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At dueling rallies in Milwaukee, Trump and Harris make closing statements
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At dueling rallies in Milwaukee, Trump and Harris make closing statements

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Call it the grand finale of the high-stakes campaign for battleground Wisconsin.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris held dueling rallies at nearly the same time and just six miles apart in Milwaukee on Friday evening, with both campaigns making what could be their final push for the crucial state with just four days until the election.

And although the candidates were close to each other, their closing messages were worlds apart.

Speaking to a crowd at the Fiserv Forum, Trump described the country's current state of affairs in dire terms, railing against the Biden administration and hurling insults at Harris. He promised to make the country “stronger than ever” but repeatedly went astray in his remarks and became frustrated with his microphone at several points.

Harris, along with a group of musicians at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, tried to strike a unified tone. She again pledged to “look for common ground and common-sense solutions” and reiterated her promise to give those who disagree “a seat at the table.”

The rallies served as closing messages from Harris and Trump to the crucial swing state in the hectic battle for the White House that began in full force just four months ago.

They underscored the importance of Wisconsin and the uncertainty of the outcome here on the electoral map. Polls have shown the state's race to be tied. A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed Harris with a one-point lead over Trump among likely voters — 50% to 49%.

Attendees at both rallies on Friday expressed confidence in their candidate's chances, even as some reflected the uncertain state of the race.

“I have no idea. I really don’t know,” Kirk Chovenac, a New Berlin resident, told the Journal Sentinel when asked outside the Trump rally what he thought of the former president’s chances in the state. “I never believe in polls.”

During what could be his final rally in the state, Trump claimed that his re-election would mark the “four greatest years in the history of our country” and encouraged his supporters to go to the polls.

“Just pretend we're down one point, right, we're down one point please,” Trump said after saying he was leading in all swing states, even though several polls showed Harris leading in some of those states be a leader.

His nearly 90 minutes of remarks ranged from the economy to immigration to doubts about the severity of climate change. He criticized the latest jobs report, which showed that hiring fell in October.

“America will be bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than ever before,” Trump said, if elected.

But the former president also hurled personal insults at Harris, calling her “a low-IQ person” and “grossly incompetent.” And he repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, claiming that illegal immigrants “took so many jobs away from African Americans.”

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At the rally, Donald Trump takes his microphone out of the stands to cheer

“Yeah, I think this microphone stinks.”

When some in the crowd said they couldn't hear him, Trump became frustrated with the microphone. As the speech continued, he complained about the microphone being removed from its stand and complained that he had to hold onto it.

Harris, meanwhile, called November 5 “the most consequential election of our lifetime.” She said Democrats would win because “if you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for.”

“In this election, we have the opportunity to finally put behind us a decade in which Donald Trump tried to divide us and scare each other,” Harris said Friday evening. “We’re done with this, we’re exhausted by this. We turn the page.”

Harris said Trump is about “getting Americans to point fingers at each other, but that's not who we are.” She attacked her opponent as “unstable, obsessed with revenge” and “consumed by resentment.”

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Kamala Harris' reaction to turnout at Wisconsin rally

“For you who haven’t voted yet, no judgment, but come along if you can.”

Her speech was preceded by a series of performances by leading black female rappers and hip-hop artists, including MC Lyte, Flo Milli and GloRilla. Rapper Cardi B also spoke.

The scenes in Milwaukee reflected scenes perhaps not seen in the state since 2004, when Republican George Bush and Democrat John Kerry stopped in the state's largest city – Bush in what is now UW – on the Monday before the election -Milwaukee Panther Arena and Kerry outside near City Hall.

Friday's stops were among the latest in a heated series of visits from both campaigns to the state since Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, accepted their party's nomination in the same building in July.

Trump and Vance visited 17 separate cities in Wisconsin during that time. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have now made 22 stops in Wisconsin cities since Harris launched her presidential campaign in West Allis on July 23. Walz and Harris appeared together on two of these visits. Harris visited Janesville and Little Chute on Friday before the Milwaukee rally.

According to the Harris campaign, Walz is scheduled to make campaign stops in La Crosse, Stevens Point and Milwaukee on Monday. Vance is also scheduled to stop in La Crosse Monday morning.

Harris and Trump will campaign across Pennsylvania on the same day, although Trump will finish in Michigan on Monday.

Still, both candidates on Friday encouraged their supporters to vote in a dead heat that could come down to turnout.

At the Fiserv Forum, Trump made clear what is at stake in Wisconsin.

“The fate of our nation is in your hands,” he said. “We win this state, we win the whole thing.”

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