November 2, 2024, presidential campaign news

Our live coverage of the presidential election has moved here.

Vice President Kamala Harris appears on Saturday Night Live, opposite Maya Rudolph, during the cold open on November 2, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in the opening sketch of “Saturday Night Live,” making a lighthearted stop less than three days until Election Day.

The show regularly features impersonators playing politicians, including Maya Rudolph, who has played the vice president since 2019. But it is rare for the politicians themselves to make an appearance.

Harris appeared alongside Rudolph in the sketch, with the two identically dressed and styled women gazing at each other across a dressing table as though seeing their own reflections in a mirror.

As the skit came to a close, the two women stood up, each with an arm wrapped around the other, and Rudolph said, “I’m gonna vote for us!”

“Great!” Harris replied. “Any chance you are registered in Pennsylvania?”

Saturday’s show is hosted by John Mulaney with musical guest Chappell Roan. Also making an appearance was Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket in 2016.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Saturday that Donald Trump’s administration will order fluoride to be removed from water supplies if the former president wins Tuesday’s presidential election.

Kennedy, who has pushed unfounded theories about chemicals in water and who could oversee a health portfolio in a potential future Trump administration, wrote in a social media post that Trump’s administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” which he claimed was tied to numerous medical conditions. He called the element an “industrial waste” — and while fluoride can be a by product of some industry, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is also found naturally in the environment in water and rocks.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President ​@realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP want to Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy wrote.

State and local governments control most of the water supplies in municipalities across the country. The CDC recommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health. Exposure to fluoride above the public health recommended amount over many years can result in skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes weaker bones and joint pain. A federal review published in August by the National Institutes of Health’s toxicology program concluded that higher levels of fluoride is linked to lowered IQ in children. The program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election,” Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told CNN in response to Kennedy’s post.

CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed reporting.

Former President Donald Trump laughed and said, “This place is amazing,” after a man in the crowd at his campaign rally Saturday evening appeared to yell that Vice President Kamala Harris “used to work on a corner.”

During a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, Trump was again claiming that Harris lied about having worked at McDonald’s as a young woman. “She never worked there,” Trump said.

A man in the crowd then appeared to yell, “She worked on a corner.”

Trump laughed and then pointed to that audience member as he smiled and paused his speech for several moments.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally at Tucson High Magnet School in Tucson, Arizona, on November 2, 2024.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made the final campaign pitch to Arizona voters on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Tucson on Saturday, urging them to take into account the contrast between Harris and former President Donald Trump on economic policy and reproductive health care while painting Trump as a threat to the rule of law.

Walz told hundreds of people gathered in the courtyard of a local high school the campaign is still working hard to earn every possible vote.

“Momentum is on our side, but we take nothing for granted,” Walz said.

At the close of his speech, which hewed closely to the stump speech he has given at campaign events in the final days of the campaign, Walz sought to frame the choice for voters on Tuesday as a critical inflection point in American history.

“Someday you’re gonna be sitting on that porch, you’re gonna be in that rocking chair, and a little one’s gonna come up to you after being in school where they’ve been studying the 2024 election, and they’re gonna ask, ‘When everything was on the line, and the American experiment was on the line, and there was somebody running who asked to be a dictator and to overturn the Constitution and talked about using the military against our own people, what did you do to stop that from happening?,’” Walz said.

“And you’re going to be able to say, ‘Every damn thing we could. Every damn thing we could,’” Walz said.

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on November 02, 2024.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday called himself the “father of fertilization,” while talking about in vitro fertilization at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Trump went on to tout that he supported the procedure and called for action in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s controversial IVF ruling, which said frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.

Trump has repeatedly returned to this issue and previously declared himself the “father of IVF,” a fertility treatment that has come under threat following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump regularly touts his role in appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The Trump campaign on Saturday bashed a new Iowa poll showing former President Donald Trump is no longer leading in the state, which he won in 2016 and 2020.

“Every cycle, there’s one idiotic survey,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters in Greensboro in response to a question from CNN.

The campaign later Saturday evening released a memo calling the new poll “a clear outlier” and argued a separate poll released by Emerson College the same day “far more closely reflects the state of the actual Iowa electorate.”

During a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, Trump touted the size of a rally he previously held in Iowa, in an effort to discredit the poll.

Vice President Kamala Harris holds 47% to former President Donald Trump’s 44% among likely voters in the final Iowa Poll before Election Day from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom. The gap falls within the poll’s 3.4 point margin of sampling error and suggests no clear leader in the state, which has widely been rated as solidly in the GOP column during this year’s campaign.

Harris’ running mate Tim Walz told a reporter Saturday evening he saw the poll but did not directly answer when asked if he thought the vice president had a chance of winning the state. “I want to go down there,” he said.

CNN’s Aaron Pellish contributed to this post.

Former first lady Michelle Obama hit the campaign trail Saturday for Vice President Kamala Harris, casting former President Donald Trump as a “con man” who poses a real danger to the country.

Obama went on to contrast the “fundamental goodness” during the time her husband was president to the political divisiveness today.

She added the forces included those who say “military service and sacrifice is for suckers,” in an apparent reference to Trump, who reportedly called US troops “losers” and “suckers” while in office. And the former first lady further described Trump, once again without naming him, as “a more skilled con man who is more brazen and bombastic.”

Obama also stressed the importance of the upcoming election.

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was under consideration as Harris’ running mate, and singer Alicia Keys joined Obama at the rally.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Salem, Virginia, on November 2.

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he would push to “protect and expand the child tax credit that we already created.”

The child tax credit is scheduled to revert to a maximum of $1,000 per child in 2026, down from the current ceiling of $2,000, put in place by the Republicans’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. A key part of Trump’s economic platform is pushing to extend those 2017 tax cuts.

CNN has asked the Trump campaign whether Trump meant he would push to increase the child tax credit beyond the $2,000 cap, or whether he would keep it at the current ceiling. CNN has also asked the campaign whether Trump supports his running mate JD Vance’s proposal of increasing the child tax credit to $5,000.

Vice President Kamala Harris has made boosting the child tax credit a central part of her economic agenda. Harris wants to restore the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act’s enhanced credit of up to $3,600 per child, which was only in effect for one year, as well as create a $6,000 credit for newborns.

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to join “Saturday Night Live” in New York City on Saturday, according to a source familiar.

Harris was expected to head to Detroit for campaign events after a swing through North Carolina and Georgia earlier Saturday, but is making a stop in New York City beforehand.

CNN has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

“SNL” has focused heavily on politics in its current season with a slate of political impersonators.

Tonight’s show is set to feature Chappell Roan as the musical guest. The pop star came under fire recently for waffling on who she will vote for and saying, “There’s problems on both sides.” She eventually announced she will vote for Harris.

“SNL” kicked off its 50th season in September with a sketch on the rallies held by Harris and former President Donald Trump, and in the weeks since, the show has lampooned debates and interviews.

Maya Rudolph plays the role of Harris. The comedian first took on the role during Harris’ first presidential run in 2019.

Vice President Kamala Harris holds 47% to former President Donald Trump’s 44% among likely voters in the final Iowa Poll before Election Day from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom. That margin falls within the poll’s 3.4 point margin of sampling error and suggests no clear leader in the state, which has widely been rated as solidly in the GOP column during this year’s campaign.

The findings suggest a shift toward Harris compared with the previous Iowa Poll, in September, which found a narrow edge for Trump. In that poll, 47% of likely voters backed Trump to 43% for Harris.

There has been little other high-quality polling in Iowa thus far this cycle with which to compare these findings. Iowa has a mixed record in the last four presidential elections, breaking for Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012, while Trump won it in 2016 and again in 2020.

The new poll also finds that women in the state largely favor Harris over Trump and suggests that older voters are firmly in Harris’ camp.

More than 9 in 10 Iowa likely voters said their minds are made up in the new poll.

The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll was conducted October 28 to 31 by Selzer & Co. among 808 Iowa likely voters. Interviews were conducted by telephone. Results among likely voters have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 points.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally, on November 2, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Saturday said Republicans are in a “very, very good spot” and have a “big advantage” in the battleground state of Arizona, but he does not want Trump supporters to “rest on our laurels.”

The Ohio senator slammed Gov. Tim Walz’s comparison of Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally to a 1939 pro-Nazi rally held in the same venue, saying he knew people in the rally who were “actually victims of the Holocaust.”

Vance went on to argue the stakes of the race “could not be higher” and “Arizona knows it better than almost any state in the union,” before railing against illegal immigration.

The senator also asked attendees to help get GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake “over the finish line” against her Democratic opponent Ruben Gallego.

The former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was at the rally.

Harrison Ford attends San Diego Comic-Con on July 27.

Harrison Ford, an actor best known for his iconic roles in the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election in a series of videos posted Saturday.

Ford’s endorsement follows a slew of star-studded endorsements of the Harris-Walz team, ranging from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor typically does not endorse political candidates but endorsed Joe Biden in 2020.

In one of three videos posted in conjunction with the Harris-Walz campaign, Ford said warnings about the former President offer evidence for keeping Trump from returning to the Oval Office.

There are only three days left until Election Day, and the candidates are making some of their final pitches to voters in Southern battleground states.

Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, and later spoke in Charlotte, North Carolina. Donald Trump started the day in Gastonia, North Carolina, is now speaking in Salem, Virginia, and then will return to North Carolina for a rally in Greensboro.

Here’s what we’ve heard at their respective campaign events so far:

Harris:

Trump:

Other headlines:

Former President Donald Trump is now speaking in Salem, Virginia, where he will share his closing message as his third presidential campaign reaches its final days.

The event is part of the campaign’s strategy to target Southern states Saturday. The former president held a rally in North Carolina earlier in the day, and will travel back to the battleground in the evening for another rally in Greensboro.

Vice President Kamala Harris was also in the Tar Heel State Saturday evening, where she held a rally in Charlotte.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally in Flagstaff, Arizona, on November 2.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday further leaned into former President Donald Trump’s pledge to “protect” women whether they “like it or not,” tying his language to the consequences for women living in states with strict laws governing access to reproductive health care.

At a campaign rally in Flagstaff, Arizona, Walz laid out what he sees as the consequences of Trump’s appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, while inverting Trump’s phrasing.

Walz then reiterated a line he has used previously in recent days, calling on women voters to rebuke Trump, again borrowing Trump’s phrasing.

Walz’s heightened emphasis on the contrast between his running mate Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on reproductive health care issues and Trump’s comments about women come as polls continue to show a significant gap between women who support Harris and those who support Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris cast former President Donald Trump as consumed by revenge, calling him “increasingly unstable,” and stressing the stakes of the election during a stop in battleground North Carolina Saturday.

Harris reiterated her line that Trump is focused on his “enemies list” while she’s focused on her “to do list.”

Harris also talked about lowering costs and reproductive rights, saying: “I’m not looking to score political points; I’m looking to make progress.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was interrupted by protesters several times during her Saturday rally in North Carolina, used the interruptions to emphasize her campaign theme of democracy.

As some of the protesters were escorted out, others also began to shout and held up a sign reading, “Free Palestine.” The crowd drowned out the protesters with cheers of, “We’re not going back.”

“It’s alright, y’all,” Harris said. “Democracy can be complicated. This is what democracy looks like.”

“We all want that war in the Middle East to end,” Harris said. “We want the hostages home, and when I am president, I will do everything in my power to make it so.”

Demonstrators protesting the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza have become a mainstay on the campaign trail, often interrupting Harris’ remarks on the stump.

Earlier this week, she evoked a similar message of democracy when faced with at least one protester during a rally in Arizona.

“That’s alright. Democracy can be complicated, but we believe in democracy and the right of everyone to have their voices heard,” Harris said Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 2.

Vice President Kamala Harris is addressing supporters at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The campaign event comes as CNN polls show Harris and former President Donald Trump in a tight race for the key Southern battleground.

North Carolina is among the seven states viewed as likely to determine the presidential election. Both Harris and Trump have campaigned there today, underlining its importance with just three days until the election.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, on November 2.

Former President Donald Trump said he was doing “great with men” at his North Carolina rally on Saturday, but acknowledged the widening gender gap that has caused alarm for some Republicans.

“I will protect our women, I’m going to protect our women. I got in to so much trouble, you saw that,” Trump said. At a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, he recounted advice from aides urging him to drop his repeated promise to be women’s “protector” because they saw it as inappropriate.

Trump continued: “What I do is very controversial. I don’t care, I do the right thing. I want to protect women, but I want to protect our men, I want to protect our — I want to protect everybody.”