Republican Trump has promised a “landslide” as he seeks a sensational return to the White House, while Democrat Harris said the “momentum” was on the side of her bid to be the first female president of the United States.

But polls suggest a different story on the eve of Election Day: a complete stalemate in polls nationwide and in the seven swing states where the outcome is expected to be decided.

Now, a race of dramatic turns, including two attempts to end the surprising late entry of Trump and Harris, is reaching the most fiercely contested battlefield.

Harris will spend the entire day campaigning in the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania, culminating in a large rally in its largest city, Philadelphia, featuring singer Lady Gaga. Trump will travel to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and then Michigan.

In a sign of how crucial Pennsylvania is to their chances of occupying the Oval Office, Trump and Harris will even hold dueling rallies in the industrial city of Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania is the biggest swing state prize under the U.S. Electoral College system, which awards influence based on population.

– ‘You’re fired’ –

Both sides say they are encouraged by the huge early turnout numbers, with more than 78 million people having already voted, about half the total number of votes cast in 2020.

The incredibly closeness of the 2024 White House race reflects a deeply divided America, choosing between two candidates whose visions could hardly be more different.

Former President Trump has doubled down on his dark and violent rhetoric as he seeks a second term that would make him the first convicted felon and, at 78, the oldest major party candidate ever elected.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris has made a surprising rise to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.

Harris expects abortion to be a key issue that could hurt Trump, especially among female voters, while Trump has focused on immigrants and the economy and called his political opponents the “enemy within.”

The two have embarked on a frantic zig-zag through swing states, with raucous rallies and even an appearance by Harris on the popular television show “Saturday Night Live.”

During Sunday’s election campaign, Trump mused to his supporters that he wouldn’t mind if journalists were shot, raised unfounded accusations of voter fraud and went into gory detail about crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

“Kamala, you’re fired, go away,” Trump told supporters in Macon, Georgia.

Trump also said he “should not have left” the White House after losing his 2020 re-election bid to Biden, and then attempted to overturn the results, culminating in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. .

Fears are growing that he will once again refuse to accept defeat.

– ‘We have momentum’ –

For her part, Harris, after a series of more encouraging recent polls, said at a raucous rally in Michigan on Sunday that “we have momentum, it’s on our side.”

Harris also courted the large Arab-American community in Michigan that has denounced the American handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, saying she would do “everything in my power to end the war in Gaza.”

The world is anxiously watching the election, which could have profound implications for conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in the final days of the campaign, both candidates introduced high-profile replacements.

Right-wing tech mogul Elon Musk has been making controversial million-dollar gifts to registered voters, while Harris has relied on the star power of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama and singer Beyoncé.

But outgoing President Biden has been noticeably absent from the process since a gaffe in which he referred to Trump supporters as “trash” last week.

Biden will spend most of the final day of campaigning at the White House, while Harris will begin her day with an event in her hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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