US election latest: Biden votes at Delaware polling station

Joe Biden cast his early vote in the US presidential election in Delaware on Monday as the close-fought contest entered its final stretch.
The US President shuffled up to the counter at the polling station near Wilmington, Delaware, where he had his identification checked and registered to receive his ballot.
The 81-year-old was then shown to a voting booth, wrapped with a black curtain.
He didn’t emerge from the booth for another 85 seconds, and was greeted with an “I Voted” sticker by a grinning election official.
He had queued up for 40 minutes to cast his vote, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Mr Biden has rarely been seen on the campaign trail since he stepped down from seeking a second term and handed the Democratic nomination to his vice president, Kamala Harris.
“Let’s go vote,” the US President said arriving at the polling station.
When asked whether voting would be bitter sweet, he replied, “This is just sweet,” while predicting a victory for his vice president.
He was asked by reporters whether he had been disappointed for not being used as a “surrogate” on the Democratic campaign.
“Well I’ve done a lot of surrogacy, but the fact of the matter is I’ve always had to be president at the same time,” he said.
In recent days, former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have both appeared at rallies in support of Ms Harris.
Sources close to the Harris campaign have described Mr Biden’s absence as a “slow-moving break-up”, according to the Daily Beast website.
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A leading super PAC supporting Donald Trump called Kamala Harris the “C-word” – before accusing her of being a “communist.”
The social media ad, which has since been deleted, began with a “warning” over obscene language and included a sound effect of an audience gasping at the mention of “the C-word”. It has been widely interpreted as an attempt to pun on an obscene swear word.
“That’s right,” a narrator said, “she’s a tax-hiking, regulation-loving, gun-grabbing … communist.”
The advert ended by telling voters: “See you nationwide Tuesday, November 5.”
America PAC, who created the ad, is the super PAC that Elon Musk has funded with at least $118.5 million to help elect Donald Trump.
The former president has repeatedly accused Ms Harris of being a communist, despite her calling herself a capitalist. 
Kamala Harris has issued a stark warning to black men who may be considering voting for Donald Trump.
“Part of what we have to help people understand is don’t think you’re in Donald Trump’s club,” Ms Harris told Shannon Sharpe’s Shay Shay podcast in an interview released on Monday.
“You’re not. He’s not going to be thinking about you. You think he’s having you over for dinner? You think that when he’s … with his buddies, his billionaire buddies, he’s thinking about what we need to do to deal with addressing, for example, my work around … disparities in Black men’s health around colon cancer?”
The decision to be interviewed by Sharpe, a black former NFL player, comes as the vice president fights to turn out her base, particularly male black and Latino voters, in the final days of the election campaign.
In an effort to prevent the former president from peeling off black voters, Ms Harris took aim at Trump over his recent attacks on “legal black immigrants in Springfield, Ohio”. She also highlighted how her economic proposals, including plans to give forgivable loans to black small business owners, would help black men.
“The direct benefit, when we’re looking at black entrepreneurs, is profound,” she said.
Mail-in ballots in some Pennsylvania counties have been arriving sealed shut due to high humidity levels, officials have warned.
The state department has issued a warning urging voters to contact their local county election office for recommendations on what to do if they cannot open the inner secrecy envelope in their ballot.
Due to the humidity much of PA is currently experiencing, some voters are finding that their mail-in ballots have the return envelope already sealed. If you receive a sealed secrecy or return envelope, please contact your county election office for their recommended next steps.…
One official in Philadelphia recommended voters cut the envelope open, insert their completed ballot and then tape the envelope closed afterwards, The New York Times reported.
The number of voters affected in the key battleground state remains unclear, but it is essential that voters follow instructions as ballots left unsealed, known as “naked ballots” are invalid, state courts have ruled.
It comes amid widespread concerns over the validity of mail-in ballots spread by leading Republicans including tech billionaire Elon Musk, who labelled the practice “ripe for fraud”.
Brendan O’Neill writes:
The MAGA masses descended on New York City yesterday. They came in their thousands, a sea of red caps and fluttering Stars and Stripes.
For 24 hours, this gleaming citadel of East Coast liberalism fell to big men with beards and women in zip-up tops chanting “Kamala is dumb!”. It was some sight.
They were there to see the man himself, who was holding a rally at Madison Square Garden.
His likeness glared down at us from the vast digital billboard above the entrance to MSG.
“DREAM BIG AGAIN!”, the electronic Trump instructed the throng that had gathered at 8th Avenue and 31st Street to express their love – or hate – for the MAGA king.
Read the full comment from Brendan O’Neill here.
Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris by a single point in the battleground state of Wisconsin, a USA Today poll has found.
The two candidates are almost neck-and-neck in the Badger State on 48 per cent and 47 per cent, where the poll’s findings are well within the margin of error.
Although Ms Harris appears to be marginally behind, she leads Trump 50 per cent to 47 per cent in Door County, a bellwether which has predicted the winner of the last six elections.
Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful, is campaigning in Wisconsin today before travelling to Michigan in the evening.
America PAC, the campaign group supporting Donald Trump which is backed by Elon Musk, says it has handed out another $1 million following a lawsuit brought by the Philadelphia district attorney. 
Jordan from Hastings, Michigan received $1M for signing our petition to support the Constitution.Every day until Election Day, a person who signs will be selected to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC.SIGN: https://t.co/TMeyWUhbrH pic.twitter.com/mvxC6FYtAi
Donald Trump could be working for Elon Musk if he wins the White House, rather than the other way around, Bernie Sanders has suggested.
The Vermont senator said he was concerned about the extent to which Mr Musk could influence government policy since the world’s wealthiest man began boosting Trump’s bid to reclaim the presidency.
Mr Sanders cited recent reporting by the Wall Street Journal that Mr Musk has been in frequent contact with Vladimir Putin in the last two years.
Read the full article from Rozina Sabur, our deputy US editor, here.
Philadelphia’s district attorney has asked a state judge to stop Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaway to registered voters.
Larry Krasner, a Democrat, filed the lawsuit on Monday against the Tesla billionaire and his America PAC group, which supports Donald Trump.
The Justice Department has previously warned Mr Musk that the scheme may be illegal.
The Trump campaign has compared Tim Walz’ criticisms of its Madison Square Garden rally to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment.
Mr Walz, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful, drew parallels between the event and the Nazi rally that took place at the same venue in the 1930s.
“Kamala Harris’ campaign is copying Hillary Clinton’s strategy of attacking half the country,” said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s press secretary.
“Tim Walz needs to apologise for his disgraceful comments smearing Trump supporters. This kind of rhetoric has already inspired assassination attempts.”
Inflammatory comments at a Donald Trump rally overshadowed what may be one of the Republican’s final campaign giveaways.
Speaking at Madison Square Garden last night, Trump announced that he would introduce a new tax credit for “home health caregivers”.
However, the new policy has received little coverage after Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian who supports Trump, compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage” during a speech at the rally.
Others labelled Kamala Harris the “anti-Christ” and claimed that the vice president “and her pimp handlers will destroy our country”.
Today I released my plan to help build a brighter future for Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican people as president.Meanwhile, at Donald Trump’s rally, they’re calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.” https://t.co/KthAJ8JmU9
Donald Trump’s suggestion that he may abolish income tax is not a campaign policy but an “aspirational goal”, his running mate has suggested.
The Republican presidential candidate has hinted several times at the idea of ending federal income tax as he competes with Kamala Harris for middle-class voters in the White House race’s final stretch.
Trump first floated the idea in June and has been more forceful in his endorsement of the idea in the last week, suggesting hefty tariffs on imports could generate trillions of dollars in revenue and replace income tax.
“When we were a smart country, in the 1890s… It had all tariffs. It didn’t have an income tax,” Trump told Fox News.
Read the full story from Rozina Sabur, our deputy US editor, here.
An advert from Donald Trump’s campaign claiming the US has “gone to hell” under the Democrats shows an image from the Republican’s time in the White House.
Politico reports that the “Never Quit” advert showed a photo from a protest in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, while Trump was in office.
The Trump campaign said in a statement: “The riot imagery shows the same radical leftists that embrace the chaos in Kamala’s broken world view.”
The number of migrants who have crossed illegally into the US under Kamala Harris is 25 per cent higher than official figures suggest, The Telegraph can reveal.
Almost nine million people have headed across the border since Ms Harris became vice-president and was tasked with tackling the “root causes” of illegal immigration from Central America more than three years ago.
Critics accused the White House of attempting to “launder” migration figures and deliberately misrepresent its record on border security.
Read the full article here.
Kamala Harris has been warned that labelling Donald Trump a “fascist” will not win over voters in the closing stretch of the campaign.
Future Forward, the leading pro-Harris super PAC, said in an email circulated to Democrats that attacks on the former president’s character was “not that persuasive”, The New York Times reports.
Ms Harris said at a town hall event last week that she believed Trump was a fascist, following the characterisation of his former chief of staff John Kelly, and claimed he had compared himself to Hitler.
A second email from Future Future said the Harris campaign’s claim that her opponent was “exhausted” was also failing to cut through.
Hello and welcome if you’re just joining us. Benedict Smith here. We’ll be bringing you the latest updates from the campaign trail with just eight days left until the presidential election.
Melania Trump made a surprise appearance at Donald Trump’s rally in New York on Sunday. 
“We love you Melania”, the crowd shouted from the stands. Mrs Trump paused her speech to reply: “I love you too.”
Speaking to the crowd at Madison Square Garden, Melanie said: “Our town has produced America’s most fearless leaders. Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness.”
Joe Biden will cast his ballot in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday before heading back to Washington, the White House has said.
The US president will join around 42 million Americans who have already cast their votes in the upcoming election.
Early voting options are open to voters across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In case you missed it last night, Donald Trump on Sunday vowed to reveal a “little secret”, which he said was helping the Republicans in the House of Representatives.
“Our little secret is having a big impact … we’ll tell you what it is when the race is over,” he said.
Here’s a round-up of what you can expect from Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the campaign trail today.
Harris will speak at campaign events across Michigan, including in Saginaw, Macomb County and Ann Arbor. She will later hold a joint rally with Tim Walz in Michigan, with a performance expected from singer Maggie Rogers.
Trump will hold a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday evening, after speaking at the National Faith Summit in Powder Springs.
His running mate, JD Vance, is expected to speak at campaign events in Wausau and Racine, Wisconsin.
Both candidates will continue to receive support from senior Democrat and Republican figures.
Barack Obama is expected to continue his campaigning at a rally and concert with Bruce Springsteen in Philadelphia. 
Donald Trump Jr will speak at a Team Trump Tour event in Coplay, Pennsylvania.
We’ve reached the hysterical stage of the US election – we always do. Those with long memories will recall Sarah Palin was a book burner and Mitt Romney wanted to put black people in chains. This time, Donald Trump is literally Hitler.
To leap from such idle History Channel chat to saying “Trump is a fascist” is preposterous, cheap and contrasts with the Trump most people remember when he was in office (spicy, but no Third Reich). 
The president Trump comes closest to is even older than that: Andrew Jackson, a populist war hero elected president in 1828 after a campaign any journalist would kill to cover.
Read Tim Stanley’s column in full here.
Donald Trump could be working for Elon Musk if he wins the White House, rather than the other way around, Bernie Sanders has suggested.
The Vermont senator said he was concerned about the extent to which Mr Musk could influence government policy since the world’s wealthiest man began boosting Trump’s bid to reclaim the presidency.
Mr Sanders cited recent reporting by the Wall Street Journal that Mr Musk has been in frequent contact with Vladimir Putin in the last two years.
The conversations between the Tesla CEO and the Russian president have touched on everything from “personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions,” according to the newspaper.
Read the full story here.
 
Kamala Harris should focus less on attacking Donald Trump as a “fascist” and more on explaining her policies, a leading group of her supporters has said.
Future Forward, a leading super PAC supporting the Harris campaign, said her attacks have focused too narrowly on his character, the New York Times reported.
“Attacking Trump’s Fascism Is Not That Persuasive,” read one email sent by the super PAC to Democrats. “Trump Is Exhausted’ Isn’t Working,” another read.
It comes after Eric Adams, New York’s Democratic mayor, said he believed Trump was not a fascist.
“My answer is no, I know what Hitler has done and I know what a fascist regime looks like,” Mr Adams said, adding: “I think we can all dial down the temperature.”
Latino celebrities threw their support behind Kamala Harris after a speaker at a Donald Trump rally compared Puerto Rico to an “island of trash”.
Shortly after Hinchcliffe’s appearance, superstar Bad Bunny, who is from Puerto Rico, endorsed the vice-president.
The 30-year-old singer has won three Grammy Awards and boasts more than 45 million Instagram followers.
Other Puerto Rican singers such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had already expressed support for Harris.
As Republicans react to Tony Hinchcliffe’s “joke” at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, here’s a reminder of what the US comedian actually said:
It is absolutely wild times. It really, really is. And, you know, there’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.
He also said Latinos “love making babies”.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the US election.
We’ll be bring you updates and analysis throughout the day.