Donald Trump raises claims of ‘rigged’ vote as Jennifer Lopez stands up for Latinos and Kamala Harris
The furore over gender-related language has intensified in the final days of the campaign amid a clear, persistent gender gap in the polls, with Harris enjoying a healthy lead among women in key swing states, and Trump a lead among men.
The issue was also compounded by a slew of sexist and racist remarks made by guest speakers at Trump’s celebratory rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden last weekend, which galvanised Democrats to redouble their efforts with women and people of colour.
Jennifer Lopez joined Kamala Harris at a rally in Las Vegas, a stage she’s been on many times, she said, but never one as important as this.Credit: Screengrab
Puerto Rican-American pop star Jennifer Lopez joined Harris at her rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday night (Friday AEDT), and made an emotive speech referencing the “joke” from a pro-Trump comedian who called the US territory of Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”.
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day. It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity, and anyone of decent character,” Lopez said. “At Madison Square Garden, he [Trump] reminded us of who he really is and how he really feels.”
Women and Latinos had the power to decide the election, Lopez said. “We should be emotional. We should be upset. We should be scared and outraged.”
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On the sidelines of Harris’ rally in Phoenix, 32-year-old Alyssa Stills said she previously voted for Trump, but now supported Harris – and left the Republican Party to register as an independent – because of the abortion issue.
“Roe being overturned was such a shock,” she said. “It’s real, it’s happening, it’s affecting people, women are dying.”
As both campaigns went west for a final blitz, Trump also made a stop in the reliably Democratic state of New Mexico, where he falsely claimed he almost won the state in 2016 and 2020 (he lost by margins of greater than 8 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively).
“They all said, don’t come [to New Mexico] … I said, look, your votes are rigged,” Trump said. “We almost won it twice and let me tell you, I believe we won it twice, if you want to know the truth.”
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That followed an outburst on Trump’s Truth Social website in which the former president claimed the Democrats had been caught “CHEATING BIG” in Pennsylvania. “CHECK OUT KAMALA’S NEW SLEAZEBAG LAWYER,” he wrote in all caps. “Who would have ever thought that our Country is so CORRUPT?”
The post related to the Trump campaign’s court win securing the extension of early voting in suburban Philadelphia, due to complaints that voters were being turned away when the county office closed at 5pm.
Trump and running mate J. D. Vance branded it “voter fraud”, a claim Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said was “bullshit”.
“Everybody needs to take a deep breath and understand that it is our fellow Pennsylvanians who are running these elections,” Shapiro told Fox News. “We will again have a free and fair, safe and secure election.”
Trump’s outbursts about fraud and rigged votes will reinforce the assumption he is preparing to deny and contest the election result if he loses on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT), or prematurely declare victory.
Separately, Vance waded into LGBTQ issues in an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan. He suggested students might “become trans” to gain access to Ivy League universities such as Yale or Harvard through DEI (diversity, equity and conclusion) programs.
Vance also told Rogan about a friend he described as a “gay Reagan Democrat” who did not like the way modern Democrats discussed LGTBQ issues. “I wouldn’t be surprised if me and Trump won the normal gay guy vote because they just want to be left the hell alone,” he said.
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