America chooses between Trump and Harris in a close election: After an exceptionally volatile race, American voters will issue their decision on Tuesday, either electing Kamala Harris as the first woman president in US history or giving Donald Trump a comeback that will stun the world.
America chooses between Trump and Harris in a close election. As polls open worldwide on Election Day, Democratic Vice President Harris, 60, and Republican Former President Trump, 78, are tied in the tightest and most turbulent White House contest in modern history.
The fierce rivals spent their final day of the campaign working feverishly to bring their followers to the polls and sway any remaining undecided voters in the swing states likely to decide the outcome.
But, despite a succession of bizarre twists in an unusual campaign — from Harris’ spectacular arrival when President Joe Biden withdrew out in July to Trump’s enduring two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction — nothing has broken the impasse in the polls.
Polling places on the US east coast open at 6:00 a.m. (1100 GMT), and tens of millions of voters are expected to vote, in addition to the more than 82 million people who voted early in previous weeks.
If the results are as close as the polls predict, the ultimate outcome could take several days to determine, adding to the stress in a deeply divided country.
And there are concerns about chaos and perhaps bloodshed if Trump loses and then contests the outcome, as he did in 2020, with walls placed around the White House and businesses boarded up in Washington.
Meanwhile, the world is waiting with bated breath since the decision will have far-reaching consequences for Middle Eastern wars, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and efforts to combat climate change, which Trump dismisses as a hoax.
‘Every single vote counts.’
Harris and Trump are virtually deadlocked in the seven key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Harris went all-in on the must-win state of Pennsylvania on the eve of the vote, rallying on the Philadelphia stairs made famous in the “Rocky” film and declaring: “Momentum is on our side.”
However, “this could be one of the closest races in history — every single vote matters,” warned Harris, who was accompanied by superstars such as Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.
Trump, who would become the first convicted criminal and the oldest person to win the presidency, portrayed himself as the only solution to an apocalyptic image of the country in terminal decline, overrun by “savage” immigration.
“With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America — indeed, the world — to new heights of glory,” Trump said during his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after visiting North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Harris, however, emphasized her opposition to Trump-backed abortion prohibitions across the United States, which is one of her main vote-winning positions among critical female voters.
However, she struck a cheery tone and avoided addressing Trump, after weeks of directly criticizing him as a threat to democracy for his dark rhetoric and frequent threats to inflict retribution on his political opponents.
History is made.
A Trump comeback would be historic, as it would be the first non-consecutive second term for a US president since Grover Cleveland in 1893, and just the second in history.
Trump’s return would immediately exacerbate international tensions, with US allies in Europe and NATO concerned about his isolationist “America First” views. Trading partners are closely monitoring his promise to implement sweeping import duties.
Meanwhile, a Harris victory would give the United States its first Black woman and South Asian president, ushering in the end of the Trump era, which has dominated US politics for nearly ten years.
Trump has stated that he will not seek re-election in 2028.
However, the Republican continues to refuse to recognize that he lost the 2020 election to Biden fairly, and the trauma of his followers’ violent attack on the US Capitol to prevent the results from being certified remains severe.
Trump has intimated that he will not accept another loss, and in the last days of the campaign, he made false charges of electoral fraud while insisting he should “never have left” the White House.
