The election campaign in the United States is in its final, decisive days. It is felt. Kamala Harris has given her big final campaign speech in Washington DC and Donald Trump filled Madison Square Garden in New York. The two events couldn’t have been more different: Harris began his speech – in front of 75,000 people and at the same venue where Trump spoke on January 6, 2020, when he told his supporters to march on Congress – with dire predictions about what Trump will do if he comes to power . She then explained what she wanted to do herself. Trump held his meeting in his hometown of New York, in the famous Madison Square Garden, in front of 20,000 supporters. On the entertainment list was the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, a man who called Puerto Rico a “garbage island”, and the wrestler Hulk Hogan, who many know from wrestling matches broadcast on cable TV in the 80s. Maybe not the two most important speakers, but that says something about the atmosphere. Trump woos young men Donald Trump has also had a three-hour conversation with the friendly podcaster Joe Rogan, and the episode has at the time of writing had 41 million listeners and viewers. Rogan hosts the world’s largest podcast, and a great many of his listeners are young men. The podcast has resonated far beyond the borders of the United States. During the election campaign, Trump has also exposed a rather vulgar masculinity, such as when he spoke admiringly of the size of the golfer Arnold Palmer’s penis. Palmer died a few years ago and had his heyday in the 1950s and 60s. Not many of Rogan’s listeners had probably heard of Palmer before, but there is something about the kind of carelessness and norm-breaking that seems to appeal to these groups of voters. Joe Rogan has one of the world’s most popular podcasts. Photo: Gregory Payan / AP If we add to the speeches he has given to crypto associations, that Elon Musk’s Twitter/X looks like a 44-billion campaign machine for Trump and how his plan is to “protect women, whether they like it or not ,” then it is an election campaign with a clear goal: He succeeds in that, but not as well as his rival succeeds in winning the women over to his side. Harris does not talk about gender This is not new in American politics. It has been a clear trend since the 1980s. But this year’s presidential election could end up with the biggest divide between the sexes since women got the right to vote. A New York Times poll shows that 56 percent of women support Harris, while Trump has 40 percent. A difference of 16 percentage points. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump attract different voters. Photo: AFP On the other hand, Trump has the support of 53 percent of men, while Harris has 42 percent, so a smaller gap and something that speaks in Harris’ favor. Women also vote more actively than men. At the last election, the electorate comprised 54.7 per cent women and 44.3 per cent men. Donald Trump’s strategy is therefore risky. Kamala Harris herself has spoken as little as possible about gender. Where Hillary Clinton in 2016 made a clear point of being the first female presidential candidate, Harris has played it down. Women’s health and abortion She has wanted to talk about issues, politics and especially now at the end: her opponent. But one theme has remained throughout the election campaign: the abortion issue and women’s health. The Democrats won the mid-term elections on the abortion issue, and this is the first presidential election since Roe v. Wade – the ruling that established that the right to abortion was protected by the US Constitution – was overturned. Harris has devoted large parts of his election campaign to precisely women’s right to decide over their own bodies. Two women fight for their abortion rights. Photo: Sue Ogrocki / AP However, she draws fewer voters than Joe Biden did among black men. Barack Obama has campaigned for Harris, and has openly challenged black men, saying they will not vote for her just because she is a woman. The election will be decided by whether the candidates manage to mobilize their own voters in the final phase, and attract some new groups. Former President Barack Obama has urged black men to vote for Harris. Photo: Emily Elconin / Emily Elconin / Reuters / NTB Harris, for example, is trying to get moderate women who have traditionally voted Republican over to his side. Liz Cheney, Republican and daughter of powerful former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, has campaigned alongside Harris. A little further away from the public eye, Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of George W. Bush, Republican president from 2000 to 2008, has been knocking on doors for Harris. She says she is doing it to protect women’s rights. White women have overwhelmingly voted for Trump in the last two elections, despite Trump’s often derogatory comments about women, such as the “grab them by the pussy” comment that became a big deal in the 2016 election. Should they change their minds at that time because of the abortion issue, it could help decide the election. Can boil down to one question The candidates do not have many days to convince the last, undecided voters. It has been an election campaign with a lot of drama and circus. Two assassination attempts on Trump, the Democrats who during the summer switched candidates after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate and a subsequent restart of the election campaign, lies about Haitians in the small town of Springfield eating dogs and cats, as well as a jumping Elon Musk on stage, to name a few something. Elon Musk at one of Trump’s public meetings. Photo: Evan Vucci / AP Immigration and the economy are the most important issues for Republicans. The Supreme Court and abortion for Democratic voters. Election programs have been presented, some politics have been discussed, but mostly it has been about the people. Who will be able to convince the voters in the end? Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP In a divided media public and uncertain opinion polls, it is impossible to say who will ultimately win. It could be even and with a contested result, or a landslide victory for one of them, although the latter seems less likely if the polls are right. Perhaps it ultimately boils down to one simple question: Is the United States ready for a black woman as the country’s supreme leader, or will it elect a white man who openly challenges core democratic values? Published 01.11.2024, at 06.11 Updated 01.11.2024, at 06.27
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The great gender battle in the USA – Speech
