US Election News Updates: Joe Biden casts early ballot for Harris as Election Day nears

President Joe Biden on Monday cast his ballot in the U.S. presidential election, voting early in his home state of Delaware for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in her race against Republican Donald Trump. The president, who dropped his re-election bid in July, joined many Americans who can vote before next Tuesday's polling day. He cast his vote at an early voting site in New Castle, Delaware.

Kamala Harris said Monday she would take a cognitive test in response to jabs from Donald Trump, and challenged the ex-president to take one too as mental fitness becomes a battle line in the White House race.

Harris has repeatedly said her 78-year-old Republican opponent, now the oldest presidential candidate in US history, is increasingly "unhinged" and unfit to lead the country again.

Trump has meanwhile called the 60-year-old Democratic vice president stupid, attacking her IQ in his pitch to voters in a race that the polls suggest is effectively tied.

The remarks came as he was poking fun at his opponent’s large rally in Houston with Beyoncè.

“Why the hell would she be celebrating when you’re down?” Trump asked of Harris.

He added: “Maybe she knows something we don’t. But were not going to let it happen. Can’t let it happen.”

Trump has suggested repeatedly that the election results may be fixed so that he can’t win. He’s suggested he’ll only accept the results if the election is “fair,” suggesting he may not accept them unless he wins.

The former president mimicked advice he said he was getting: “‘Sir, Please don’t say you’re going to protect women.’” But, he said, he plans to keep saying it. “I mean, that’s our job.”

Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his first term that overturned the Roe v. Wade decision constitutionally guaranteeing a woman’s right to an abortion. He now says that, if he wins in November, women will feel protected and won’t have to think about abortion again.

Donald Trump criticized federal subsidies aiming to significantly boost U.S. semiconduction manufacturing, one of Biden’s signature achievements. Chipmakers have credited the legislation for enabling billions of dollars in new factories, including in battleground state Arizona.

Tariffs would be a better way to encourage domestic chip making, he said, drawing on a tax policy he has suggested to solve a variety of societal challenges.

“You know, Taiwan, they stole our chip business,” Trump told Rogan. “Okay. They want us to protect and they want protection. They don’t pay us money for the protection, you know? The mob makes you pay money, right?”

Trump Media & Technology Group, despite its modest revenue and struggling social media platform Truth Social, is valued near $8 billion — a figure that has tripled in just weeks. CNN reports that this dramatic surge in share price stems largely from market bets on a Trump 2024 election victory. Investors see the stock as a high-stakes proxy for election outcomes, with analysts calling it a “meme stock” driven by hype rather than fundamentals. Experts caution the stock could sharply decline if Trump loses, as its current valuation hinges on his political fortunes, not the company’s business performance.

Most voters doubt that former President Donald Trump will concede if he loses the 2024 presidential election, according to a recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Only 30% of registered voters believe Trump would accept the results, while 73% think Vice President Kamala Harris would concede. A significant majority of Harris supporters—97%—expect her to acknowledge a loss, compared to just 57% of Trump's backers. Additionally, 56% of voters express little trust in the Supreme Court to make fair decisions on election-related cases. The poll, conducted from October 20-23, 2024, surveyed 1,704 registered voters nationwide【CNN reported】.

The Philippines expects US policies in the Asia-Pacific to remain steady after the presidential election, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said, underscoring the enduring strength of the Philippine-US alliance, Reuters reports. Teodoro highlighted the partnership’s foundation on shared security interests and international law, especially amid China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. The Philippines has boosted defence ties with the US, Japan, and Australia, supporting patrols and military drills aimed at deterring potential conflicts with China. Teodoro, pursuing an ambitious military upgrade, noted that deterring threats will depend on maintaining strong international support and capabilities in the region.

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, the Electoral College system, which propelled Donald Trump to victory in 2016 despite losing the popular vote, is once again in the spotlight. Established in 1787, this system requires candidates to secure 270 out of 538 electoral votes, often leading to a focus on swing states. Trump's surprising win reignited debates over the Electoral College, a topic that remains contentious. Following a chaotic certification process in 2021, this time, Vice President Kamala Harris will oversee Congress's certification of the winner on January 6, 2025. AFP reported on these developments, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of the electoral process.

President Joe Biden will cast his early vote on October 28 in Wilmington, Delaware, as part of a widespread Democratic push to mobilise voters ahead of the November 5 election. Early voting, already underway across the US, has gained traction, with over 42 million votes cast so far, following the trend from the 2020 election’s high turnout. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee after withdrawing from the race in July. Harris’s campaign has encouraged early voting to secure votes ahead of election day, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, previously critical of early voting, now supports its use to bolster turnout. (agencies report)

With the US presidential election fast approaching, financial markets are tense, watching closely as candidates outline vastly different economic visions. Historically, US stock markets have often outperformed under Democratic presidencies, showing a higher equity risk premium and GDP growth. Research by Pastor and Veronesi attributes this to voter risk aversion during economic crises, which can favour Democrats. Australian markets, closely tied to US cycles, similarly reflect this trend. However, with the US economy strong and booming job growth, a Democrat win might not ignite a market rally. Nonetheless, a surprise Republican victory could trigger a short-term stock surge. (Inputs from PTI)

As the US election nears, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris continue their heated campaigns. Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally was marked by fiery speeches, including his promise to initiate “the largest deportation program in American history” if elected, and he described Harris as a “very low IQ individual.” Meanwhile, Harris engaged crowds at a Houston rally with Beyoncé and asserted, “The momentum is with us.” Harris criticised Trump’s “grievance” rhetoric and pledged to “invest in Puerto Rico’s future.” Both candidates are neck and neck in key battleground states, setting the stage for a tightly contested race, Reuters reported.

At the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, officials discussed potential impacts of a Donald Trump return, alongside issues like low growth, high debt, and global conflicts. Trump's proposed tariffs, tax cuts, and increased debt sparked concerns, as did his stance on fossil fuels over climate action. In contrast, a win for Kamala Harris is seen as maintaining Biden’s multilateral approach. Financial markets are already reflecting a "Trump effect," and finance leaders worry a trade war could worsen inflation. The IMF underscored the need to address debt challenges to avoid a low-growth future, according to Reuters reports.

• Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden, reiterating key themes of his campaign to energize his base in the final days before election day.
• Harris spent the day in Pennsylvania, adopting an optimistic tone while cautioning about the "high stakes" of the upcoming vote.
• Remarks made by a comedian at Trump's New York rally have sparked outrage among Latino artists and civil rights groups, with Puerto Ricans being a crucial voting bloc in several swing states.
• Over 41 million Americans have already cast their ballots in this year's election, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.

• Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny signaled support for Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, sharing a clip on social media of the vice president’s plans for the island moments after a speaker made an offensive joke at Donald Trump’s New York rally, sparking outrage.
• The move comes as both the Harris and Trump campaigns have been vying for the Puerto Rican vote, especially in battleground Pennsylvania, where about 500,000 Puerto Ricans live. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, shared the campaign clip to his more than 45 million followers on Instagram.
• “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,” Harris says in the video, which Bad Bunny reshared multiple times with a focus on Trump. “He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.” (Reuters)

Trump's campaign announced that the event at Madison Square Garden, which has a capacity of 19,500 seats and can cost over $1 million to rent, is sold out. Tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis, similar to the arrangement for Harris' rally in Houston.

• Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump headlined a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday that began with a series of vulgar and racist remarks by allies of the former president.
• Trump, a New York celebrity for decades, hoped to use the event at the iconic venue known for Knicks basketball games and Billy Joel concerts to deliver his closing argument against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, even though the state last backed a Republican presidential candidate in 1984.
• Trump spoke repeatedly about his plans to halt illegal immigration and deport migrants he described as "vicious and bloodthirsty criminals" if he wins the Nov. 5 election. (Reuters)

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of upcoming US Elections 2024. Nine days before the voting, stay with us for all the updates on what Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are doing in their poll campaign.