NationalWatch

It was a revealing moment for Donald Trump.

“When I say ‘the enemy from within,’ the other side goes crazy,” he said Sunday. 

He’s right about that. I raised the subject in our Trump Tower interview last weekend, saying that phrase seemed ominous, and his response – that Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff are indeed enemies, not just opponents, was picked up across the media universe.

But driving the other side nuts is a Trump specialty. When he told the rally at Madison Square Garden that the media are “the real enemy, the enemy of the people,” there were loud cheers from a party that already despises and distrusts the press.

BAD BUNNY ENDORSES HARRIS AFTER TRUMP RALLY COMEDIAN JOKES PUERTO RICO IS ‘FLOATING ISLAND OF GARBAGE’

A slight digression: The argument that Trump shouldn’t have been at the Garden because the Nazis held a rally there in 1939 is ludicrous. FDR held an event there two years later, and the Democrats have held nominating conventions there. It’s the place where I’ve watched many Knicks games and a George Harrison concert. And Billy Joel has been selling out the arena for years.)

Trump knows how to rile up the media, rekindling the debate over whether they must cover his more over-the-top rhetoric or are just normalizing him.  

In our Mar-a-Lago interview a few months ago, the former president acknowledged to me that at times he deliberately uses incendiary language to drive news coverage. Remember, even negative coverage helps him dominate the headlines.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump waves goodbye after a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City. Trump closed out his weekend of campaigning in New York City with a guest list of speakers that includes his running mate Republican Vice Presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Tesla CEO Elon Musk, UFC CEO Dana White, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, among others, nine days before Election Day. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

And if you think media companies aren’t intimidated by him, look at the disingenuous decisions by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and Los Angeles Times owner Patrrick Soon-Shiong to kill Kamala Harris endorsements in favor of a no-endorsement stance that obviously helps Trump. Two columnists, including Michelle Norris, have resigned from the Post, three top editors have quit the Times, and thousands of subscriptions have been canceled at both papers.

Trump’s speech at the Garden was almost completely overshadowed by what came before it. A comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, called Puerto Rico “a floating pile of garbage.” He joked about Jewish people being cheap, and he and a Black buddy folks “carving watermelons.”

“These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do,” Hinchcliffe said. “There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.”

CNN PUNDITS ADMIT THEY WEREN’T IMPRESSED WITH KAMALA HARRIS’ TOWN HALL: ‘WORD SALAD CITY’

It reached the point that Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Fox yesterday morning: “Look, it was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste. Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign.”

The Trump camp soon put out word that it hadn’t vetted what Hinchcliffe was going to say. That, if true, was a big mistake.

But it wasn’t just the comedian. Conservative New York radio host Sid Rosenberg told the rally about “f****** illegals, and also called Hillary Clinton a “sick son of a bitch” and a “Jew hater.” A friend of Trump called Kamala Harris “the anti-Christ.”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves at a campaign rally at Greensboro Coliseum on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Greensboro, N.C.  (AP/Alex Brandon)

Now Trump didn’t say any of this, but made no attempt to distance himself by saying, for instance, that he didn’t agree with everything that had been said.

A New York Times news story was headlined “Trump at the Garden: A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism.”

PLAYING THE HITLER CARD: WILL TRUMP BACKERS DISMISS JOHN KELLY’S ATTACK?

And that gave Kamala Harris an opening. She said the rally “highlighted a point I’ve been making…He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances, and himself and on dividing our country.”

Meanwhile, Trump scored an absolute coup with a three-hour sitdown with Joe Rogan.

Sure, he rambled at times, talking about whales and extraterrestrial aliens. But the podcast racked up 33 million views, with an audience of mostly men, and mainly young men. That’s far more than a candidate would reach going on several top-rated cable news shows.

Podcast host Joe Rogan told former President Trump he has gotten so popular with Americans due to the “wild s—” he says.  (Screenshots/The Joe Rogan Experience)

Many believe the sitdown helped humanize Trump, and Rogan told him he gets endless publicity because he says “weird s***.” It was a clearly sympathetic conversation, and Rogan said the media are “the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party.”

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Harris was also in talks to do Rogan’s Spotify podcast, and he said she was welcome there, but if he wanted her, she’d be taping the show today. To save face, she then announced that she had scheduling issues. Instead, Harris did Brene Brown’s prodcast, who obviously appeals to women. The vice president needs to improve her gender gap among men.

With one week till the election, every message and misstep counts. And every day you’re playing defense is a lost opportunity.

New York City is buying tickets for thousands of migrants to travel to Texas via bus or plane, from where many of them originally traveled to the sanctuary city in the first place, amid an ongoing battle between officials over how to handle the migrant crisis.

New York City, which has been overwhelmed by more than 200,000 migrant arrivals since 2022, has been providing settlement options to migrants since that time. Last year, it opened a reticketing center to offer one-way plane tickets to migrants.

Fox News confirms that 4,500 migrants have been sent to Texas using bus or plane tickets bought by the city. The figure was first reported by Bloomberg News.

NYC PURSUING THOUSANDS OF HOTEL ROOMS TO HOUSE MIGRANTS AMID MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR COSTS: REPORT 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)

According to Mayor Eric Adams’ office, the top five destinations for migrants leaving the Big Apple are Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York State and Colorado.

In total, they have issued more than 4,700 tickets and the majority, roughly 4,500, have gone to Texas. It was not clear how many of those migrants had come from buses sent to NYC from Texas. 

Between February and July there were 2,297 tickets purchased to Texas, with the top three cities being Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Fox is told that spending through to July 2024 on reticketing has been $13.8 million. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began bussing migrants to New York City and other sanctuary cities in 2022 in what he said was an effort to relieve pressure on the overwhelmed border communities. He chose sanctuary cities – cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement – because he said they encouraged the crisis. An NYC spokesperson told Fox that the influx was exacerbated by Abbott and that resources have been exhausted in part due to his efforts.

When asked how the program works, the mayor’s office said, “Whenever they have a desire where they want to go back to somewhere else, we buy their tickets. It is mostly planes, but we also buy bus tickets.”

Abbott’s office slammed the handling of the crisis by the Biden administration and accused Adams of hypocrisy.

NEW YORK CITY MIGRANT CRISIS COSTS EXPECTED TO EXCEED $5B IN 2-YEAR PERIOD – DOUBLE TO $10B BY 2025

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (Reuters/Callaghan O’hare/File)

“Border Czar Kamala Harris and the federal government continues to refuse to enforce federal immigration laws already on the books and do their jobs to secure the border, allowing record-high levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and weapons to surge into our state and country,” spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News in a statement.

“Hypocritical Mayor Adams said busing migrants is ‘morally bankrupt,’ while Harris called transporting migrants ‘political theater’ and they’re doing the same thing themselves. Until Border Czar Harris steps up and does her job to secure the border, Texas will continue utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to the Biden-Harris border crisis,” he said.

New York City has struggled with the influx of migrants, which has put a strain on social services and led to scenes of migrants lining up outside the Roosevelt Hotel.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Spending on the migrant crisis is expected to exceed $5 billion, and Adams has previously said costs could balloon to over $10 billion by the end of next fiscal year. Previous estimates had put that number even higher.

At the peak of the crisis, the city was taking in an average of 4,000 migrants per week. But that dropped into the hundreds in recent months as the crisis at the border abated after a presidential proclamation from President Biden that limited asylum claims. 

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Recently, the city announced it would be closing a massive tent shelter on Randall’s Island. Officials said the number of asylum seekers in shelters has dropped for 14 straight weeks and is now at the lowest point in over a year.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, but make no mistake, thanks in large part to our smart management strategies and successful advocacy, we have turned the corner on this crisis,” Adams said in a statement this month. “We’re not scrambling every day to open new shelters. We’re talking about closing them. We’re not talking about how much we’re spending. We’re talking about how much we’ve saved.”

Former President Trump accused his 2024 rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, of running on a message of “hate” during a rally just over a week before Election Day.

Trump is delivering his closing message to voters this week, spending Monday in the key battleground of Georgia for back-to-back events.

“I’m running a campaign of solutions to save our country,” the former president said in Atlanta. “Kamala is running a campaign of demonization and hate. She really does, she’s a hater.”

It’s a shot at the Democratic vice president after she said Trump “fans the fuel of hate and division” over his massive rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY

Former President Trump blasted the Harris campaign’s rhetoric in a fiery rally in Atlanta. (Getty Images)

The former president laid into Harris for calling him a “fascist” while criticizing Democrats for comparing his Sunday night rally to a Nazi event.

“Kamala is labeling more than half of the country as enemy combatants, and she’s calling them all fascists and Nazis. Okay, but she’s a fascist, okay. She’s a fascist,” Trump said.

At one point the crowd erupted in chants of “Lock her up” aimed at Harris, which Trump chided with, “Be nice.”

The former president pushed back on the left’s comparisons between his New York City event and the German Nazis of the 20th Century, arguing the Harris campaign was encouraging such rhetoric and that it was to blame for the recent attempts on his life.

TRUMP AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ICONIC VENUE HAS PLAYED HOST TO MANY CAMPAIGN GATHERINGS NEAR ELECTION DAY

He hit back at Democrats who compared his Madison Square Garden rally to a Nazi event. (Getty Images)

“I had a great father. Tough guy. He used to always say, ‘Never use the word Nazi, never used that word.’ and he’d say, ‘Never use the word Hitler. Don’t use that word.’ …And then I understood it. And yet they use that word freely,” Trump said. “I’m the opposite of a Nazi.”

“This is the kind of outrageous rhetoric that has resulted in two assassination attempts in the last three months.”

During the speech Trump also appealed directly to Georgia voters to keep turning out for early in-person voting, which runs from Oct. 15 through Nov. 1 in the Peach State. 

“Boy, do I hear we’re doing good, but I can’t look. I don’t want to say it because I want you to keep going. We’ve got to finish it off,” Trump said. “We’ve just got to focus.”

GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE

Georgia has already shattered its own early voting records. (Megan Varner/ Washington Post)

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have poured enormous amounts of time, energy and resources into Georgia – which Republicans lost by less than 1% in the 2020 presidential race.

Those efforts appear to have paid off in voter enthusiasm, at least for now, with Georgia breaking multiple early voting records already.

More than 40% of active Georgia voters have cast absentee or early in-person ballots, according to the state’s elections website.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment. 

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

Former President Barack Obama headlined a Monday stump speech in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, spending most of his remarks criticizing former President Trump and at one point appearing to admonish men who, as a voting bloc, are more favorable to him than the Democratic nominee.

Speaking at the Liacouras Center, home of the Temple Owls in North Philadelphia, Obama followed a slew of speakers and performers, including Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Philadelphia Democratic Mayor Cherelle Parker and Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr., D-Pa.

“Do not dilly or dally… get out there,” Obama said, addressing Pennsylvanians yet to cast a ballot on the penultimate day of early voting.

Obama slammed Trump for what he called the “Muslim ban” and claims the Republican denies that he had once referred to fallen American soldiers as “losers and suckers.”

TRUMP’S PERSONAL MESSAGE MOMENTS BEFORE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SPURRED ME TO ACTION: BUTLER-AREA MAYOR

Former President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“I’ve noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think Trump’s behavior is somehow a sign of strength. You know, sort of the macho; fake-macho thing – I’m here to tell you that’s not what real strength is,” Obama said near the close of his speech, after criticizing Trump’s New York City rally for featuring crude comic Kill Tony, who referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage.”

“How can you tell yourself that it’s OK [to vote for Trump] as long as our side wins?” he said, later adding, “Real strength is about working hard. Real strength is about taking responsible and real strength is about telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient. Real strength is about being comfortable enough to treat everybody with dignity and respect. Real strength is about helping people who need it, and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves.”

Obama also made fun of Trump for hawking “Trump Bibles” reportedly manufactured in China.

“He wants you to follow the Word of God; Donald Trump edition,” quipping the Trump name essentially appears there “next to Matthew and Luke.”

“You’re a tough guy on China except when you can make few bucks,” he said, comparing what he saw as Trump’s foibles to an “SNL” skit.

OCTOBER FESTS: POTPOURRI OF LATE ELECTION YEAR SURPRISES SHAKE-UP MOST RACES, HISTORY SHOWS

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump waves goodbye after a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, in New York City. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The man holds this big rally at Madison Square Garden, and the warmup speakers were saying – trotting out and peddling the most racist, sexist, bigoted stereotypes,” he said, at which point he went on to describe Kill Tony’s widely-criticized set.

As the crowd often jeered references to Trump or his surrogates, Obama repeatedly mock-criticized the crowd for the response.

“Nobody can hear your boos, but they can hear your vote,” he said, repeating the theme at various points.

Obama also utilized Harris’ running mate to take shots at his longtime political nemesis.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, he said, has the skills to “take a vintage truck apart and put it together again.”

“Do you think Donald Trump could do that?” he quipped. “Do you think Donald Trump has ever changed a flat tire in his life? He calls over his chauffeur, ‘Jeeves’.”

Obama also accused Trump of taking credit for what he claimed was “his” economy, which he suggested he took his entire administration to build following the financial crisis under former President George W. Bush.

At one point, the former president struck a more personal tone, saying that growing up his father was not present in his home.

Obama, the child of Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham, grew up mostly with Dunham, who went by her middle name.

“[But] I did have people around me; my stepfather, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and most of all, my mom who who taught me the difference between right and wrong; who showed me what it meant to be honest and to be responsible and to work hard and to treat other people the way I wanted to be treated. And I did not always live up to those values,” he said.

“When I was a teenager, I partied all too much … but over time, I internalized that and I tried to live up to them. And I suspect most of you grew up the same way.”

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Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., greets Bruce Springsteen at a campaign rally with former President Barack Obama supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Obama had been preceded by an introducer named John Solomon, and previously by Springsteen – who performed solo versions of “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Dancing in the Dark.”

Springsteen, who also notably performed on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway for then-Illinois Sen. Obama during the 2008 cycle, ripped into Trump during his breaks.

At one point, the septuagenarian Jersey rocker declared “Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant.”

“This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine an American way of life. Donald Trump doesn’t understand this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American,” “The Boss” added.

Prior to Springsteen, Casey spoke about the importance of women’s rights, and was preceded by Legend, who claimed “freedom is at stake in this election.”

“Donald Trump had four years… you saw what he did with those four years…” said Legend, whose real name is John Stephens.

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are seen as the proverbial key to the White House.

A spokesman for Team Trump suggested after the rally that Democrats’ decision to have Obama back on the campaign circuit is a sign of desperation in the Commonwealth.

“Democrats’ continued reliance on celebrities and Barack Obama, a president from over 10 years ago, to make the case for their party’s presidential candidate is another indication that Kamala’s pitch for another four years of unlimited illegal immigration, inflation, and wars abroad is falling flat with Pennsylvanians,” said PA Team Trump spokesman Kush Desai.

“Glitzy celebrities and presidents of yesteryear aren’t going to make up for a mediocre message, disastrous record, and less-than-appealing candidate,” he added.

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

Vice President Harris was surprised to find out a microphone was homing in on her conversation with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she admitted her campaign was struggling with male voters.

Harris and Whitmer were sitting at a bar in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday and having what appeared to be a serious conversation – so serious that on a video making the rounds online, the Democratic presidential nominee seemed to forget the two of them were surrounded by cameras and microphones.

“So, my thing is we need to move ground among men,” Harris was heard telling Whitmer at the Trak Houz Bar and Grill.

Harris then immediately noticed the microphones were picking up on her conversation with the Democratic governor.

KAMALA HARRIS DOWNPLAYS DIMINISHING SUPPORT FROM MALE VOTERS: ‘IT’S NOT THE EXPERIENCE I’M HAVING’

Vice President Harris was overheard on a hot mic telling Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer her campaign was struggling with male voters.

“Oh, we have microphones in here just listening to everything,” Harris says, looking flustered. “I didn’t realize that!”

Fox News has reached out to the campaign for clarification on the comment.

Fox News’ Julian Turner reported that it was both former President Trump’s and Harris’ last chance to close the gender gap that has been widening since Harris became the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

CNN DATA REPORTER PREDICTS TRUMP WILL WIN ‘HISTORIC’ NUMBER OF BLACK AND HISPANIC VOTERS

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris are working to get the votes of all Americans, especially from men. (Getty Images)

The latest polls from the New York Times show Harris leading Trump with women voters, 54 percent to 42 percent, while Trump leads Harris among men voters, 55 percent to 41 percent, respectively.

Last week, Harris dismissed her diminishing support among male voters during an interview with NBC’s Peter Alexander, who asked why she thought there was a disconnect between her and men.

At first, Harris dodged the question, pointing to the live audience consisting of people from all backgrounds and genders who continue to show up to her events. She also said she was campaigning to earn the vote of every American.

TRUMP SUPPORT AMONG YOUNG BLACK AND LATINO MEN SPIKES IN NEW POLL

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a service at the Church of Christian Compassion, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Alexander pressed Harris even more, asking what might explain the gap in support from men, and the vice president said it was not her experience.

In contrast, the GenForward poll from the University of Chicago that was released last Wednesday revealed that 26 percent of Black men between the ages of 18 and 40 said they would vote for Trump, while only 12 percent of Black women said the same. This is a significant gain since Black voters overall supported Biden over Trump by a nine to one ratio in the 2020 presidential election.

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Trump also improved with young Latino men, 44 percent of whom said they would support him compared to about 38 percent who voted for him in 2020. Even so, Harris leads Trump overall 47-35 in the poll, which includes large samples of young voters of color.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo, Danielle Wallace, Hanna Panreck and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Twenty-six Republican attorneys general joined Virginia on Monday in urging the Supreme Court to halt a lower court decision that restored the voting rights of 1,600 residents.

The amicus brief backs Virginia’s contention that the ruling is overly broad and lacks standing under a provision of the National Voter Registration Act (NRVA), which orders states to halt all “systematic” voter roll maintenance 90 days before an election. It now has the support of every Republican-led U.S. state, giving it outsize attention in the final stretch before the election.

In the amicus brief, attorneys general urged the court to grant Virginia’s emergency motion and “restore the status quo,” noting that doing so “would comply with the law and enable Virginia to ensure that noncitizens do not vote in the upcoming election.”

The states also sided with Virginia in objecting to the Justice Department’s reading of NVRA protections, which they said was overly broad.

Moreover, they said, the law in place in Virginia was not designed to “systematically” remove residents from the voter rolls, as Justice Department officials cited in their lawsuit earlier this month.

The Justice Department had argued the removals were conducted too close to the Nov. 5 elections and violated the “quiet period” provision under NVRA. That contention was backed by a federal judge in Alexandria, which ordered the affected voters back on the rolls, and upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

SWING-STATE’S SUPREME COURT ISSUES PIVOTAL RULING ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS SENT WITHOUT POSTMARK

Election officials have several voting booths available for Early Voting at the Broomfield City and Coutny Building. (Photo by David Jennings/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images) (getty)

In the amicus brief, lawyers describe the ruling as a “sweeping interpretation of the NVRA” that “converts a procedural statute into a substantive federal regulation of voter qualifications in elections—an interpretation that would raise serious questions about the constitutionality of the NVRA itself.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has insisted the voters were removed legally and that the removal process is based on precedent from a 2006 state law enacted by then-Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat. 

That process compared the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ noncitizens list to its list of registered voters. Those without citizenship were then informed that their voter registration would be canceled unless they could prove their citizenship in 14 days.

Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares have argued the lower court rulings are “individualized” and not systematic, as the Justice Department alleged earlier this month. 

They argued that restoring them just days before an election is likely to inject new chaos into the voting process – an argument backed by the group of Republican states in the Monday filing.

WHY TRUMP IS MAKING LAST-MINUTE STOPS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY IN TWO BLUE-LEANING STATES

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 15, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

YOUNGKIN VOWS TO APPEAL ‘TO SCOTUS’ AFTER US JUDGE ORDERS 1,600 VOTERS BACK ON BALLOT

“This Court should reject Respondents’ effort to change the rules in the middle of the game and restore the status quo ante,” they wrote. “The Constitution leaves decisions about voter qualifications to the people of Virginia. And the people of Virginia have decided that noncitizens are not permitted to vote.”

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

Eric Trump gave a glimpse into his father’s priorities if elected on Nov. 5, saying former President Donald Trump wants nothing to do with prosecuting Hunter Biden or Hillary Clinton.

The 40-year-old son of the former president spoke with the Daily Mail on Thursday while in Palm Beach, Florida, and provided the publication with what he says are his father’s priorities.

“He would want nothing to do with prosecuting Hunter Biden or Hillary Clinton,” Eric Trump said. “He doesn’t give a damn. He wants these games to end.”

Eric Trump said his father wants a “safe, prosperous world and a fruitful society.” 

HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TAX TRIAL BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION IN CALIFORNIA

Eric Trump told the Daily Mail that his father, Donald Trump, would not prosecute Hunter Biden or Hillary Clinton if he is elected to a second term. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/File)

“He wants to get back to a country that is actually functional that wins on everything we do. He wants to win on education, safety, economy, military. He doesn’t want to go into senseless wars,” Eric Trump told the Daily Mail. 

He said his father wants the respect of the entire world.

He insisted that his father would not seek revenge on his political foes.

Eric Trump listed multiple efforts that have been made to “destroy” his father, including the “Russia hoax” that was pushed by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. 

Eric Trump said his father, Donald Trump, would not prosecute Hillary Clinton and that he “wants these games to end.” (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative)

Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, has faced a litany of legal issues. In September, he pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges.

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ALL NINE FEDERAL TAX CHARGES BROUGHT BY SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS

He faces a maximum of 17 years in prison for those charges. 

Hunter Biden is facing significant time behind bars. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In June, Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony charges related to a gun purchase he made in 2018. Prosecutors said he lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

He faces up to 25 years in prison in the gun case. 

He is set to be sentenced for both cases in December. President Biden has vowed not to pardon his son.

POLL COMPARES WHETHER TRUMP, HUNTER BIDEN SHOULD GET PRISON SENTENCES, ACCORDING TO US ADULTS

While Eric Trump insists his father would not seek revenge against his rivals, Donald Trump himself has not ruled out showing mercy.

Last week, Donald Trump refused to rule out pardoning Hunter Biden if he wins the election.

“I wouldn’t do anything that would be overt in terms of Hunter. It’s a sad situation. But I could have done that with Hillary Clinton,” Trump told Fox News’ Bill Melugin. “I could have done it with Hillary and certainly could do it with Hunter or whatever. But I don’t want to do it with Hunter either, and I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him.”

When Trump mentioned Hillary, it was not clear why, because she was never formally charged with a federal crime.

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Trump was later asked about pardoning Hunter again, and he said, “I wouldn’t take it off the books.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Brianna Herlihy, David Spunt and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The Harris-Walz campaign is deploying former House Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in a final appeal to Republicans in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin.

Cheney and political commentator Charlie Sykes are featured in a pair of new radio ads being launched on Monday, taking aim at former President Trump and promoting Vice President Kamala Harris. Fox News Digital was the first national outlet to preview the clips.

“I am a Ronald Reagan conservative. Never voted for a Democrat. But we’ve never faced a threat like this before – what Donald Trump is proposing in terms of withdrawing from NATO, welcoming Vladimir Putin to attack our NATO allies, praising President Xi of China. America will find our very freedom and security challenged and threatened. It’s a risk we just simply can’t take as a nation,” Cheney said in the ad.

TRUMP RESPONDS TO EX-CHIEF OF STAFF AFTER HE’S LABELED ‘AUTHORITARIAN’ AND THE ‘GENERAL DEFINITION OF FASCIST’

Former House Rep. Liz Cheney is leading a new radio ad in battleground Wisconsin against former President Trump (Left: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images; Right: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images)

“Freedom requires that we have a president who understands America has to lead and that our strength comes both from our greatness and also from our goodness. And that’s Vice President Harris.

“She’s somebody that I know will put the good of this country first. Wisconsin, I ask you to help us elect Kamala Harris, our president.”

Sykes, a former conservative radio host and ex-editor-in-chief of anti-Trump right-wing outlet The Bulwark, said in the second of two ads, “I’ve been a conservative for a long time and my values have not changed. But this election is not normal.”

EX-TRUMP OFFICIALS TELL AMERICANS TO ‘HEED GENERAL KELLY’S WARNING’ TRUMP’S A FASCIST

“It’s not about liberal versus conservative or Democrat versus Republican. It’s about democracy, the rule of law, character, and whether or not America will continue to be a shining city on a hill to the rest of the world,” he said.

Sykes’ advertisement also invoked the recent New York Times interview with former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly, where the retired general said Trump met the “general definition of a fascist.”

Trump and his allies have forcefully pushed back on that and other claims in Kelly’s interview.

MSNBC contributor and former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark Charlie Sykes was also in a new ad for Harris. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

Outreach to Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has been a core tenet of Harris’ campaign, and one whose benefit will be seen next week after Election Day on Nov. 5.

Multiple polls show Trump and Harris in a near dead-heat with just a few points separating them.

Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, have been two of Harris’ most visible GOP supporters.

FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’

In Wisconsin, Harris has been endorsed by the longest-serving state senator, Republican Robert Cowles, as well as Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, who left the GOP after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but was re-elected to lead the red-leaning city.

Several Republicans, like former House Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., spoke at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August.

But the Trump campaign has dismissed Harris attempts at GOP outreach, with the vast majority of Republicans still publicly supporting the former president.

Cheney has been one of Harris’ most prominent GOP surrogates. ( Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

Cheney, the former vice chair of the House select committee on Jan. 6, lost re-election to a Trump-backed Republican primary challenger in the 2022 elections.

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Trump criticized her as “terrible” in comments to Fox News’ Bill Melugin after she endorsed Harris.

“Liz Cheney is a stupid war hawk. All she wants to do is shoot missiles at people…I really think it hurts,” Trump said in early October. “I think they hurt each other.”

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said, “”Liz Cheney is a stone-cold loser who is so desperate for relevance and attention, she has debased herself by campaigning with a weak, failed, and dangerously liberal in Kamala Harris.”

“The both of them are made for each other— proponents of endless wars, killers of Social Security, and enemies of American workers,” Cheung said.

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

Republican VP candidate JD Vance fired back at VP Kamala Harris’ comments during a Wisconsin campaign stop Monday after she likened former President Trump to a “fascist” leader. Meanwhile, other Democrats and liberal outlets on Sunday compared the Madison Square Garden rally to a “Nazi” event.

“She is a disgrace. She is endangering the life of Donald J. Trump, and we are going to send her back to California, where she belongs. And with that, let’s have a few questions from the media,” Vance told a crowd of supporters Monday as cheers erupted. 

“And how dare Kamala Harris call her fellow citizens Nazis for loving this country enough to call her a bad vice president,” Vance railed. “And that’s exactly what she is. How dare Kamala Harris call her fellow citizens racists for not wanting their their communities overwhelmed with fentanyl? How dare Kamala Harris call parents bad people for wanting their children to grow up in safe neighborhoods? How dare Kamala Harris call the American people bad for wanting an economy where they could afford to buy groceries and afford to put a nice roof over the heads of their children?”

MEDIA, DEMS COMPARE HISTORIC TRUMP MSG RALLY TO ‘NAZI’ EVENT, IGNORE DEMOCRAT EVENTS HELD THERE

JD Vance spoke at a Wisconsin rally on Sunday speaking about the support the Trump administration has for religious citizens unlike the Harris campaign. (Fox News)

Vance’s comments came after Harris said Trump “fans the fuel of hatred” in response to questions from a reporter before boarding Air Force Two on Monday regarding comparisons made to the 1939 Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden, as well as a joke made about Puerto Rico by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during the event.

“This is not new about him, by the way. What he did last night is not a discovery. It is just more of the same, and it may be more vivid than usual,” Harris said. “Donald Trump spends full-time trying to make Americans point their finger at each other.”

TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump waves goodbye after a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, in New York City.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

MSNBC edited clips of the Ku Klux Klan rally held at Madison Square Garden on Sunday as the Trump rally was taking place, likening the Republican frontrunner to a “fascist” leader and the rally something out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. 

“But that jamboree happening right now, you see it there on your screen in that place, is particularly chilling because in 1939, more than 20,000 supporters of a different fascist leader, Adolf Hitler, packed the Garden for a so-called pro-America rally,” MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart said on air. 

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The election is just one week away, meanwhile USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released Monday found Trump and Harris neck and neck in Wisconsin, 48% to 47%, respectively, from a statewide poll of 500 likely voters. The razor-thin results fell within the margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

There are other Democratic politicians who have courted votes at the Garden prior to Trump’s battle cry just a week before the election.

In 1924, the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden was a pivotal moment in U.S. political history, marked by intense factionalism and the upfront influence of the KKK. Several Democratic candidates that year had ties to or sympathies with the KKK. 

In 1980, the DNC nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for re-election at the historic venue. Then, in 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton was officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate at the Garden. 

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagerstrom and Stephen Storace contributed to this report. 

A new survey analyzed how much Trump and Harris merchandise was bought on Amazon this election season — and the difference is stark.

Omnisend, a marketing automation platform, recently published its findings in a report called “Multimillion-dollar election merch industry: What will happen to it after elections?”. The research was conducted by Cint, a technology research firm, in August 2024.

Researchers organized a survey with 1,000 participants across America with a margin of error of +/-3%, and analyzed merchandise sales trends from April to September 2024 using Jungle Scout software.

The report found that pro-Trump merchandise generated more than five times more cash than pro-Harris merchandise. Amazon sellers made $140 million selling Trump merchandise from April to September, while Harris merchandise sellers made $26 million.

BATTLEGROUND STATE OFFICIALS SAY FOREIGN ENEMIES USING MISINFORMATION TO ‘UNDERMINE’ DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

A new survey published by Omnisend analyzed the sales of pro-Trump versus pro-Harris merchandise. (AP/Alex Brandon/Mike Stewart)

The study noted that $41.6 million was spent on Trump merchandise in July, the same month that the former president was shot by a gunman at a Pennsylvania rally.

The study accounts for the fact that Harris did not announce her presidential campaign until July, but the difference in sales between the two in August and September were stark.

In August, merchants made $27.86 million selling Trump gear while pro-Harris products generated $11.52 million in revenue. The difference grew in September, when Trump merchandise sellers made $31.89 million and Harris merchandise sales were $10.43 million.

Omnisend noted that the merchandise analysis reflects “the strong demand [for pro-Trump merch] among [Trump’s] loyal base.”

“From flags to MAGA hats, Trump’s merch continues to dominate the market,” the company noted, while adding that Harris’ numbers were still impressive.

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

A rallygoer wearing a MAGA hat waits for the arrival of Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, PA on Saturday, October 5, 2024. The rally is in the same location as the one on July 13 at which an assassination attempt was made on Trump’s life. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

“Harris’ rise in merch sales aligns with her increasing popularity and engagement since entering the race, signaling growing support for her campaign,” the study said. “These figures highlight not only the scale of the political merch industry but also the fierce competition between candidates to capture voter enthusiasm through merchandise sales.”

Trump flags, hats and shirts remained the most profitable items, while birthday cards, mugs, yard signs and stickers also sold for millions.

“Flags have proven to be the most popular Trump-branded item, accounting for 30% of total sales and generating $40M in revenue,” Omnisend noted. “Alongside flags, nearly one million MAGA hats have flown off the shelves, solidifying Trump merch as a must-have for supporters.”

“Among the standout sellers is Walker’s earmuffs featuring Trump’s campaign logo, which brought in an estimated $3M for a single seller since being listed at the end of the summer,” the study added. “Many of the stores selling Trump merch also offer customizable items like t-shirts, cups, and hats.”

The study also found that 58% of Americans have purchased, or plan to purchase, presidential election merchandise — which indicates “a rising interest in using merch as a way to express political support.”

“Brands can connect with customers by focusing on universal values and themes related to civic engagement, such as voting or community involvement,” Omnisend senior e-commerce expert Greg Zakowicz suggested to brands in the report. “This approach ensures broad appeal without polarizing your audience.”

Supporters attend former President Donald Trump’s rally in Uniondale, New York on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.  (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment.

There’s an old saw in baseball which says that the “tie goes to the runner.”

If only it were that simple in the United States Senate.

There is a very real chance that the Senate could be tied at 50-50 in the 119th Congress which begins in January.

The Senate map in play next week definitely favors Republicans. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 edge. There are four independent senators who “caucus” with the Democrats, giving them operational control.

USER’S MANUAL ON WHAT HOUSE RACES TO WATCH ON ELECTION NIGHT

It’s widely believed that the party which controls the vice presidency automatically secures control of the Senate. But that’s far from automatic. It makes sense that the vice president – who Constitutionally serves as the President of the Senate and may break ties – should effectively grant Senate control to his or her party. There have been two Senate ties in recent history. One Senate tie was in 2001. The other one was in 2021-2023. But what unfolded in those instances is important to understand why awarding Senate control to the party of the vice presidency is not etched on a stone tablet. Moreover, those circumstances could help explain why it might be problematic to settle which party might control the Senate in 2025.

Let’s first rewind.

There was a tie in the Senate in 1881. There’s actually some interesting infighting and resignations of senators which explains the political machinations of that circumstance. There was also a tie in 1954  – and multiple switches in the majority/minority of senators between 1953-1955. That’s partially due to the death of nine senators over a short period of time.

There have been few instances in American history in which the Senate’s partisan composition has been evenly split. Read on to see what happens when such a political crossroads is reached. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

There have been two ties in the early 21st Century. But while one party or the other often had more members than the other side, there was no such thing as a “Majority Leader” or “Minority Leader” until the early 20th Century. Senators regarded the institution as a body of equals. So there was no reason to designate someone as “in charge.” But that changed a little more than 100 years ago, launching the contemporary Senate.

In late 2000, the Senate arrived at its first tie in decades at 50-50. The final race called was a win by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., over late Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., in December. Keep in mind that 2000 was also the year of the Florida election dispute involving the presidency. President George W. Bush topped Vice President Al Gore. Then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., brokered a power-sharing arrangement. The 50-50 split, coupled with Vice President Dick Cheney, propelled Republicans into the majority. Lott was in charge. But the deal afforded Daschle some floor powers not typically granted to the Minority Leader. Republicans would chair Senate committees. But membership by Democrats on each committee was level with the GOP.

The pact also included a key rider: If one side or the other actually garnered a formal majority at any time during the 107th Congress, then the deal was off and that party truly wielded a majority of the Senate.

The level of comity between Lott and Daschle was instrumental to this agreement. And, all 100 senators agreed to the power sharing arrangement. One might ask why everyone was on board? Lott and Daschle earned the confidence of their members. Plus, Republicans knew that Democrats would outright block ANYTHING if they weren’t granted a sufficient voice. Meantime, Democrats agreed to the pact because the alternative meant they were relegated to the minority. Under these circumstances they were in the minority – but with an asterisk.

Lott’s reed-thin majority was short-lived. By springtime, late Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., dropped his membership with the GOP. Jeffords became an independent and elected to caucus with the Democrats. Jeffords’ maneuver instantly propelled Daschle to Majority Leader.

Control of the Senate for the 117th Congress wasn’t settled until early 2021. That’s when Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., defeated then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., to make it a 50-50 tie. President Biden captured the Presidency. Republicans were leery of being shut out like the Democrats worried in 2001. No fool he, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., insisted on the same power-sharing arrangement hammered out between Lott and Daschle two decades earlier. Democrats would serve as the majority party because of Vice President Harris. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would be at the helm. But the GOP would enjoy some fruits of power in the minority, thanks to the 2001 deal.

On paper, partisan control of a 50-50 Senate is determined by who the Vice President is: in this case, “Vice President J.D. Vance” presiding over an evenly-split chamber would tilt control to Republicans. “Vice President Tim Walz” would do the same for Democrats. (AP/Matt Rourke)

So what happens if there’s a tie in 2025?

The Senate is steeped in custom and tradition. So if there’s a 50-50 deadlock, there’s a good chance a “Vice President Tim Walz” means Democrats are in charge. The same for the GOP if there’s a “Vice President JD Vance.” But we’re operating in a different political atmosphere these days. Granted, the power-sharing arrangements of 2001 and 2021 both emerged after disputed presidential elections. There was an interest in both instances to calm the waters in both of those episodes. But this time around? Who knows.

What else could muddy the waters? Democrats are pouring money into Nebraska to boost independent Dan Osborn in his quest to defeat Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Osborn has made the race much closer than expected. But Osborn also says he won’t caucus with either party. That could negate the chances of the tie. It also raises the question about where the Senate might position Osborn’s desk in the chamber and whether he would serve on any committees. Independent senators have historically caucused with one side or the other.

REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS CRUZ, FISCHER HOLD NARROW LEADS IN TEXAS, NEBRASKA SENATE RACES: POLLS

Then there’s the question about just how restive senators may be after the election. McConnell is relinquishing his leadership role. The declared candidates to succeed him are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., former Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Tex., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. It’s possible other senators could be in play, too.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has pushed the GOP leadership candidates to alter internal conference rules and weaken the Republican leader. It’s far from clear that there will be an appetite for bipartisanship and comity in the new Congress if there’s a Senate tie.

And, as in 2000 and 2020, what if there’s disagreement about whether Harris or former President Trump won the presidency? That could dictate whether senators are willing to award the “majority” to one side or the other if it’s not certain if Walz or Vance is Vice President.

Senate control in the 119th Congress may also be determined by the fates of vulnerable Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Deb Fischer of Nebraska. (Reuters/Go Nakamura/AP/Stephanie Scarbrough)

And a footnote on the power of the Vice President to break ties: the Vice President is not required to vote to break a tie. If there’s a 50-50 vote on a bill or an amendment in the Senate, by rule, a tie loses. So if a vote is tied, the Vice President won’t vote if the administration or party wants the issue to go down to defeat. There’s no reason to cast a “nay” vote to pile on with the loss.

That means the Vice President only votes in the affirmative. So if a tie vote means the issue is failing – and the President and the Vice President want the issue to go in the other direction – he or she votes “aye.” That makes it 51-50 – approving the amendment or legislation.

A reminder that the Vice President CANNOT vote if the vote is 49 yeas to 50 nays. That’s not a tie. Thus the Vice President isn’t afforded a vote to edge the tally to 50-50.

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So, despite the historic precedent of the vice president dictating which party will control the Senate, the power of the vice president is actually pretty limited.

Which brings us back to our thesis: When it comes to Senate control, nowhere is it written that a “tie goes to the runner.” Or in this case, the party of the vice president. And that’s why the potential of a divided Senate in 2025 – amid a hyper volatile political climate – could make it hard to sort out which party runs the place.

Some liberal media outlets and Democrats have dubbed former President Trump’s massive Madison Square Garden rally a “Nazi” event – overlooking the venue’s storied history in the Democratic Party – including Bill Clinton’s acceptance of the Democrat presidential nomination in 1992 and the Democratic National Convention held there in 1924.

MSNBC edited clips of a Ku Klux Klan rally held at Madison Square Garden in 1939 on Sunday as the Trump rally was taking place, likening the Republican frontrunner to a “fascist” leader and the rally something out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. 

“But that jamboree happening right now, you see it there on your screen in that place, is particularly chilling because in 1939, more than 20,000 supporters of a different fascist leader, Adolf Hitler, packed the Garden for a so-called pro-America rally,” MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart said on air. 

TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLY

Former first lady Melania Trump and Elon Musk were among those speaking at former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton, the failed 2016 presidential candidate and former secretary of state, also made the comparison prior to Trump’s rally on Friday when speaking with MSNBC host Kaitlin Collins. Clinton called Trump a “fascist.”

“Sadly, here in America, the term fits,” Clinton told the CNN host. “And you know, one other thing that you’ll see next week, Kaitlin, is Trump actually reenacting the Madison Square Garden rally in 1939.” 

The Washington Post also chimed in Monday, on a column entitled “Another night at the Garden: How Trump’s rally echoed one in 1939.”

But there are other Democratic politicians who have courted votes at the Garden prior to Trump’s battle cry just a week before the election.

In 1924, the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden was a pivotal moment in U.S. political history, marked by intense factionalism and the upfront influence of the KKK. Several Democratic candidates that year had ties to or sympathies with the KKK. 

TRUMP AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: ICONIC VENUE HAS PLAYED HOST TO MANY CAMPAIGN GATHERINGS NEAR ELECTION DAY

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

William McAdoo, a former secretary of the treasury and one of the major candidates for the DNC nomination, received the endorsement of the KKK. McAdoo was a prominent leader of the progressive movement at the time and played a key role in the administration of his father-in-law, Woodrow Wilson.

Democratic politician Carter Glass, another candidate in the 1924 race, garnered support from Klan-aligned delegates. Al Smith, the first Catholic governor of New York, faced fierce opposition from these factions, who feared his nomination would alienate Protestant voters.

After a chaotic 103 ballots, the convention ultimately nominated John W. Davis as a compromise candidate. Davis denounced the KKK during the 1924 general election campaign, which he lost to incumbent Republican President Calvin Coolidge. Davis later unsuccessfully argued in favor of the “separate but equal” doctrine in one of the companion cases to Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court case that outlawed segregated schools.

ELON MUSK COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP IN ‘DARK GOTHIC MAGA’ AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

MSNBC aired a segment directly comparing Republican presidential candidate Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday to a Nazi rally in 1939. (MSNBC)

In 1932, another rally at Madison Square Garden was held in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Democratic candidacy for the presidency. The event took place during the Democratic National Convention, which was officially held in Chicago. 

Then, in 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton was officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate at the Garden. In 1980, the DNC nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for re-election at the historic venue.

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

Vice President Kamala Harris said Trump “fans fueld of hatred” in response to questions from a reporter before boarding Air Force Two on Monday regarding comparisons made to the 1929 Nazi rally held at Madison Square Garden, as well as a joke made about Puerto Rico by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during the event.

“This is not new about him, by the way. What he did last night is not a discovery. It is just more of the same, and it may be more vivid than usual,” Harris said. “Donald Trump spends full-time trying to make Americans point their finger at each other.”

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“He fans the fuel of hatred and division, and that’s why people are exhausted with him. That’s why people who formerly have supported Donald Trump and have voted for him are supporting me, voting for me. People are literally ready to turn the page,” she added.

While the current Madison Square Garden facility opened in 1968, the historic venue dates back to 1879, finding its home in different buildings at various points in its 145-year history.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagerstrom contributed to this report. 

During the final week leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5, former President Trump is making two brief detours from campaigning in the crucial seven battleground states that will likely determine if the Republican nominee or Vice President Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election.

On Thursday, which is Halloween, the former president will make a campaign stop in New Mexico, and Saturday he’ll visit Virginia. Both states were once key general election battlegrounds that have leaned blue the past two decades. 

In fact, you’ve got to look back 20 years – to President George W. Bush’s re-election – to find the last GOP presidential nominee to carry both states. 

So why, with time such a precious commodity for presidential campaigns and the clock quickly ticking toward Election Day, is Trump spending time in New Mexico and Virginia?

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Unlike his large rallies on Sunday in New York City and two weeks ago in southern California – deep blue states the Trump campaign has no illusions of flipping – the former president and his team see opportunities in Virginia and New Mexico.

“As President Trump has said, he will be a president for all Americans, including those in traditionally blue states that Kamala Harris and the Democrats have left behind. Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal policies have failed Americans across the country – from the Bronx, to Virginia, and New Mexico – which is why President Trump is bringing his America First message and vision for hardworking families right to their front door,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelley argued in a statement to Fox News.

WHAT THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN

There hasn’t been an abundance of polling in New Mexico, but most recent surveys indicate Harris with an upper single digit lead over Trump, although one survey suggests a tighter contest for the state’s five electoral votes.

“Trump is wasting his time coming to our state as polling shows New Mexicans are set to reject his MAGA extremism and divisive rhetoric yet again,” Democratic Party of New Mexico spokesperson Daniel Garcia claimed in a statement.

And referring to the Oct. 31 stop in Albuquerque by the former president, Garcia took a verbal shot at Trump, saying “a rotund orange mass will be in Albuquerque on Halloween, and we’re not talking about a pumpkin.”

Trump hasn’t set foot in New Mexico in five years. 

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event at Historic Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake, Virginia, on June 28, 2024. (Parker Michels-Boyce/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It’s a different story in Virginia, where the former president held a large rally in the southeastern corner of the state in June.

Trump on Saturday holds a rally in Salem, Virginia, in the conservative southwestern corner of the commonwealth.

DEADHEAT BETWEEN HARRIS AND TRUMP WITH ELECTION DAY CLOSING IN

Polls in the state indicate the Democratic presidential nominee holding anywhere from a lower double-digit lead to a slight lower single digit edge over the former president.

“We have a really good chance to win Virginia – hasn’t been won in decades by a [GOP] presidential candidate,” Trump told Virginia Republicans in a September tele-rally. 

It’s an argument that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia is also making.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)

But there may be another contributing factor to Trump’s stop in Virginia.

Trump on Friday pilloried a federal judge’s ruling that Virginia must restore more than 1,500 people to the state’s voter rolls, with the former president falsely claiming Harris was behind the decision and charging that it amounted to “election interference.”

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The state of Virginia on Sunday filed an emergency stay application to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling, which halted the state’s efforts to remove suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls.

Veteran Virginia-based political scientist David Richards of the University of Lynchburg told Fox News that “based on all the polling I am seeing, it is not clear that this rally will help Trump win Virginia.”

“But I think he has bigger ambitions by coming to central Virginia. I think he wants to capitalize on the judicial decision to reinstate voters who have not met the citizenship requirements or had not checked the correct box, and were picked up by a general sweep of registered voters in Virginia,” Richards said. “This plays into his general story about illegal immigrants trying to vote in the election. I think he is seeking a national audience, not necessarily just a Virginia audience, by coming and doing a rally here.”

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

President Biden cast his early-voting ballot in Delaware on Monday and told reporters he was confident that Vice President Kamala Harris would defeat former President Donald Trump, calling Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday an embarrassment.

Biden waited in line with other voters outside the state of Delaware Department of Elections and helped push an older woman in a wheelchair ahead of him before casting his ballot. After voting, Biden greeted reporters outside, where he was asked whether it was a bittersweet moment.

Biden responded, “No, this is just sweet.”

Biden stepped down from his re-election campaign in July following a poor debate performance that stoked concerns about his health and Democrats’ worries about his chances of defeating Trump.

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP RIDES HIGH AFTER MSG RALLY AS HE AND HARRIS NEAR ONE WEEK TO ELECTION DAY

Biden holds an “I Voted Early” sticker upon exiting the voting booth after casting his early-voting ballot in Delaware on Monday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden was asked what he thought about the massive rally Trump held at Madison Square Garden the previous night.

“It’s beneath any president but that’s what we’re used to,” Biden said. “That’s why this election is so important.”

Biden helps a voter in a wheelchair at a polling station as he waits with others in line to cast his early-voting ballot. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden added that Trump puts his own character into question “every time he opens his mouth.”

Trump took the stage Sunday night in front of a packed house of thousands of supporters, focusing his speech on spiraling immigration, inflation woes and looking toward the future with lower consumer costs and securing the border.

When asked about the Israel-Hamas war and a potential cease-fire, Biden responded, “We need a cease-fire, we should end this war.” 

Regarding another conflict abroad, the Russia-Ukraine war, Biden was asked about North Korea deploying troops to help Russian President Vladimir Putin.

TRUMP, HARRIS NEARLY TIED IN BATTLEGROUND WISCONSIN 8 DAYS FROM ELECTION DAY, POLL FINDS

“It’s very dangerous,” Biden said, of the apparent escalation.

The range of questions included whether he thought Elon Musk’s $1 million offer to swing-state voters who sign his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution was election interference. Biden called the tech billionaire’s offer “totally inappropriate.”

Biden said he believes Harris and the Democrats will win in the 2024 general election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden was also asked if he thought Democrats – including Harris – would win.

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“I think we will,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A video of a woman screaming at a toddler outside of Vice President Kamala Harris’ celebrity-packed Houston rally is going viral on social media as critics slam the shocking behavior seen toward a child. 

Harris’ Texas rally Friday was joined by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jessica Alba and Willie Nelson to make a last-ditch appeal to voters in the red state ahead of next week’s election. 

A video posted to social media shortly after the event shows a woman in a light blue T-shirt standing outside what appears to be the Houston Metro station walking over to a little girl in a stroller among the throngs of people decked out in Harris-Walz apparel. 

The woman in the light blue shirt is seen leaning down to the toddler in the stroller and screaming in her face. It is unclear what the woman said and what provoked the incident. 

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A woman outside a Harris rally was seen yelling at a toddler in a stroller.  (@kennediej_ via Storyful)

A man, likely the young girl’s father, quickly picked up the toddler and removed her from the woman’s direct line of ire. 

The shocking video then shows another woman quickly confronting the screaming woman, pulling her away from the girl and admonishing her for the outburst. 

“Not at the baby, not at the baby,” the woman who intervened was seen telling the screaming woman. 

The girl’s father was holding a microphone during the exchange and was later heard asking the screaming woman: “Are you not ashamed at all? Look at her face!” It is unclear if the father was a counter-protester at the rally or why he had a microphone. 

A woman stops another woman from screaming at a toddler outside a Vice President Kamala Harris rally in Houston. (@kennediej_ via Storyful)

The video has racked up more than 22 million views on X alone as of Monday morning. 

Social media commenters lambasted the screaming woman, while praising the other woman who intervened. 

FROM ‘JOYFUL’ TO ‘FASCIST’ – WHY KAMALA HARRIS ADOPTED BIDEN’S PLAYBOOK ON BLASTING TRUMP

Harris’ rally on Friday included 30,000 people, as word spread that Beyoncé was slated to appear at the rally. The pop star officially endorsed Harris during her appearance but did not perform any songs.  

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“It’s time for America to sing a new song,” Beyoncé said. “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, loud Texas welcome to the next president of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Ahead of the rally, media outlets such as MSNBC reported Beyoncé would not only appear, but would also likely perform at the rally. Beyoncé did not perform, sparking the Trump campaign to argue that Harris “lied” about Beyoncé’s appearance at the rally in order to “build a crowd.”

TEXAS POLITICOS LAUNCH FULL-COURT PRESS AGAINST HARRIS AHEAD OF HER BORDER STATE CAMPAIGN RALLY: ‘APOLOGIZE’

Trump also slammed the event during his own rally in Michigan on Saturday. 

Musical artist Beyoncé, right, and Vice President Kamala Harris embrace on stage during a campaign rally on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

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“Beyoncé went up and spoke for a couple of minutes and then left, and the place went crazy,” Trump told a crowd in Michigan. “They booed the hell out of everybody. They thought she was going to perform. What happened was my opponent got up and started speaking, and they booed the hell out of her. It’s crazy. They have to use people to get people to come, and then they send buses. We don’t send buses. Everybody comes. We’re just going to make America great again. It’s very simple.”

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. 

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Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Sunday, shortly after a comedian at former President Trump’s sold-out Madison Square Garden rally joked that Puerto Rico equated to a “floating island of garbage,” and made other unsavory jokes about Latinos. 

Bad Bunny, whose official name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, shared a video backing Harris with his 45 million Instagram followers on Sunday shortly after Tony Hinchcliffe made the crude jokes about Puerto Rico and Latinos. A representative of the artist confirmed to the Associated Press that he is supporting Harris.

Harris, who visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Philadelphia to court Hispanic and Latino voters in the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania earlier Sunday, said in the video shared by Bad Bunny that “there’s so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.”

In showing support, Bad Bunny shared several times another part of the clip Harris made on Puerto Rico, saying, “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader.”

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Bad Bunny performs onstage during his “Most Wanted” tour at State Farm Arena on May 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Bad Bunny also shared a part of the clip showing Harris saying Trump “abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”

The remarks at the Trump rally by Hinchcliffe were promptly disavowed by the Trump campaign, with campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez issuing a statement afterward that “the joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” 

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Bad Bunny, a 30-year-old Puerto Rican recording artist, who has popular songs such as “Dakiti” and “Titi Me Preguntó,” has won three Grammy Awards. He was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and was only surpassed by Taylor Swift in 2023. He was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022.

Tony Hinchcliffe attends the Netflix live comedy event “The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady” at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on May 5, 2024. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)

The Puerto Rican vote is sizable in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the hardest fought of the swing states in the 2024 election. Other Puerto Rican singers such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had already expressed support for Harris. Trump has also attracted support from other popular stars from the island such as Anuel AA and Nicky Jam.

Bad Bunny has been vocal about criticizing Puerto Rico’s electric system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria. In a 2022 music video for his song “El Apagon,” the artist called out the company Luma Energy, which handles transmission and distribution, for the constant power outages that plague the island.

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One of his most recent songs, “Una Velita,” is also a protest against the government response following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. 

In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden campaign to use one of his hits, “Pero Ya No,” in a TV ad.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., led several other Republicans in demanding answers from the Biden-Harris administration about two Afghan nationals arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly plotting an Election Day terrorist attack. 

Earlier this month, an Afghan national living in Oklahoma was arrested and charged with plotting a terrorist attack on Election Day with an underage co-conspirator on behalf of ISIS. 

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Sen. Rand Paul, right, led a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, left, requesting crucial information about the Afghan nationals charged with plotting a terrorist attack. (Reuters)

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, came into the country on Sept. 9, 2021 on a special immigrant visa after the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Biden.

“After entering the United States, Tawhedi promoted ISIS propaganda, sent funds to known charities linked to ISIS support networks, and liquidated all assets to purchase weapons; with the remaining funds intended for the ISIS Treasury,” Paul wrote Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter Friday afternoon, which was joined by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan. 

“Tawhedi was working with a juvenile co-conspirator with legal permanent resident status who had entered the United States on March 27, 2018, using a SIV. According to reports, the two Afghan nationals planned to carry out a violent, armed attack on Election Day.”

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“This alarming incident adds to a growing list of similar security breaches, raising serious concerns about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ability to effectively protect our homeland,” the senators said.

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Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Aug. 16, 2021 after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan’s 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city’s airport trying to flee the group’s feared hard-line brand of Islamist rule. (Getty Images)

“The screening and vetting processes under the Biden-Harris administration are clearly failing, allowing criminals and individuals with terrorist links to exploit vulnerabilities in the system. Given the significant threat to American lives, it is imperative that we receive detailed information to fully understand the scope of these issues,” the letter continued. 

The Republicans prompted Mayorkas and DHS to provide all records and information on Tawhedi and his co-conspirator’s immigration statuses and criminal history, as well as communications between federal departments and agencies regarding them and the information in the individuals’ Terrorist Screening Data Set.

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A reporter raises his hand to ask a question of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, during a press briefing on Monday, July 15, 2024 at the White House in Washington. (AP)

The DHS did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

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Tawhedi was charged less than a month before Election Day, which will take place on Nov. 5. 

The letter from top Republicans on the Homeland Security committee comes with less than two weeks until the presidential contest.

The Trump campaign is distancing itself from remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during former President Donald Trump’s New York City rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, after he jokingly described a U.S. territory as a “floating island of garbage.”

“It is absolutely wild times – it really, really is. And, you know, there’s a lot going on. Like, I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now – I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said, earning him immediate criticism from both sides of the aisle.

“Who is that jackwat?” asked Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was live-streaming his reaction to the event alongside Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “When you have some a–hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you. It’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them,” Ocasio-Cortez added. 

Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez played a game of “Madden” on Twitch in an attempt to appeal to young, male voters. (Twitch)

“Disgusted by Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values,” Florida GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who is Cuban American, said on X in response to the comments.

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“This is not a joke. It’s completely classless & in poor taste,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., another Cuban American, added online. “Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know. Tony Hinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”

Meanwhile, amid the backlash over Hinchcliffe’s joke, the Trump campaign released a statement seeking to distance itself from the controversial remarks.

“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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Despite getting roundly criticized by both Republicans and Democrats, Hinchcliffe doubled down on his remarks.

“These people have no sense of humor,” the comedian wrote in a post on X, which was directed at Ocasio-Cortez and Walz.

Left: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday on Aug. 19, 2024. Right: comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

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“Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his “busy schedule” to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” Hinchcliffe said.

“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set,” he argued. “I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said former President Donald Trump will move quickly to tighten laws against illegal immigration if he wins the White House.

The No. 2 House Republican leader told Fox News Digital that he met with Trump earlier this year at Mar-a-Lago, where the two discussed priorities for the first 100 days of a new administration – provided the GOP sweeps Congress and the White House. 

Among the priorities, in addition to economic and energy initiatives, is the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“President Trump can do a number of things on his own that he has talked about,” Scalise said Friday.

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House Majority Leader Scalise, top inset, spoke with Fox News Digital about what the first 100 days would look like with a GOP Congress and White House. (Getty Images)

He said Trump would likely reinstate his Migrant Protection Protocols, better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forced asylum-seekers to wait on the Mexican side of the U.S. southwestern border while their cases were being adjudicated. Multiple human rights groups have criticized the policy as inhumane, and the Biden administration dropped it in 2021.

Scalise also expects Trump to cease all “catch-and-release” policies at the border.

“We know that it’s causing crime problems in every community, drug problems, the fentanyl that the drug cartels are bringing in,” Scalise said.

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A Republican-majority Congress would support Trump’s crackdown, he said, noting Capitol Hill’s role in funding federal projects and programs.

“Things like building more wall – that’s something we worked with President Trump to do. We built over 500 miles of wall. Joe Biden ended that on day one,” Scalise said.

“We also want to fund some more tools for our Border Patrol agents, things like drone capabilities, night vision, so that they can do an even better job of managing the border.”

Republicans would also roll back electric vehicle mandates, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise suggested. (Eric Thayer)

Other first 100-day priorities include rolling back electric vehicle mandates and setting new tax policy – with key provisions in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire in 2025.

However, the Louisiana Republican was careful not to over-project confidence in the closing days of the election. He noted that the House majority would likely come down to 40 to 45 key races out of 435 and that a GOP majority would likely be a slim four to 10 seats.

“These aren’t the days where you can have a 30-seat majority anymore because of redistricting and the way it’s really narrowed the map,” he said. “But at the same time, I mean, today we have a four-seat majority. We had actually dropped down to a one-seat majority earlier this year. So, you know, if we’re able to get it up close to double digits, that would really be a great night for us.”

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Scalise himself has put in hundreds of miles on the road in support of Republican candidates.

He raised $70 million this election cycle, with $15 million given to the House GOP campaign arm and $10.4 million to 206 individual candidates and incumbents.

Scalise’s political team said he has visited at least 140 different districts to campaign for the 2024 cycle.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has campaigned with both vulnerable Republicans, like Rep. Jen Kiggans, and those in safe seats. (Scalise For Congress)

In October alone, the month before Election Day, Scalise held 66 events across 28 states.

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Should Democrats win the House majority, however, Scalise – the longest-serving member of House GOP leadership – insisted he had no interest in challenging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as the top House Republican.

When asked if he would entertain a bid for minority leader against Johnson if colleagues asked him to, Scalise firmly answered, “No.”

“We’re not talking about what happens if we lose the majority, because all of my focus is on not only winning the majority, but gaining seats. And anybody who’s thinking about losing or anything like that is just misplaced in their focus,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

New polls have found that Senators Ted Cruz and Deb Fischer are holding narrow leads against Democrat and independent challengers in their respective Texas and Nebraska Senate races. 

The New York Times and Siena College survey of 1,180 likely voters in Texas has Cruz leading Democrat Colin Allred 50 to 46%. Allred, a current House representative and former NFL player, spoke in support of Vice President Harris last Friday at a rally in Houston. 

In Nebraska, Republican Deb Fischer leads her independent opponent Dan Osborn 48 to 46%, with 5% of the 1,194 likely voters polled there indicating that they are undecided or refusing to answer. 

Both the Texas and Nebraska polls were conducted by phone between Oct. 23 to 26 and have a margin of error of around three percentage points. 

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., are engaged in tight races for their Senate seats.

The last time Cruz was challenged for his Senate seat in Texas was in 2018, when he defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by three percent of the vote. 

In this contest, Allred is polling ahead of Harris among likely voters. 

The results show Allred has 46% support from residents of Texas, compared to Harris’ 42%, according to the New York Times. 

Allred is also leading Harris with 76% compared to 71% among Black voters and among Hispanic voters (56 compared to 50%), the newspaper reported. 

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Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred reacts at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

For the Nebraska race, Osborn – who is a union leader and mechanic – is leading Fischer among independent voters by 31%, the New York Times reported, adding that in that state Harris leads Trump among independent voters by 10%.

The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund has recently launched a $3 million ad buy in the state to shore up Fischer’s support. 

Additionally, Fischer is getting help from well-known top Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley from neighboring Iowa. In a new radio ad, he tells voters, “This is your neighbor Chuck Grassley,” adding, “my friend Deb Fischer needs your vote.” 

Independent Dan Osborn, a challenger to two-term Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, chats with guests at a brewery in Beatrice, Neb., on July 30. (AP/Margery Beck)

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Osborn’s popularity in Nebraska has appeared to take the Fischer campaign by surprise, given the seeming last-minute efforts to fortify her support. It is often difficult for independent candidates to gain traction, especially against an incumbent. However, without a Democratic candidate nominated in that Senate race, Osborn has a much larger pool of potential voters. 

Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.