamala Harris (Getty Images)

“It’s going to be chaotic for a while,” Biden says in a clip after Nungaray’s face is shown on the screen.

The ad then shifts to foreign policy, highlighting the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan where 13 U.S. service members were killed. 

THE FATAL FLAW IN KAMALA HARRIS’ SPEECH, MARRED BY BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden arrive at a campaign event at the IBEW Local Union #5 union hall in Pittsburgh, on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris says at the end of the ad as she answers the initial question from the beginning of the ad. “And I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”

The ad closes with the words, “Weak. Reckless. Dangerous. That’s the Biden-Harris agenda.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 28, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Preserve America PAC has spent over $110 million on ads targeted to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin starting during the Summer Olympics shortly after Harris entered the race.

“After opening our border and ruining our economy, Kamala deserves to be fired and we’re working every day to prevent four more years of American ruin,” Preserve America PAC senior adviser David Carney told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response.

Former President Bill Clinton encouraged voters in Michigan to throw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris even if they believe the economy was better under former President Donald Trump.

“I want to make three brief points,” Clinton told voters at a rally for Harris in Muskegon Heights, Michigan on Wednesday. “You did pretty well when I was president, and I think I’m entitled to my opinion about who’d be better. Two, I don’t think it’s right to say that people have to vote for Donald Trump because the economy was better… I don’t believe that.”

Clinton’s comments come as both the Trump and Harris campaigns scramble to reach as many voters as possible with less than a week to go before election day, particularly in swing states such as Michigan, where polls show a razor tight race between the two candidates.

BILL CLINTON MAKES ‘STUNNING’ REMARK ON LAKEN RILEY’S MURDER

Former President Bill Clinton speaks during a Get-Out-The-Vote rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on the first day of North Carolina early voting in Durham, North Carolina, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Logan Cyrus / AFP)

According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Harris currently holds a slim 0.4 point lead over Trump in Michigan, while the latest Fox News Power Rankings rate the state as a toss-up.

Clinton’s comments were not his first gaffe while hitting the campaign trail for Harris, coming a couple of weeks after the former president told voters in Georgia an immigrant who allegedly killed Georgia-native Laken Riley was not properly vetted before being let into the country.

“You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it. A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant,” Clinton said at the time. “Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted, that probably wouldn’t have happened.”

Despite that gaffe, the campaign brought Clinton to the critical swing state of Michigan to stump for Harris along with Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Supporters cheer as former President Bill Clinton arrives to speak during a Get-Out-The-Vote rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on the first day of North Carolina early voting in Durham, North Carolina, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Logan Cyrus / AFP)

SLOTKIN SLAMS FELLOW DEM BIDEN FOR ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE AMID HEATED SENATE BATTLE

Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran for governor against Whitmer in 2022, argued that Clinton was just telling “the truth” during the event in Michigan.

“Bill Clinton told the truth again when he admitted the economy is better under president Trump. Normal people buying groceries or school supplies know that’s true,” Dixon told Fox News Digital. “I’m beginning to wonder if he’s secretly a surrogate for the Trump campaign.”

Nevertheless, Clinton said he was in Michigan to support Harris “enthusiastically,” arguing that “Kamala Harris will be a better president than Donald Trump.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 28, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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“I want to assure the American dream for my grandchildren,” Clinton said. “I don’t want my 10-year-old granddaughter to have fewer freedoms than her 44-year-old mother.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Las Vegas, Nevada, which sits in battleground Clark County in one of the most closely watched swing states in the upcoming election, is home to a mayoral race where a Republican could win for the first time in half a century. 

Democrat Shelley Berkley and Republican Victoria Seaman, the top two vote-getters in the June primary, will square off on Tuesday to determine who will be mayor of Las Vegas, a city that hasn’t had a Republican mayor since Oran Grayson left office in 1975.

Fox News Digital spoke to Councilwoman Seaman about Republican enthusiasm in Nevada and why the climate on the ground is potentially ripe for a conservative to be elected mayor of one of the nation’s most rapidly growing cities.

“I think people are tired of extreme liberal policies that simply don’t work, and they want to find common sense solutions,” Seaman told Fox News Digital. “And we’re seeing an incredible Republican wave right now in Clark County. And I think it speaks for itself that people are tired of policies that simply don’t work.“

BATTLEGROUND SERIES: KEY SWING STATE’S 6 ELECTORAL VOTES HINGE ON CANDIDATE PERFORMANCES IN THIS COUNTY

Victoria Seaman is hoping to be the first Republican mayor of Las Vegas in 50 years. (Getty Images)

The mayor, who is considered nonpartisan although the candidates are both affiliated with political parties, is a member of the Las Vegas City Council and is the only member elected at large. 

The city of Las Vegas does not include the resort-lined Strip, which is in unincorporated Clark County and falls under the jurisdiction of a county commission.

Rising housing costs has been a top concern of voters both Democrat and Republican in Nevada which Seaman told Fox News Digital she is committed to addressing if elected mayor. 

“Almost 87 percent of southern Nevada is owned by the Bureau of Land Management,” Seaman said. “It’s really important to be working with our delegation to make sure that we can get some of this land back and annex that into the city for workforce and affordable housing. And those are the things that I’ve been working on to give incentives to builders. Tax increment financing and all the grants that we’ve been getting from the state and federal government to make sure that we’re working on mixed-use housing. What we’ve done is we’re not leaving anything on the table. We’ve applied for grants, any grants that we can get.”

MILLIONS OF VOTERS HAVE ALREADY CAST BALLOTS FOR NOV. 5 ELECTION

Latinos for Trump event in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

Seaman, who was recently joined on the campaign trail by the Republican mayors of Dallas, Texas, and Newport Beach, California, told Fox News Digital that in addition to housing, the economy is at the top of the minds of voters in Clark County.

“People are struggling and having a hard time, not just with housing, but with putting food on the table,” Seaman said. “So they really want to see those who are going to have bold leadership and make sure that they’re enacting commonsense policies that work for the people.”

Seaman called Berkley an “extreme liberal” who supported “extreme liberal policies” when she was in Congress.”

“Open borders, she voted against extra security when she was in Congress, and people are tired,” Seaman said. “They want someone who’s going to care about the American people and the constituents.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Berkley campaign manager Tom Letizia accused Seaman of trying to turn a “non-partisan race” into a “partisan battle with baseless accusations.”

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 Voters stand in voting booths as they fill out their ballots at a polling center in Las Vegas (Getty Images)

“For nearly two years, Shelley Berkley has been focused on the issues that truly matter to Las Vegas: public safety, homelessness, affordable housing, and working toward a fair solution to the Badlands situation—a costly issue Seaman failed to resolve, now burdening taxpayers with millions of dollars,” Letizia said. “Shelley Berkley’s record speaks for itself in tackling real challenges without stooping to divisive, lying attacks.”

Nevada’s early voting has been strong for Republicans, which Seaman said is energy she has seen when she speaks with constituents in the county. 

“We’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm,” Seaman said. “I’m going to leave Las Vegas better than when I found it, and my pledge to the people of Las Vegas is that I want to make it one of the safest cities in the union.”

“We have over 42 million tourists coming here every year and so it’s important for our economy that we continue to be a very safe city. I also want to make sure that we diversify the economy. We can’t depend on gaming alone, and that’s something I’ve been doing in the five years that I’ve been on the city council, and I will continue to do that to bring more diversified businesses to Las Vegas.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.

The White House remained silent Thursday when asked to confirm whether its stenographers had approved the transcript it posted of President Biden’s remarks calling Trump supporters “garbage,” amid allegations from Republicans that the written version of his remarks posted to the White House’s website was deceptively edited.

Republicans from the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to White House attorney Edward Siskel on Wednesday, alleging “a false transcript” of Biden’s remarks had been released by the White House and demanded that it “retain and preserve all documents and internal communications” regarding the president’s remarks and the release of the subsequent transcript. The committee also requested that an updated transcript with the correct wording be provided. 

Following Biden’s Tuesday remarks, which came during a virtual Zoom call with a Hispanic get-out-the-vote group known as Voto Latino, the White House posted a transcript of the president’s remarks. Transcripts are regularly posted every time the president speaks, and it is typical protocol to get those transcripts approved by the White House’s apolitical group of professional stenographers. However, the White House has not responded to repeated requests from Fox News questioning whether the final transcript of Biden’s remarks with Voto Latino had been approved by the stenographers.

President Biden (Getty Images)

Sources at the Oversight Committee told Fox News that while Biden was clearly calling Trump supporters “garbage,” the transcript includes incorrect syntax that made the president’s words appear as if he was not directly speaking about Trump supporters – an argument echoed by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 

BIDEN’S PAST COMMENTS ABOUT MAGA REPUBLICANS COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM AS WHITE HOUSE SPINS ‘GARBAGE’ REMARKS

“President Biden’s vindictive words were unsurprising, given his previous statements regarding people who choose not to vote for his preferred candidate. Unsurprising, too, were the White House’s actions after he said them,” read the letter, signed by Reps. Elise Stefanik, R–N.Y. and James Comer, R–Ky. 

Former President Trump talks to reporters as he sits in a garbage truck Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“The move is not only craven, but it also appears to be in violation of federal law, including the Presidential Records Act of 1978,” the two GOP leaders continued in their letter. “White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message.”  

In an attempt to clarify Biden’s remarks amid backlash over the comments, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates insisted that: “The president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’” Biden himself also published a tweet following his controversial remarks echoing Bates’ argument. 

TRUMP CAPITALIZES ON BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ REMARK BY WEARING SANITATION VEST

Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, sought to distance herself from the president’s comments less than a week before Election Day, but she simultaneously defended Biden by noting he “clarified his comments.”

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (AP Photo/Getty Images)

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“I think that first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said from the campaign trail on Wednesday morning.

A Florida judge extended a temporary restraining order until after the election that blocks the state government from threatening to take legal action against television stations over pro-abortion ads. 

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group behind the Amendment 4 Right to Abortion Initiative to enshrine abortion in the state constitution, which is on the ballot on Election Day, filed a lawsuit earlier this month against Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and former health department counsel John Wilson, following threats from the Florida Department of Health to TV stations over abortion ads aired.

In its letter, the health department stated the advertisements were “false” and “dangerous” and requested the ads be removed within 24 hours, or it would proceed with legal measures.

DESANTIS CAMPAIGNS AGAINST HIGH-STAKES ABORTION MEASURE ON FLORIDA BALLOT: ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ LEGISLATION

District Judge Mark E. Walker initially granted the plaintiff’s request for a temporary restraining order. The order was set to expire on Tuesday, but Walker extended it until Nov. 12 – one week after the election.

Amendment 4’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

“…this Court concludes that Plaintiff continues to have standing for the same reasons articulated in the temporary restraining order and that good cause exists to extend the temporary restraining order, because this Court requires additional time to review the arguments for and against the motion for preliminary injunction and to draft an Order on the motion,” Walker wrote in the order. 

DESANTIS ADMIN BLOCKED FROM THREATENING TV STATIONS OVER PRO-ABORTION ADS

Yes on 4 cheered the decision. 

“While this case isn’t over, this second ruling is once again a critical victory for every Floridian who believes in democracy and the sanctity of the First Amendment,” Lauren Brenzel, the group’s campaign director, said in a statement. “Once again, the court has affirmed what we’ve known all along: the government cannot silence the truth about Florida’s extreme abortion ban. It’s a deadly ban that puts women’s lives at risk. This ruling continues to remind us that Floridians will not back down in the face of government intimidation.”

The order will expire on Nov. 12 or when the court enters an order on the plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction. 

Floridians Protecting Freedom launched its suit against Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, left, and former general counsel to the Florida Department of Health John Wilson. (Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Amendment 4’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

LEGENDARY NFL COACH TONY DUNGY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST LEGALIZING ABORTION IN FLORIDA

In its initial filing, Floridians Protecting Freedom argued that the state government’s legal threats were a violation of Floridians Protecting Freedom’s First Amendment right to run political advertisements in support of the proposed amendment. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about Amendment 4 at the Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden, Florida, on Oct. 22, 2024. (WOFL)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the measure a “bait and switch” during a press conference in Winter Garden, days after the initial order was issued. 

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Former President Trump previously called Florida’s proposed amendment “radical” in an interview with Fox News, but said he also believes Florida’s six-week abortion restriction is too short.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report. 

A new poll has found that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are essentially tied among voters in the battleground state of Michigan. 

The Washington Post poll of 1,004 registered voters reveals that Trump is leading Harris there 47 to 45%. Among that group, those who said they were likely to vote for Harris over Trump 47-46%. 

The poll was conducted between Oct. 24-28 and has a margin of error of 3.7%. Of those who responded, six out of every ten voters view the state of the economy negatively, according to The Washington Post. 

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed listed the economy as an “extremely important issue,” followed by immigration at 47%, taxes at 44%, healthcare at 42%, abortion at 41% and U.S. policy on the war in Gaza at 29%. 

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS ERASES TRUMP’S LEAD ON THE ECONOMY IN MICHIGAN 

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at recent campaign events in Michigan. (AP/Alex Brandon/Paul Sancya)

On those issues, Trump leads Harris 49-42% among registered voters who believe he would do a better job handling the economy, 51-38% on the issue of immigration, and 48-38% on the war in Gaza. 

DETROIT AUTOWORKERS ON KAMALA HARRIS STRUGGLING WITH BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS: ‘SHE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING FOR US’ 

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets supporters after speaking during a campaign rally at Burns Park in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Monday, Oct. 28. (AP/Carlos Osorio)

Harris, meanwhile, leads Trump 49-36% among voters who believe she will do a better job handling abortion, and 46-40% on healthcare. 

The poll found that voters are split evenly over which candidate would better serve middle class workers. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, right, looks on as local Muslim leaders speak during a campaign rally at the Suburban Collection Showplace, on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Novi, Mich.  (AP/Alex Brandon)

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When asked about what to do with undocumented immigrants who currently are in the U.S., 48% said they should be offered a chance to apply for legal status, while 46% say they should be deported to the countries from which they came from. 

FIRST ON FOX: President Biden is getting hit with a resolution in Congress condemning his “garbage” remarks while discussing former President Donald Trump’s supporters earlier this week.

“President Biden must be condemned for calling millions of Americans who support Donald Trump garbage,” Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., who is introducing the measure later this week, told Fox News Digital.

He linked it to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s infamous quip that half of Trump supporters were a “basket of deplorables” during her doomed 2016 presidential bid. 

TRUMP CALLS FOR SUPPORTS TO ‘FORGIVE’ BIDEN IN SHOW OF UNITY AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’

Rep. John Rose, right, is leading a resolution to condemn President Biden’s remarks about former President Donald Trump supporters from earlier this week. (Getty Images)

“First, Democrats called half the country deplorables. Now, they are doubling down, calling us garbage. Democrats’ disrespect for half the country’s views and opinions is exactly what is wrong with the leadership of extreme far-left liberals,” Rose said.

Republicans have been hammering Biden – and by extension 2024 Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris – over the remarks, even forcing top Democrats to distance themselves from the controversial comment.

The White House has denied that the president called Trump supporters “garbage,” and interpretations of what the 81-year-old leader said have been hotly debated.

Biden was asked about Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden during a virtual call with Voto Latino. Democrats had accused Republicans of racist rhetoric during the event, particularly one of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

SLOTKIN SLAMS FELLOW DEM BIDEN FOR ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE AMID HEATED SENATE BATTLE

He responded by saying, “Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community. He’s a failed businessman. He only cares about the billionaire friends that he has and accumulating wealth for those at the top.”

“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something…in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.  It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump spoke at his rally in a high-visibility vest after President Biden’s comments. (AP Images)

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that he was referring to Hinchcliffe’s joke.

“He does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views,” she said.

Biden himself posted a similar explanation on X earlier this week.

“His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation,” the post said.

BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY

However, that has done little to stem the Republican backlash, particularly with Election Day less than a week away.

Trump arrived at his Wednesday campaign stop in Wisconsin in a garbage truck and wore a high-visibility vest throughout his rally.

Vivek Ramaswamy, one of his surrogates, posted a video of himself on the job with sanitation workers.

Harris distanced herself from the comments Wednesday morning, telling reporters, “I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments. But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who is running in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country, went even further.

“In terms of what President Biden said yesterday, he shouldn’t have said it. I mean, it’s inappropriate. And, for me, I just think that kind of talk is the last thing we need in our politics,” Slotkin told Michigan radio station WWJ Newsradio.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Rose’s resolution.

FIRST ON FOX: Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to shut down its migrant travel program for four nationalities, as Republicans say migrants from those countries have caused “stress and burdens” on communities throughout the U.S.

Twenty-seven lawmakers, led by Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, have written to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the end to what they say is an “unlawful” parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV).

The program allows up to 30,000 nationals each month to enter the U.S. via humanitarian parole from those four countries after receiving advance travel authorization. More than half a million nationals have entered as part of the program, which is part of the effort to expand “lawful pathways” by the administration.

However, the lawmakers note communities across the U.S. that have reported intense strain due to an influx of migrants from those countries, particularly Haiti.

HAITIAN MIGRANTS OVERWHELMING SMALL INDIANA TOWN: ‘IT’S JUST OVERRUN’

Pennsylvania Rep. Guy Reschenthaler speaking to Fox News Digital. (FOX NEWS DIGITAL )

“While the United States faces an unprecedented crisis, created by the Biden-Harris Administration, at our southern border, nearly 530,000 inadmissible aliens have entered the U.S. through the CHNV program since January 2023 alone. This decision has placed significant financial stress and burdens on communities across the United States, including Charleroi, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Ohio; and Logansport, Indiana,” they write.

Fox spoke to residents in Charleroi, some of whom say they have seen significant pressure due to Haitian migration, including on schools and other services. In Logansport, residents have said they have been “overrun” as the population has grown by 20-30% since 2021, mostly from Haitians. 

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Venezuelans in the U.S., meaning many arrivals are protected from deportation and can receive work permits.

The lawmakers say that, according to 25 governors, the administration has “failed to communicate arrival times, duration of residency, legal status, and locations of CHNV parolees while also creating ‘considerable confusion and alarm among local officials and the general public.’”

SWING STATE OFFICIAL WARNS VILLAGE STRUGGLING WITH FINANCIAL LOSSES AFTER INFLUX OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 

This split shows migrants in Mexico, right, and the town of Logansport, Indiana. (Fox News | Photo by Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

They also note that the Biden administration paused issuing authorizations briefly after fraud was found among sponsor applications in the program. Recently, the Biden administration said it would not be renewing paroles for arrivals but would still be accepting new applications.

“We call on the administration to end the unlawful, fraud-filled CHNV program and curtail TPS and other immigration relief provided to aliens paroled through CHNV. Without doing so, the Biden-Harris Administration’s immigration policies will continue to place significant burdens on communities across our nation,” they say.

The DHS said it “responds to congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond to congressional oversight.” 

HAITIAN MIGRATION ROILS TOWN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE WITH SIGNS OF PRO-TRUMP SUPPORT ON THE RISE

Meanwhile, officials have stressed that CHNV processes are a “safe and orderly way” to reach the U.S. and have been linked to a 99% drop in encounters between ports of entry at the border from those nationalities.

They have stressed that migrants are responsible for their own travel and that DHS does not select their final destination, although they are vetted by multiple databases and not allowed in if they do not pass that process.

The agency says it is “working with communities on their unique situations, and developing new efficiencies that speed up the work authorization process and providing on-the-ground immigration services to migrants who are eligible to apply for a work permit but have not yet done so.”

Officials have also noted that more than $650 million has been allocated to support communities receiving migrants throughout the U.S. by DHS.

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The letter comes as migration and related border security has become a top issue in the election. Former President Donald Trump has promised to shut down parole programs if allowed into office. This week, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced legislation that would limit the number of parolees to 1,000 a year and curtail the use of TPS.

Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to sign a border security bill if elected while also renewing her calls for a more sweeping piece of legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants — including TPS recipients.

The vast majority of Americans report being “anxious and frustrated” rather than “excited” regarding the upcoming election, according to a Thursday poll from the Associated Press.

The poll found that 7 in 10 Americans reported feeling frustrated about the election, while just under a third say they are excited. The AP-NORC poll comes as the presidential race between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remains neck-and-neck.

The poll found that Democrats in particular are feeling more anxious than usual. Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats said they have negative feelings about the upcoming election, compared to just 7 in 10 in the last election.

Independents are the most even keeled, however, with roughly half of the group saying they are anxious and the other half saying they are excited.

FOX NEWS POLL: MORE HARRIS THAN TRUMP SUPPORTERS THINK VOTERS WILL BE COUNTED ACCURATELY & WILL ACCEPT OUTCOME

American voters say they are feeling frustrated by the election.

The poll of 1,233 adults was conducted Oct. 24-29, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

HARRIS, TRUMP, MAKE FINAL PITCHES TO VOTERS IN HIGH STAKES BATTLEGROUND

The presidential race remains virtually tied both nationally and in the swing states as the nation sits just five days from Election Day.

North Carolina likely voters put Trump slightly ahead of Harris in a new Fox News survey released Wednesday. That’s unchanged since September.

Americans are heading to voting booths across the country. (Getty Images)

Trump leads Harris 49%-47% among likely voters, while third-party candidates receive 4%. In the two-way contest, his edge narrows to 1 point — a useful indicator as pre-election surveys often overstate support for third-party candidates.

HARRIS LAYS OUT HER CLOSING ARGUMENT AGAINST TRUMP WITH THE WHITE HOUSE AS A BACKDROP

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, both candidates are tied at 48% support with an expanded ballot, according to the Wednesday poll. With third-party candidates removed, Trump is up by 1 point (50% to 49% Harris).

Fox News Power Rankings presidential map.

The vice president on Wednesday, speaking in front of a large crowd at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, urged her supporters to “get this done.”

Harris made multiple stops Sunday in Philadelphia, the state’s largest city. Trump held a campaign event Tuesday in Delaware County, in suburban Philadelphia, before holding a rally in Allentown.

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“I don’t like to speak too early, but you have to get out and vote because we … we want a big, beautiful number. We’re leading in every single swing state. Because, normally Republicans, they like to vote at the end no matter what you say, they like to vote at the end,” Trump said from the Allentown rally. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vice President Harris on Wednesday picked up endorsements from three longtime Republican leaders in New Hampshire who supported former President Trump’s rival Nikki Haley in the Republican primary.

Former U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey, former U.S. Congressman and former New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Chuck Douglas and former New Hampshire Attorney General Thomas Rath condemned Trump as a divisive and unstable candidate in statements declaring their support for Harris. Her campaign said the endorsements reflect growing enthusiasm for the vice president among registered Republicans both in the Granite State and the rest of the nation.

“I voted Republican for fifty years, but I’m voting against Donald Trump and I plead with all Republicans to do the same,” Humphrey said in a statement.  “As a father, a grandfather, a veteran, and a former United States Senator, I cannot vote for Trump. He’s dangerous to our democracy.” 

Douglas said that Trump “believes in himself over service” and views the election “as the change to jail his political opponents.” Harris would be a “steady hand at the ship of state” in contrast to Trump’s “fragile mental state and anger,” according to the former lawmaker. 

BIDEN CALLS FOR TRUMP TO BE ‘POLITICALLY’ LOCKED UP AT NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENT

Harris arrives to speak at a campaign event at the Throwback Brewery, in North Hampton, New Hampshire, on Sept. 4, 2024. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Rath likewise condemned Trump’s “campaign of division, anger, thinly veiled prejudice, and rejection of our core values as a nation.” 

The Harris-Walz campaign welcomed their support and noted that hundreds of current and former Republicans across the country have backed Harris, including former GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. 

IT’S A TIGHT RACE IN THE BATTLE TO SUCCEED POPULAR SWING STATE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR

Harris fields questions during a town hall style campaign event with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Oct. 21, 2024, in Brookfield, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In New Hampshire specifically, the campaign said there has been a 47% increase in registered Republican volunteers compared to 2022 and a 76% increase in the number of GOP voters who have told canvassers they plan to vote for Democrats next week.  

“While Vice President Harris has made clear there is a home in her campaign for all Americans – including Republicans and independents – Donald Trump continues to double down on his extreme agenda,” the campaign said in a news release.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MAKES PRIMARY PICKS FOR GOVERNOR AND HOUSE RACES

Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Throwback Brewery in North Hampton, N.H. (Kylie Cooper for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Reached for comment, the Trump campaign noted that Haley is supporting his candidacy, along with former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii. 

“President Trump is building a historic and diverse movement to make America great again,” Trump national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “He’s been endorsed by many respected leaders from Nikki Haley to RFK Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. We welcome anyone who wants to secure our border, restore law and order, and end inflation to join our team.”

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New Hampshire has been an important swing state in prior presidential elections, although Harris has held a consistent lead over Trump in public opinion polls this year. Fox News’ Power Rankings rate the state as “Likely D.” 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.