NEW YORK: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris traded verbal jabs on Tuesday as they made their final push to sway the last undecided voters in one of the tightest US elections in recent history.
Since mid-August, Harris has maintained a narrow lead of two to three points in national polls, despite various factors like presidential and vice-presidential debates, positive jobs reports, an interest rate cut, rising global tensions, and a devastating hurricane.
“I literally lose sleep — and have been — over what’s at stake in this election,” the 59-year-old Democratic vice president said during a 70-minute live interview with radio host Howard Stern.
A Siena College and New York Times poll released Tuesday highlighted the ongoing deadlock, showing Harris leading Trump 49% to 46%, although the pair were neck-and-neck in September.
Experts anticipate the deadlock may break in the final weeks before the November 5 election, as the small group of undecided voters makes their decisions. In the seven key battleground states that are expected to determine the outcome, the race is even closer.
The poll also gave Trump the edge in perceived leadership strength, but revealed that voters see Harris as the candidate for change.
‘Loser’
Harris, under pressure to give more interviews throughout the campaign, is focusing her efforts this week on appealing to women, Latinos, and young voters through traditional media and appearances on podcasts and YouTube shows.
She was set to appear on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday night, and in excerpts released ahead of the broadcast, she referred to Trump as a “loser.”
“He openly admires dictators and authoritarian leaders,” Harris said during a serious portion of the interview, though it also had light-hearted moments, including both sipping beer.
“He’s said he wants to be a dictator on day one if elected again. These so-called strongmen flatter him, and he gets played,” she added.
Earlier, on ABC’s “The View,” Harris discussed campaigning alongside Republican ex-congresswoman Liz Cheney and noted that more than 200 officials from past Republican administrations, including those of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, as well as Republican figures like John McCain and Mitt Romney, have endorsed her.
“We’re building a coalition on core values like love for our country and putting country above party,” Harris emphasized.
‘Don’t tax the rich’
Meanwhile, Trump took a combative stance, calling Harris a “very low intelligence person” on conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s podcast.
The 78-year-old Republican also accused Harris of being “missing in action” during the federal response to Hurricane Helene, even though she had visited the affected area last week.
In an interview with Newsmax, Trump attacked Harris’s tax policies, claiming, “You don’t tax the rich… the rich already pay most of the taxes in the country.”
During a more candid moment on Los Angeles radio station KFI AM 640, Trump likened campaign interviews to therapy, telling host John Kobylt, “This is therapy for me. Some people see a psychiatrist. I don’t have time, so this is my therapy.”
Both candidates were slated to appear on CBS’s “60 Minutes” this week. Harris completed her interview, but Trump backed out, providing shifting reasons for his withdrawal. He was ridiculed by Democrats, prompting him to demand the release of the Harris interview transcript, claiming it had been “deceptively edited.”
