Trump to host New York rally following false reports of explosives nearby spread online: Live updates

WorldPolitics
19 Sep 2024 • 1:18 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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Donald Trump will host a rally in suburban New York on Wednesday evening making a pitch to reverse a tax policy he signed into law in 2017 that has a bigger impact on higher tax states.

The former president will speak at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, at 7pm, just three days after a second assassination attempt against him. Earlier in the day there was a brief security scare regarding a false report of an explosive device near the site that was quickly dismissed by law enforcement as having no factual basis.

"There is no validity to the report," a Nassau County PD spokesman told The Independent.

Trump’s decision to host a rally in New York is curious given that the election will almost certainly come down to voters in a handful of swing states. New polling from Quinnipiac shows Kamala Harris leading Trump by six points in Pennsylvania and five in Michigan — outside the margin of error.

A survey commissioned by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows the race between the former president and Harris tightening in Georgia, with Trump leading the vice president by just three percentage points, signaling yet another nail-biter from the Peach State in November.

Key Points

  • Donald Trump declares ‘only consequential presidents get shot at’ at Michigan town hall
  • Trump surprises booing supporters by praising Kamala Harris’s ‘very nice call’ after foiled attack
  • Harris condemns Trump’s pet-eating migrant conspiracy: ‘Exhausting, harmful and hateful’
  • Sarah Huckabee Sanders slams Harris for not having biological children
  • Democrat leads Trump by record margin of six points nationally, new poll finds

False reports of explosives found in a car near a Trump rally spread online

18:10

AP

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Law enforcement officials on Long Island worked quickly on Wednesday to publicly knock down social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near former President Donald Trump’s planned rally in New York.

The false reports of an explosive began circulating hours before the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign event at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, just days after he was apparently the target of a second possible assassination attempt.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said police questioned and detained a person who “may have been training a bomb detection dog,” near the site of the rally and “falsely reported explosives being found.”

Lt. Scott Skrynecki, a spokesperson for the county police, said in follow-up messages that the person, who police have not yet identified, was a civilian and not a member of a law enforcement agency.

He also said the person was not working at or affiliated with the event, which is expected to draw thousands of Trump supporters to the arena that was formerly the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

The rally is Trump’s first on Long Island, a suburban area just east of New York City, since 2017.

Earlier Wednesday, Skrynecki and other county officials responded swiftly to knock down the online line claims, which appear to have started with a post from a reporter citing unnamed sources in the local police department.

“False,” Skrynecki texted the AP as the claims spread on X, formerly Twitter.

“No. Ridiculous. Zero validity,” said Christopher Boyle, spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Trump mixed up Afghan airbase with oil-rich region of Alaska

17:50

Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been roasted after he bizarrely mixed up an Alaskan wildlife refuge and an Afghanistan airbase during a town hall in Michigan.

The former president appeared on stage in Flint on Tuesday for the event which was moderated by his former White House press secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

James Liddell tries to make sense of things as Trump says: “We just have the best. We have Bagram in Alaska.”

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New poll shows Georgia presidential race tightening after Harris took over ticket against Trump

17:30

Oliver O'Connell

A new poll released on Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump locked in a tightening race for Georgia with just 48 days left until the election.

Trump currently has 47 per cent of the vote, while Harris is on 44 per cent, with a 3.1 per cent margin of error, signaling we may be in for another nailbiter in the Peach State come November.

Seven per cent of voters are undecided, and third-party candidates drew less than one per cent of support from those surveyed.

Trump draws his support from 90 per cent of Republicans and just under two-thirds of white voters.

Harris has support from just over half of independents (versus one-third who support Trump) and 77 per cent of Black voters (12 per cent said they were undecided).

The poll was conducted for the paper by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs between September 9-15 among 1,000 likely voters.

17:25

Oliver O'Connell

And if you think that’s premature, the First Nail Ceremony for the Presidential Inauguration platform took place outside the Capitol this morning at which lawmakers ceremoniously bang in the first nails:

Senator Amy Klobuchar quipped: “I think at its very least, it will be therapeutic.”

The presidential inauguration is 124 days away, on January 20, 2025.

It’s the first time the ceremony has taken place since 2016 as in 2020 it would have conflicted with the memorial ceremonies for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Just 48 days until Election Day... time for transition planning!

17:20

Oliver O'Connell

Representatives for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ transition teams met for the first time at the White House, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, as the outgoing administration plans to smooth the handoff to whomever wins in November.

Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients hosted a meeting Tuesday of the White House Transition Coordinating Committee — the government’s senior-most transition planning group — and for the first time this year included Harris and Trump aides. The meeting and invitation to both parties’ representatives are required under the Presidential Transition Act, which mandates that the designated candidate representatives serve in an advisory capacity.

Continue reading...

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Vance once slammed Republicans for anti-immigrant stance. Now he’s pushing rumors about Haitians

17:00

Oliver O'Connell

JD Vance once penned a furious blog post sharing his disdain for the Republican party’s hostility toward immigrants – then urged his professor to delete it years later as he sought to enter politics.

As a 28-year-old Yale law student back in November 2012, the Ohio senator wrote an article titled: “A Blueprint for the GOP.”

In it, the more youthful and progressive Vance slammed Republicans for being “tone deaf” on immigration and “openly hostile to non-whites.”

Now, more than a decade later, as Donald Trump’s running mate, he has been accused of amplifying this same anti-immigrant rhetoric – most recently pushing false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

James Liddell reports.

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Watch: Speaker Johnson quizzed on how Trump’s proposed tax changes will be paid for

16:49

Oliver O'Connell

Coming up today on the campaign trail

16:46

Oliver O'Connell

12pm — Vice President Kamala Harris at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2024 Leadership Conference

3pm — Senator JD Vance campaigns in Raleigh, North Carolina

4.30pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigsn in New York, New York

7pm — Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Uniondale, New York

7.25pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigns in Brooklyn, New York

More than 100 former Republican national security figures back Harris in new letter

16:25

Oliver O'Connell

A large group of former national security figures who worked for Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump have signed an endorsement letter showing their support for Kamala Harris.

They warn that a second Trump administration would bring back the “daily chaos” that characterized his first term.

“We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not,” the letter reads.

Further, they give eight bullet points demonstrating how Harris has demonstrated her suitability to be president.

  • Consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles;
  • Pledged to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” and to honor and respect those who wear the uniform;
  • Committed to sign the bipartisan Border Security package, drafted under the leadership of Republican Senator James Lankford and other Republicans, which would hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel and provide more resources for law enforcement but was opposed by Donald Trump to avoid giving President Biden any political advantage;
  • Supported a strong NATO to stand up to Russia and protect European and American security and been firm in her support of Ukraine;
  • Declared her intention to ensure that the United States will meet the economic and military competition with China;
  • Declared her intention to “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and “to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”;
  • Demonstrated that she can engage in orderly national security decision-making, without the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump Administration; and
  • Committed to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.

Trump, they say, is unworthy of the presidency given his role in “inciting” the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.

“As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”

In addition to former lawmakers, other signatories include former ambassadors, lawyers, state department employees, and deputy or assistant advisors to more prominent figures in the national security community.

15:55

Oliver O'Connell

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Watch: Harris campaign continues to use Trump’s nonsensical rambling rally rants as campaign ads

15:40

Oliver O'Connell

Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past comments about Diddy

15:25

Oliver O'Connell

Jimmy Kimmel has reminded Donald Trump of the glowing comments he previously made about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who federal agents in New York arrested on Monday following months of civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.

After the judge denied the rapper bail on Tuesday, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said: “in the meantime, he’s getting his character references lined up.”

Well, this could be embarrassing, as Myriam Page reports.

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Watch: Melania defends nude modeling work ahead of book release

15:07

Oliver O'Connell

New documentary exposes Trump’s hunt for ‘yes men’ to push election fraud lies

14:55

Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump’s efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election is in the spotlight in a new documentary as it probes the former president’s efforts to surround himself with so-called “yes men” who will do his bidding.

Stopping the Steal, shown on HBO for the first time last night, tracks Trump’s extraordinary efforts from Election Day 2020 through to January 6 2021 to stay in power despite his defeat at the ballot box.

The film reveals the former president’s reliance on so-called “yes men,” a group that includes his DC allies and fringe conspiracy theorists alike, to boost his baseless claims while many elected officials refused to bend to Trump’s will.

Kelly Rissman has more.

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For first time, Harris victory seen most likely by economists

14:39

Oliver O'Connell

CNBC reports that for the first time in the 2024 election cycle, Vice President Kamala Harris is viewed as more likely than former President Donald Trump to win November’s presidential election, according to results of a CNBC Fed Survey published on Tuesday.

The 27 respondents to the survey include investment strategists, economists and fund managers. Among the group, 48 per cent see a Harris victory as the most likely scenario, while 41 per cent believe Trump will win.

The survey was conducted from September 12-14 several days after Harris and Trump’s first (and possibly only) debate.

The latest forecast marks a shift from the previous CNBC Fed Survey published in late July, when 50 per cent forecast a Trump victory and only 37 per cent believed Harris would win.

That poll was taken just nine days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.

When Biden was still in the race, 48 per cent of those surveyed thought Trump was the most likely winner, while 35 per cent believed Biden would be reelected. The remaining 17 per cent were unsure or did not know.

Future Trump administration would be full of ‘Laura Loomers,’ ex-aide warns

14:25

Joe Sommerlad

A former Trump aide has warned that the Republican presidential nominee’s administration would be full of “Laura Loomers of the world” if he is re-elected president in November.

Loomer, 31, a conservative conspiracy theorist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” has been placed under the microscope in recent weeks for her presence and perceived close relationship with the 78-year-old former president.

Now, Trump’s former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews weighed in on his connection to the outspoken conspiracy theorist and what role she might play in a second administration.

“I would imagine maybe she wants to be White House press secretary,” Matthews said on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki.

“And that is what is most concerning to me, because I’ve talked about this threat of, ‘Who will be staffing a second administration?’”

Matthews argued “it’s terrifying” that Trump could place someone like Loomer in government, warning that his staff would consist of “yes men and women.”

James Liddell reports.

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Harris: ‘I feel safe. But not everybody has the Secret Service’

13:55

Joe Sommerlad

This was a textbook answer from Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last night.

Half of Trump voters think his Haitian immigrant lies are true, poll finds

13:35

Joe Sommerlad

Nearly half of Donald Trump supporters say they believe his debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating residents’ pets.

Some 52 per cent of Trump voters said that the claim is “definitely” or “probably” true, according to a post-debate poll from YouGov released this week.

Meanwhile, 24 per cent of Trump voters said they’re “not sure” if it’s true while 25 per cent said it’s “probably” or “definitely” false.

On the other hand, 81 per cent of Kamala Harris voters said the claim is “definitely false.”

Katie Hawkinson has more.

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Vance fails to turn up to IVF vote – or to many votes at all

13:15

Joe Sommerlad

Speaking of the Republican vice presidential nominee, Eric Garcia has this on the Senator’s failure to turn up for key votes on Capitol Hill and why his prioritising campaigning may present Democrats with a hidden advantage.

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JD Vance says US could veto Nato if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk

12:45

Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s running mate has suggested that American support for Nato should be predicated on the European Union not regulating Elon Musk and his X social media platform.

The Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire if he allowed Trump back on X.

“The leader, I forget exactly which official it was within the European Union, but sent Elon this threatening letter that basically said, ‘We’re going to arrest you if you platform Donald Trump,’ who, by the way, is the likely next president of the United States,” Vance said in the interview published last week.

Vance then suggested that US support for Nato should be used as a cudgel to get the Europeans in line.

“So what America should be saying is, if Nato wants us to continue supporting them and Nato wants us to continue to be a good participant in this military alliance, why don’t you respect American values and respect free speech?” he asked.

“It’s insane that we would support a military alliance if that military alliance isn’t going to be pro-free speech. I think we can do both. But we’ve got to say American power comes with certain strings attached. One of those is respect free speech, especially in our European allies.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

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Watch: Trump bizarrely claims nuclear weapons are biggest threat to car industry

12:20

Joe Sommerlad

Here’s another very odd proclamation from the Republican nominee last night, which recalls his similar warning to banking industry CEOs in New York earlier this month.

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Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump was like a ‘little kid’ in awkward meeting last year

12:00

Joe Sommerlad

The former first lady and secretary of state said that Donald Trump’s wife reminded her of a “little kid” during an awkward meeting last year at ex-first lady Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service.

In her new book Something Lost, Something Gained, released on Tuesday, Clinton writes that she “never quite knew what to make of the third Mrs Trump.”

James Liddell has more.

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Springfield’s Republican mayor says he’d be ‘fine’ with Trump axing visit after pushing migrant claims

11:35

Joe Sommerlad

Mayor Rob Rue has said he would be “fine” with the Republcan presidential nominee canning his planned visit to Springfield, Ohio, the scene of Trump and JD Vance’s baseless claim that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets.

At a City Hall news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Rue explained that “it would be an extreme strain on our resources” if the former president visited.

“So it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit.”

Here’s more from Myriam Page.

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Trump told to increase security if he wants to keep golfing

11:15

Joe Sommerlad

The Republican has been advised by the Secret Service that he must significantly increase his security arrangements if he wishes to keep up with his favorite hobby – golf– following the second attempt on his life at his Florida course.

In a meeting with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces.

Here’s his lawyer Alina Habba on precisely that subject last night:

Mike Bedigan reports.

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Trump repeats immigration scaremongering on Hannity

10:45

Joe Sommerlad

It was a busy evening for the Republican presidential nominee, who once again called into Sean Hannity’s primetime show on Fox News to double-down on his customary pre-election immigration fear-stoking.

Trump threatens to sue post office because ‘they’ll lose ballots’

10:25

Joe Sommerlad

The former president appeared on Real America’s Voice on Monday night, once again dragging up his claims from both before and after the 2020 election that mail-in ballots are heavily affected by fraud, even though the voting method has been found to be safe and secure.

Trump claimed: “We have very bad elections. We have a bad voting system. We have mail-in ballots. You know it’s very interesting, I read the other day, the post office is saying how bad it is.

“The post office is critiquing itself saying, ‘We’re really in bad shape, we can’t deliver the mail,’ and they’re not even talking about mail-in ballots,” he added.

“‘We’re gonna dump millions and millions of ballots.’ And I’m saying to myself, ‘How can they be taking the vote?’”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

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Watch: Trump sends message to anyone who leaves his rallies early

10:05

Joe Sommerlad

Still hurting from Harris’s attack on the debate stage a week ago that people were leaving his campaign events early out of “boredom and exhaustion”, Trump had this to say on the subject in Flint.

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders slams Harris for not having biological children

09:45

Joe Sommerlad

Back in Flint, the Arkansas Governor appeared to criticize the Vice President for not having biological children during last night’s event.

“My kids keep me humble,” Huckabee Sanders said in Flint. “Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”

Here’s more on an appalling low blow echoing JD Vance from Gustaf Kilander.

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Kamala Harris condemns Trump’s pet-eating migrant conspiracy: ‘Exhausting, harmful and hateful’

09:25

Joe Sommerlad

The Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee was speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia last night, the same organisation Trump spoke to in late July when he made his notorious “happened to turn Black” comment about her race.

Here’s what she had to say about the Springfield, Ohio, conspiracy the Republican ticket has been pushing.

Trump surprises booing supporters by praising Harris’s ‘very nice call’ at town hall

09:05

Joe Sommerlad

Drawing boos in Flint, Trump said he had a “very nice” call with Vice President Kamala Harris when she checked in on him after the second failed assassination attempt against him during this campaign.

“I have to say that President Biden called me yesterday, [it] was... a very nice conversation. I appreciated that he called about, you know what happened the other day,” Trump began.

“A little while ago, I got a very nice call from Kamala. It was very nice... and we appreciate that, but we have to take back our country. We have to win. We’re going to win, and we’re going to make America great again.”

As he spoke, sections of the crowd at the town hall booed at the mention of Harris’s name.

Despite that, Trump mentioned the call again later in the town hall, insisting that the Vice President “couldn’t have been nicer.”

Gustaf Kilander has more.

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Trump declares ‘only consequential presidents get shot at' at Michigan town hall

08:45

Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

Let’s take a look back at Donald Trump’s madcap town hall with his former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Flint, Michigan, last night.

The Republican presidential nominee attempted to turn the threats against his life into a compliment by claiming that “only consequential presidents get shot at” and insisted again that he does not “ramble” during his public appearances.

“The fake news likes to say, ‘Oh he was rambling.’ No, no. That’s not rambling. That’s genius,” Trump said.

“When you can connect the dots. Now, Sarah, if you couldn’t connect the dots, you got a problem. But every dot was connected. And many stories were told in that little paragraph.”

Alrighty then.

Among the examples of his “genius” on show in Flint was his confusing an Alaska wildlife reserve with an Afghan airbase, saying climate change would be great for the seafront property sector, suggesting that China had deliberately unleashed Covid-19 on the world to sabotage his presidency and raving about windmills and the threat nuclear warefare poses to local manufacturing.

Brittany Mahomes now questioning Trump support, report says

08:15

Oliver O'Connell

Brittany Mahomes is reportedly questioning her support of Donald Trump, following the former president’s attack on one of her close friends – Taylor Swift.

Trump’s recent attacks on Swift – who last week officially backed Kamala Harris for president – have reportedly shaken Mahomes “to her core.”

Mike Bedigan has the story.

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07:30

Oliver O'Connell

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I traveled with Tim Walz after the second attempted Trump assassination. Here’s how he reacted

06:30

Oliver O'Connell

The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg has been traveling with Tim Walz — something he calls a ‘surreal affair’ — and details how Harris’s running mate responded to the second attempted shooting of Trump at his golf course in Florida.

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Former Trump aide says second administration will be filled with the ‘Laura Loomers of the world'

05:30

Oliver O'Connell

A former Donald Trump aide warned that the Republican presidential nominee’s staff would be full of “Laura Loomers of the world” if he is re-elected president in November.

Loomer, 31, the conservative conspiracy theorist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” has been placed under the microscope in recent weeks for her presence and perceived close relationship with the 78-year-old former president.

Now, Trump’s former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews weighed in on the Republican presidential nominee’s connection to the MAGA stalwart, and what role she might play in a second administration.

Read on...

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Trump’s pal recalls watching Secret Service jump on former president during assassination attempt

04:30

Oliver O'Connell

One of Donald Trump’s golfing partners has recalled the moment that Secret Service members “converged” on the former president after gunshots rang out across the Florida golf course.

Businessman Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump friend and political donor, said the agents present took “two seconds, maybe three” to spring into action and usher Trump off the course.

The incident happened on Sunday as the pair played at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Mike Bedigan reports.

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‘Sorry!’: MSNBC host curses live on air while taunting Trump’s ‘dirtbag’ crypto partner

03:30

Oliver O'Connell

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle cursed live on air while delivering scathing criticism about Donald Trump’s business partner in his new cryptocurrency venture.

Chase Herro, the self-styled “dirtbag of the internet,” is the dealmaker behind World Liberty Financial, the crypto project Trump is working on with his two eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr.