Milwaukee: Tuesday, November 1, was an unusual day for Milwaukee, a normally quiet US city known for its cattle ranches and craft beers. The city was a busy evening of political activity as Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump, locked in a neck-and-neck battle for the White House, arrived at their rallies just six miles apart. Milwaukee is in Wisconsin, one of seven swing states that will play a crucial role in electing the next US president in the November 5 election.

Vice President Harris, the Democratic Party nominee and former President Trump who is making his third consecutive bid for the Republican nomination, has been in Wisconsin in recent days as their campaigns enter their final stages. To put it in perspective, Wisconsin elected the winner of the last six presidential elections by a margin of less than 1 percent. Additionally, in the last four elections, the candidate who won the state also won the election. The state has a decisive ten electoral votes.

Although they were just a stone's throw away during their rallies, the events they attended were completely different in their style, people and language. Perhaps the only similarity between the two rallies is that both Trump and Harris were late to their final political show in Wisconsin.

Harris addressed her supporters at a star-studded event at the Exposition Center during the Wisconsin State Fair, while Trump addressed his fans at the Finserve Forum. Harris spoke for 24 minutes using the well-attached microphone, while Trump continued speaking for 90 minutes, holding his microphone in his hands due to a technical glitch. The real difference, however, was what they spoke and who they spoke to. The Trump audience was mostly white, while Harris had a mix of white and black.

Both rallies were political celebrations in their own way. Harris had her celebrity supporters ready and they captivated the audience until the presidential candidate showed up. GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte and DJ Gemini Gilly were the celebrities who attended the Harris rally. CardiB, the breakout rapper, gave an electrifying endorsement speech and said she only decided to vote in this election after Harris entered the fray. Due to a teleprompter error, she had to read the speech directly on her phone screen. However, this didn't dampen her spirits.

Trump supporters waited for their hero and enjoyed songs like Bob Seger's “Old Time Rock and Roll” and Tears for Fears' “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” as is customary at Republican rallies.

“Kamala, Kamala.”
Harris entered with her trademark smile, clapping and cheering for the crowd. On the podium she was self-confidence personified. She followed the Democratic playbook in her speech, positioning herself as the leader of all, unlike her opponent, whose political narrative is often about division. “Either he's going to come into his office and stew about his enemies list, or, if I'm elected, he's going to walk in on your behalf with my to-do list,” she said to an applauding crowd.

Harris said the Trump era was defined by the idea that Americans should point fingers at each other. “We all know we have more in common than what divides us,” she said. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are my enemies. He wants to put her in prison; I will give them a seat at the table,” she said. She said she would even like to have a Republican in her Cabinet. Throughout the campaign, she has tried to court Republican dissenters dissatisfied with the Trump style.

The crowd, holding placards that read “Freedom” and wearing a bracelet that emitted blue light, gave her several rounds of applause each time she made a point. In between they also shouted “Kamala, Kamala”. However, there was more despair than hope in the crowd. Like Cardi B, they might have left it to fate in the early stages of the campaign. However, Harris' entry revived their hope. They desperately want her to win, even though they know the fight will be too close.

A doctor from South India expressed concern at the rally: “It would be dangerous if Trump wins. He wants us all to leave the country. He won’t hesitate to do anything.”

Trump and a restless Mike
The former president received overwhelming support from the crowd, which had been waiting for him for a long time, but not from the microphone at the podium. The crowd that had gathered to listen to Trump was unhappy with the offending microphone and wanted it fixed.

Trump's penchant for going off script and turning his speech into a show was also evident in Milwaukee. The microphone immediately became property in his hand. “Mike stinks,” he said, taking it off the stand. It seemed like a heroic act to his fans, and they couldn't hide their admiration. After a while, Trump also became frustrated and jokingly asked the crowd, “Do you want to see me beat the hell out of those people backstage?”

He also used the word “stinking” for the economy and called the press the most dishonest people, all to the cheers of the all-ages crowd who held up placards reading “Dream Big Again” and “Trump will Fix it.” The young people in the crowd rejoiced every time Trump insulted the media. They gave a thumbs down and booed.

As always, he lashed out at Harris, saying, “She has no vision, no ideas, no intelligence to find solutions.” He said she only talked about “Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump.” It was a cue for the campaign team. A video of Harris saying “Donald Trump” appeared on the screen several times.

Trump's speech was also very emotional as he addressed his favorite topic – illegal immigration. A video played showed a young mother emotionally recounting how she lost her 12-year-old daughter to illegal immigrants. The woman in the video says Kamala Harris was in charge of immigration at the time of the incident and was unable to prevent it. She also expressed hope that President Trump would be back in office so that her next child would be safe in the country.

When it comes to his audience, Trump knows where to pause, where to imitate, and where to rant. And maybe they see him as someone who speaks like them.