US Presidential Election 2024: Is Ms. Harris a 'brighter color' than Mr. Trump?

Unprecedented things

CNN commented that if former President Donald Trump wins on November 5, he will be the one elected president for two non-consecutive terms, after losing the second election in 2020. Mr. Trump will have the most amazing political comeback ever, trying to maintain power after the 2020 election, despite being convicted of a crime and escaping two assassination attempts this year.

Meanwhile, if she wins, Vice President Kamala Harris could break a nearly 250-year streak of male commanders-in-chief and become the first female president of the United States. This would be an incredible feat after she united and kept the spirit of her party, especially after incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew from the race in July.

On the final day of the campaign, the stakes of the election are heightened, as no one can say for sure who will be the ultimate winner.

Polls nationally and in key swing states have yet to show a clear front-runner, reflecting a deeply polarized America that began the race. But according to CNN, there is still a chance that one candidate could build a late advantage in battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona, and win by a wider margin than expected.

Democrats have been buoyed by high early voter turnout among women, where abortion rights are likely to be a key issue. Vice President Harris has also worked to heal rifts in the traditional Democratic coalition, trying to appeal to men of color and Latino voters in particular.

Former President Trump is counting on voters frustrated by rising food and housing prices and a stagnant economy. He has portrayed undocumented migrants as dangerous to highlight the crisis at the southern border.

The Biden administration has struggled for months to recognize the severity of each problem and come up with remedies, while the Trump campaign believes he will undermine traditionally minority Democratic constituencies and once again turn out people who would normally not vote for Republicans.

But there are also worrying signs from Mr Trump. It is worth recalling that after the 2020 election, there was a riot on Capitol Hill in an attempt to prevent the certification of Mr Joe Biden's victory.

Ms Harris has said she is ready to respond if the former president makes a premature declaration of victory. And Mr Trump’s actions suggest that, without a clear victory for either side, uncertainty about the election could last for days.

The end of Trumpism — or the beginning of a new era of extremism?

CNN said that this is not a normal election, largely due to Mr. Trump's presence and influence on American politics and the public, even though he has left the White House. If he fulfills his promises, the Republican candidate - who has been impeached twice - will put America's governing, judicial and constitutional institutions to the greatest test.

Trump has projected the most authoritarian image of any presidential candidate in modern history. He is proposing the largest mass deportation of migrants ever — an operation that would by definition involve law enforcement and possibly even the military in a domestic crackdown that would challenge civil liberties. He has openly considered using the US armed forces against his political opponents, whom he calls “the enemy within.”

The former president also proposed an economic transformation, after seeing people’s livelihoods hollowed out by decades of globalization. But Mr. Trump’s tariffs threaten to trigger a backlash that could send the economy into reverse. Mr. Trump also plans to dismiss Washington officials and dismantle agencies like the Justice Department that constrained him during his first term and that he wants to weaponize to wipe out criminal prosecutions.

In 2016, Mr. Trump - a businessman, entered the American political arena, and was considered an "outsider". More than 9 years later, entering the 2024 race, Mr. Trump could be stronger politically than ever.

Vice President Harris, however, enters Election Day with a chance to end the “Trump era” and deliver a second consecutive electoral defeat to the Republican Party.

Ms Harris is offering voters a way out of the chaos and regulatory chaos that Mr Trump’s campaign has characterized. The vice president also proposes reforms to improve the lives of American workers — but her reforms are not as revolutionary as Mr Trump’s. Ms Harris promises to make housing more affordable, crack down on what she calls price gouging by big box stores and ensure better, more affordable health care.

Harris has taken a risk, offering continuity to her predecessor at a time of deep discontent with the country’s economic and political realities. She has also struggled to distance herself from an 81-year-old president who is unpopular with voters despite presiding over the industrialized world’s strongest economic recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic.