October 25, 2024, presidential campaign news

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The Trump campaign on Friday released a lengthy list of speakers for former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

In addition to Trump’s running mate JD Vance, who CNN had already reported was speaking, Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Trump attorney and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are also speaking.

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — who recently announced she is joining the Republican Party — far-right personality Tucker Carlson and UFC chief Dana White are also on the speaker lineup.

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan, on October 25, 2024.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday brought up how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his 2016 rival, compared his upcoming Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday to the 1939 Nazi rally that took place in the same arena.

“I guess in the 1930s or something, some guy who was inclined toward the Nazis had something, and she said it’s just like the 1930s. No, no, this is called ‘Make America Great Again,’” he said at a rally in Michigan, adding, “I don’t know what’s going on with her.”

In an interview on CNN on Thursday, Clinton said the former president is “actually renacting” the event that sparked mass counter protests in New York City, during a broader conversation about Trump’s former chief of staff saying he meets the definition of a fascist.

“I don’t think we can ignore it,” Clinton said, acknowledging the comparison “may be a leap for some people,” but encouraged people to “open your eyes to the danger that this man poses to our country, because I think this is clear and present for anybody paying attention.”

In Michigan, Trump also again compared Detroit to a “developing nation,” as he did while speaking in the state earlier this month. “They say I’m disparaging … I’m not disparaging. I’m telling you the facts. You need businesses to come back into this place,” he said of the city, which now celebrates its revival.

Former President Donald Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of being “out partying” and ignoring international turmoil as the Democratic presidential nominee held a rally featuring music superstar Beyoncé.

“Tonight she’s out partying. So, Israel is attacking, we got a war going on, and she’s out partying. At least we’re working to make America great again, that’s what we’re doing,” he told the crowd at his rally in Traverse City, Michigan, where he began speaking three hours late after getting delayed taping a podcast.

Later in his remarks, Trump said, “Nobody’s in charge. Joe Biden is asleep. Kamala is at a dance party with Beyonce.”

Harris held a rally in Texas on Friday, focused on highlighting her defense of reproductive rights. She was joined by Houston native Beyoncé, who spoke in support of the vice president but did not perform. Before both Harris and Trump spoke at evening campaign events, Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Trump also accused Harris of “leading a hate campaign now,” reflecting on the vice president’s new closing message focused on hammering her GOP rival on his character, accusing him of having an “enemies list” while she has a “to-do list.”

“They started off where I was a dictator. None of it worked. Then they went to he’s an evil genius. That didn’t work. Then they went … he’s a dumb son of a b*tch. That didn’t last long. That didn’t last too long. Then they went back to the dictator stuff,” he said, calling his Demorcatic rivals “poor lost souls.”

One suspect has been arrested in the assault of an election clerk at a San Antonio polling location Thursday night just as polls were closing for the evening, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Jesse Lutzenberger, a San Antonio resident, was identified by surveillance video provided by the San Antonio Police Department Fusion Unit, according to the incident report shared with CNN.

Lutzenberger was waiting in line to enter the voting area at the undisclosed polling location wearing a red “MAGA” or “TRUMP” baseball cap, the incident report said. He was told by workers to remove his baseball cap while he was at the voting site and he complied, the report said.

Moments later, Lutzenberger was seen walking out of the voting area and putting his baseball cap back on as he approached the front doors, the report said. The election clerk told him to remove his hat, and as Lutzenberger was about to exit, he struck the worker on the chest and facial area “several times with his fist causing him pain and discomfort,” the incident report said.

Lutzenberger was with his wife, who told him to stop as witnesses told police they saw Lutzenberger strike the election clerk several times in the facial area, the incident report said.

Lutzenberger was processed by a magistrate Friday morning on a charge of felony injury to a child, elderly or disabled individual, according to Bexar County records. He was released on $30,000 bond.

CNN has reached out to Lutzenberger and his attorney for comment.

Former President Donald Trump said on Joe Rogan’s podcast Friday that he would be open to eliminating income taxes, while pushing his sweeping tariff proposal and praising the economic policies of the late 19th century.

While talking about tariffs, Trump was asked by Rogan, “Did you just float out the idea of getting rid of income taxes and replacing it with tariffs?”

“Well, OK,” Trump said during the interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Rogan asked, “Were you serious about that?”

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” the former president said. “Because, we, ready, our country was the richest in the, relatively, in the 1880s and 1890s. A president who was assassinated named McKinley – he was the tariff king. He spoke beautifully of tariffs.”

“And then around in the early 1900s, they switched over stupidly to frankly an income tax. And you know why? Because countries were putting a lot of pressure on America: ‘We don’t want to pay tariffs, please don’t.’ You know they, believe me, they control our politicians,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly said he plans to impose an across-the-board tariff of either 10% or 20% on every import coming into the US, as well as a tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports, in a bid to encourage American manufacturing.

Former President Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan on October 25, 2024.

Former President Donald Trump briefly paused his rally in Michigan due to a medical emergency in the crowd after beginning his scheduled remarks three hours late on a cold Friday evening.

“Should we listen to a nice song while we wait?” he said, calling for “Ave Maria” to play on the speakers as medics attended to the issue, the second medical interruption during his remarks.

Trump interrupted a town hall in Pennsylvania last week for a similar reason, before staying on stage and swaying to music for several songs, derailing the format of the event.

Several people in the crowd on Friday saw the music playing as their cue to leave the significantly delayed rally.

Former President Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he arrives, more than 3 hours late, to a campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan, on October 25, 2024.

Former President Donald Trump, who earlier had promised his supporters a “special performance,” began speaking three hours late at his Michigan rally Friday night.

Trump, who usually walks out at his rallies to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” emerged from his plane on the tarmac at the airport in Traverse City and walked toward his supporters to uncharacteristically dark orchestral music.

The theme song for former WWE wrestler The Undertaker, who the former president recently taped a podcast with, played as Trump entered. He walked around, wearing a black “Make America Great Again” hat, and looked out at cheering fans for about seven minutes.

Eventually, Greenwood’s song was played, and Trump did his characteristic sway before walking to the podium to start speaking, exactly three hours after his scheduled 7:30 p.m. ET start time.

“I’m so sorry, but I got tied up … I figured you wouldn’t mind so much because we’re trying to win,” he said.

Trump said he was late because he was taping a three hour podcast with Joe Rogan, which he called “the longest interview I’ve done in my life.”

Many supporters remained at the event on a cold Friday night in northern Michigan, though the crowd had thinned out during the lengthy delay.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on stage before speaking at a rally in Houston, Texas, on October 25, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris told the crowd at her campaign rally in Houston that “momentum is on our side,” as she worked to galvanize voters to turn out for abortion rights on Election Day.

“So to all the friends here, let us remember: momentum is on our side. I know sometimes in Texas folks are like, ‘Is it worth it? Is it? Does it make a difference?’” Harris said as she spoke in traditionally red state.

“Yes, it does,” she added. “You are making a difference, and momentum is on our side. You are making a difference.”

The vice president continued: “We know freedom has never come easy — never come easy.” “There has been no moment of our progress as a country that did not come about without a fight.”

“We know weeping may endure for a night,” the vice president said, quoting from the Bible. “But joy cometh in the morning.”

A banner reading "Vote for Reproductive Freedom" is seen above supporters waiting for the start of a campaign rally with Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on October 25, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday told a crowd at her rally in Houston that Texas is “ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom,” hoping to use that state’s restrictive abortion law to galvanize voters 11 days before the election.

“And everyone here tonight is here because we are about fighting for our future,” she added.

The beginning of Harris’ remarks were briefly interrupted by protesters. After one interruption, she paused and said, “Just send him to that small rally down the street,” before continuing her remarks. Former President Donald Trump was in Austin earlier Friday.