US election: 6 days left – What polls say Harris and Trump are up to | News about the 2024 US election

With just a week until the US election, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to supporters at the Ellipse in Washington, DC – the site where her opponent and former President Donald Trump spoke to supporters before the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Meanwhile, Trump was in Allentown, Pennsylvania, just two days after a comedian made racist remarks about Puerto Rico from the podium during his New York rally, sparking a firestorm of criticism.

With six days left until the Nov. 5 vote, both candidates, their running mate(s) and surrogates are pushing to shore up their support ahead of Election Day.

What are the latest updates from the surveys?

According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos polls, Harris' lead over Trump has narrowed in the final stretch of the election.

According to the poll, she has a slim lead of just one percentage point over Republicans, 44 percent to 43 percent nationwide. The poll had a margin of error of about three percentage points in either direction.

The poll also shows that Harris' lead has steadily declined since late September. A previous Reuters/Ipsos poll from October 16-21 showed Harris leading Trump by two points.

A separate telephone and online poll by prominent US pollster Rasmussen suggests Harris faces a likeability challenge. According to the survey, 47 percent of likely US voters view her positively, with 33 percent having a “very” positive opinion. However, 51 percent judge them negatively and 44 percent have a “very” negative impression.

National polls show Harris leading by 1.4 points, according to FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker – again well within the polls' margin of error.

In the swing states – the key battlegrounds that will likely decide the outcome of the election – the race remains even closer.

These seven states include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada.

FiveThirtyEight's daily poll tracker shows Harris with a slim lead in Michigan and razor-thin leads in Nevada and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Trump has a slight advantage over Harris in Pennsylvania and a larger lead in North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia.

In all seven states, the candidates are within two percentage points of each other, well within the polls' margin of error, giving each state a tie just days before the final vote.

What was Kamala Harris up to on Sunday?

In her campaign, which she described as her final appeal to voters, Harris gave a speech at the Ellipse in Washington, DC

“Trump has spent a decade dividing the American people and making them fear each other. He is, but America, I’m here tonight to say that’s not who we are,” Harris said.

A campaign official said the crowd at Harris' rally was more than 75,000 people, nearly four times the original estimates.

Harris also reminded the crowd that this was the place where Trump attempted to “overturn the will of the people” on January 6, 2021. That day, thousands of supporters of then-President Trump stormed the building to overturn his election defeat, forcing lawmakers to flee for safety.

“Tonight I’m going to talk to everyone about the election and the risks of this election,” Harris said. “We know who Donald Trump is.

“He is the person who stood on this very spot almost four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election.”

Harris concluded her argument by telling voters “not a vessel for the plans of would-be dictators.”

“The United States of America is the greatest idea ever conceived by humanity,” Harris said. “In seven days we have the power, each of you has the power, to turn the page and begin writing the next chapter of the most extraordinary story ever told,” she added. Harris' supporters in Washington, D.C., said they were concerned with only a week left until Election Day.

“I’m just ready for her to win this,” Bruce Purvis, 34, told Al Jazeera, adding that he thought the Democratic nominee did a good job of not just presenting herself as a counterpoint to Trump. “I appreciate that she focused on the problems and not just the shortcomings of her opponent,” he said.

“I care most about the people – their focus on the middle class is what sets them apart.”

What did Donald Trump plan to do on Monday?

Trump opened his rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a brief message to voters: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” The crowd responded with a resounding “No.”

“I ask you to be excited again…you have embarrassed us. Kamala embarrassed us. She doesn't have what it takes. I ask you to dream big again.”

He urged his followers to “stand up and tell Kamala” next Tuesday that “you're fired” – a reference to how Trump would end episodes of his reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

During his speech in Allentown, Trump repeatedly used targeted anti-immigrant rhetoric, saying at one point that the U.S. has turned into a “giant garbage can” where countries like Venezuela send their criminals. “We will protect our men, our women and our country,” he assured.

“We're hearing Donald Trump walk back his final message and say that Kamala basically broke everything (and that Donald Trump can fix it”), said Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“He's been through a whole series of things that he believes Harris is responsible for, including inflation and a 'border invasion,' and he said it will all end on day one,” Fisher added.

According to Fisher, Trump spoke to a crowd of 10,000 to 12,000 people, and when addressing Harris' rally, Trump said that “sometimes they bus them in, and when it's on video, they use artificial intelligence.”

According to FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker, Trump has a narrow lead over Harris in Pennsylvania.

What's next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?

Kamala Harris is campaigning in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Harris and Trump will both visit North Carolina — another battleground state — on Wednesday.

In North Carolina, Trump has a clear advantage over Harris.

With less than a week before the election, Harris is focused on getting her message out in key swing states. In addition to North Carolina, she will visit Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

However, experts believe some of their arguments may not be convincing enough to resonate with all audiences.

One of their key messages is that Trump's victory could pose a threat to democracy in the US, and experts believe that may not be convincing enough.

“I don't think the argument that Trump is a fascist and anti-democratic is going to move many voters…when you look at the data, most Americans prioritize other issues.” “About 60 to 70 percent of Americans think that “Democracy is somehow at risk, but when you look at what issues are most important to them and what will determine their votes, it's less than 3 percent who say democracy,” says Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science at University College London School of Public Policy, told Al Jazeera.

“If she wants to get the swing vote, she needs to appeal, citing the abortion issue, where Democrats have a very significant economic advantage. “She needs to address the cost of living crisis and immigration to make sure that “It can make compelling arguments about, for example, how it will deal with the challenges at the border,” he added.

Trump, meanwhile, claimed that Harris had “abandoned North Carolina families.”

“Trump will put an end to this madness when he returns to the White House. He already has a track record of economic success in his first term and will put even more money in people's pockets as the 47th President of the United States,” his website says.

He will also be in Wisconsin and hold a rally in Green Bay. According to the poll tracker, Harris is narrowly ahead of Trump in this state.