Harris meets Beyoncé in Texas while Trump sits with Joe Rogan for hours: NPR

Beyonce (right) and Vice President Kamala Harris hug on stage during a campaign event Friday in Houston.

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HOUSTON – The stands vibrated under the pounding feet of the crowd at Shell Stadium in Houston on Friday night.

But Beyoncé hadn't even come out yet.

The crowd chanted “Beat Ted Cruz” as Cruz's Senate challenger, Democratic Congressman Colin Allred, raised his fist from behind the podium on the stage and cheered on the 30,000 spectators.

Vice President Harris's visit to Houston at the end of Election Day was, in part, to rally support for Allred. But much of the focus has been on putting reproductive rights back in the spotlight — in the place Harris has called “ground zero” in the fight to restrict abortion rights in the country.

The Lonestar State may seem like an odd stop since there are less than two weeks until the end of the election – it's not a swing state and former President Donald Trump will almost certainly take it. But Trump and Harris both campaigned there Friday, and the messages they each delivered to the state underscore the urgency of their closing themes.

“I know people in Texas sometimes ask, ‘Is it worth it? Makes no difference,'” Harris said, nodding to the fact that she probably won't take on this red state. “They make a difference. And the momentum is on our side,” she said.

Harris focused her rally in Houston on Texas' strict abortion ban, while Democrats have spent years harassing Republicans over unpopular crackdowns on reproductive rights – with great success at the ballot box.

The rally included dozens of gynecologists in white coats and women who shared their personal stories about how their lives were put at risk by abortion bans — and blamed Trump for the trauma.

“This is not just some theoretical concept. There has been real damage, real suffering in our country,” Harris told reporters traveling with her on Friday.

Harris emphasized that the restrictions seen in Texas could occur in any state if Republicans pass a statewide abortion ban. Trump said this month that he would veto such a ban.

Fans watch Harris at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. The Harris campaign said 30,000 supporters were at the rally, her largest campaign event to date.

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Harris was introduced by hometown superstar Beyoncé, whose song “Freedom” was Harris' campaign anthem, and Kelly Rowland, who rose to fame with Beyoncé as part of the group Destiny's Child.

“I am not here as a politician. I am here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world in which my children and all our children live,” said Beyoncé.

“It’s time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago,” she said. “The old sounds of doom, discord and despair no longer resonate.”

Trump joined Joe Rogan for a three-hour interview

Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks on border security at an aircraft hangar at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, on Friday.

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Trump began his Texas pit stop in Austin, where he focused primarily on immigration and baselessly blamed Harris for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. “Kamala refuses to stop the importation of these murderers into our country. Every day she brings in more,” Trump said. “She feels no remorse for the innocent blood on her hands.”

At some point he invited Alexis Nungaray to speak. Nungary is the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was allegedly killed by two men accused of entering the country illegally earlier this year.

Trump repeated inflammatory attacks against immigrants, calling America a “dustbin where the rest of the world can dump the people they don't want.”

He also criticized a federal judge's decision Friday to restore the voting rights of more than 1,600 people who had been removed from the state's rolls, calling the ruling “un-American” and “election interference.”

While in Texas, Trump recorded a podcast with Joe Rogan, which has millions of followers and a predominantly younger and male audience – a key demographic for the former president. The interview lasted three hours, making Trump three hours late for a rally in Traverse City, Michigan.

The interview touched on a wide range of topics – from Trump's past appearances The view and his years afterwards The apprentice on his thoughts on extraterrestrial life and whether he would accept Robert F. Kennedy into his administration.

Trump also talked about tariffs, saying they would be a better incentive to boost U.S. chip manufacturing than the federal subsidies the Biden administration has promoted.

At one point, Trump was asked about his recent proposal that the U.S. could eliminate income taxes entirely and replace them with tariffs. When Rogan asked him if he was serious, Trump replied: “Yeah, sure, but why not?”

Trump's media strategy this election cycle has relied heavily on these social media-friendly, male-centric podcasts and influencers, who largely avoid probing political questions and portray the former president as a friendly, approachable figure.

The two appearances in Texas also highlight what could be the biggest gender gap in a recent presidential election, with Trump increasing support among men and Harris among women.

This gender distribution is reflected in the target groups each candidate will reach through the interviews conducted on Friday. While Trump had Joe Rogan, Harris spoke with Brené Brown Unblock usa podcast popular with women.