Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Trump, Harris Make Last Pitches On Campaign Trail; Battleground States Prepare Security Plans For Election Day; Trump Sows Doubt Over Election Integrity On Campaign Trail; Spain's King And Queen Pelted With Mud In Flood-Hit Valencia; Harris, Trump Make Final Pitches Ahead of Election Day; International Community Keeping Tabs on Election; Mexico Looks to Bolster Trade Relations with New President; Europe Wary and Uncertain Awaiting U.S. Election Result; New President's Potential Impact on Korean Security; Pro-West, Pro-E.U. President Wins Second Term; Harris Vows to Do All She Can to "End the War in Gaza"; Poll: Israelis Favor Trump for President Over Harris; Early Voters Visit Susan B. Anthony's Grave. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 04, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, it is the eve of Election Day here in the United States. Both candidates on their final day of campaigning. And with a razor tight race, we'll look at the potential paths to victory.
And from Mexico to South Korea, what countries around the world are watching for and hoping for in the U.S. election.
Plus, Spain's king pelted with eggs and hearing chants of murderer as anger over the government's response to historic flooding boils over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: It is the last day before the highly anticipated presidential election in the U.S. and both campaigns are about to make their final pitches to voters in a race whose outcome remains anything but certain.
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump have focused on key battleground states ahead of Tuesday's vote. And in the coming hours, they'll both travel to Pennsylvania for rallies.
On Sunday, Harris and Trump fanned out, hitting other key states like Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina. The vice president looking to draw a sharp contrast between herself and Trump as he continues to turn to ever darker messaging on the campaign trail.
The latest CNN poll of polls shows exactly why both candidates are laser focused on the battleground states from Arizona to Pennsylvania. The averages of recent polling in each state show there is still no clear leader. And thanks to early voting in many states, more than 75 million people have already cast their ballots for president.
Donald Trump plans another multistate swing on Monday as he tries one last time to reach undecided voters in the election battlegrounds. But his rhetoric in the lead up to Election Day has increasingly grown darker. CNN's Alayna Treene has more from North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump, with just two days left until Election Day, spent his Sunday at three different rallies. Now, during his remarks, he railed against a slate of recent polls that show him losing ground to Kamala Harris. He continued to make unfounded claims about election fraud in this current election. Of course, the election again is not for another two days.
And then also at one point while talking about some of the accomplishments he felt he had in his -- in the White House when he was president, started saying that he shouldn't have left the White House at all. Now, one moment as well that I do want to bring your attention to is some pretty inflammatory remarks he said about journalists.
Now during his first rally of the day when he was in Pennsylvania, he was talking about and remarking on the bulletproof glass surrounding his podium. And then he argued that when, you know, if someone wanted to shoot him, they would have to go through the media first to get to him. And then he said, I actually wouldn't mind that. Take a listen to how he put it in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have a piece of glass over here, and I don't have a piece of glass there, and I have this piece of glass here. But all we have really over here is the fake news. Right. And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don't mind that so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: So I don't mind were Donald Trump's words. Now, clearly, that type of rhetoric is not the rhetoric that the Trump campaign wants him to be focusing on right now with just two days left until Election Day. The goal is to really focus and hone his closing message.
When I talk to the campaign, they say it's about the economy trying to convince voters that they were better off four years ago than they are now, to talk about the border, to talk about turnout, which is really the key goal right now is convincing voters to get out to the polls on Election Day in spite of, you know, tens of millions of people having already voted early. That's what they want him to be talking about. But instead, he spent a lot of time veering off script.
And of course, some of those more inflammatory remarks and comments are what a lot of the media and other people are going to be focusing on, which is not what the Trump campaign wants their message to be. Alayne Treene, CNN, Kinston, North Carolina. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Kamala Harris didn't mention Trump as she made her final appeal to voters in the crucial state of Michigan on Sunday, but she did make clear her campaign is about a new way forward. CNN's Jeff Zeleny with the details from East Lansing.
[01:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris closing her campaign with a note of optimism, saying it's time to turn the page. At a speech on Sunday night on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, the vice president implored her supporters to take the final hours of this campaign to do all they can to make sure she defeats Donald Trump.
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: From the very start, our campaign has not been about being against something. It is about being for something. A fight for a future with freedom, opportunity, and dignity for all Americans. And so in these final hours, let us remember that there is power in knowing that we are together. And let us remember that your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.
ZELENY: These campaigns are closing in remarkably different ways. As former President Donald Trump is already questioning the results of Tuesday's election. Vice President Harris is urging her supporters to stay hopeful and optimistic even as she tries to fight to win Michigan and these other blue wall states.
It is no coincidence that she's closing her campaign in Michigan before spending the entire day before the election in Pennsylvania. It is the critical blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that she believes offer her best path to the White House. There is no doubt this race is still a margin of error race. Every single battleground state is a coin toss, but the Harris campaign and the vice president herself believe momentum is on her side in the closing hours of the race. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, East Lansing, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: It is very likely the outcome of this race will come down to the results in just seven key swing states. CNN's John King is at the magic wall to break down how those states could factor into either a Harris or a Trump victory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The data tell us it is the closest race in the 10. This is my 10th presidential election, and there's never been one this close according to the numbers. But they do sometimes break late. So you should prepare yourself for any possibility of outcomes, a split back and forth between the states. Or you could prepare yourself that one candidate does have late momentum and runs up most of the battleground states.
Either one of those scenarios, a sort of a split decision, a boxing match, or somebody sweeping most of them, is possible. So let's go through some of the numbers and why do I say that? Let's start in the blue wall states. Right. Look at these. Forgive me for turning my back. Just want to stretch this out a little bit so people can see it more clearly at home.
This is the CNN Poll of Polls. You're right. There was some New York Times data out today. There are some hints of maybe a little bit of Harris momentum in there. The Sunday before the election, I always lapse back into caution mode. Right. Let's be careful, let's let people vote, let's be respectful of the process and let's look at the average of the polls. That's the safest way to do it. 49, 46 in Wisconsin. So you could say Harris is a lead. That's so close. It's, you know, that's a statistical tie. But 48, 46 in Michigan, 48, 48 actual -- an actual tie in, of course, battleground Pennsylvania.
So let me just shrink this down and take it off to the side a little bit and put it down here and then we'll do this one. So that's the blue wall states. What about the Sunbelt states? Right. So forgive me again, I just want to stretch it out. North Carolina, Trump with a one point edge. That's the statistical tie. No clear leader. Georgia, same thing. Trump 49, Harris 47. So the Trump campaign say we're ahead a little bit. I would say then that means who turns out. It's going to affect that in Arizona again, Trump consistently has had a tiny lead in Arizona, small lead in Arizona, 49, 47 again, certainly advantage Trump by the numbers, but within reach for the Vice President. It's that close.
So let's take this literally, as in let's assume it played out exactly like our averages say on the Sunday before. Right. So you have Harris gets Wisconsin, Harris gets Michigan. Pennsylvania is an actual tie. Right. Donald Trump would get North Carolina in that scenario. There we go. Make it red. Donald Trump will get Georgia in that scenario. Make it red. Donald Trump gets Arizona in that scenario. Make it red.
Where does that leave you? Look at this. We don't have any recent polls. We don't have enough to have a poll of polls in Nevada. So we're leaving that one as a toss-up. But under that scenario, just giving them, as we have them in our battleground poll of polls right now, 262 for Trump, 251 for Harris. Doesn't matter really who would win Nevada in that case, it would get Harris to 257. It would get Trump to 268. So let's, for the sake of this argument, leave it yellow as a toss-up. Because the point is it all comes down to battleground Pennsylvania in this scenario.
If everything plays out exactly the way it averages out right now, whoever wins Pennsylvania, wins 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and gets to be President. United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: John King there. Now, Donald Trump already appears to be laying the groundwork to challenge the election results, baselessly telling his supporters there has been evidence of fraud in the early voting when there has not. But Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says it's the same old tactics Trump has tried before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): It's the same thing that he tried in 2020.
[01:10:00]
And, you know, we had absolutely a secure election. And now there was voter fraud in Pennsylvania and it was a handful of Republicans and they had their dead moms voting for Trump. And I'd like to remind everybody that they were all caught and they were prosecuted. And now and again, Dan Patrick in Texas still owes me a significant lot of money for the reward that he owes from 2020. There was no voter fraud. He tried. And I would just tell him that desperation is the worst cologne and I expected he was going to do that.
It's not going to be effective, just any more effective than it was in 2020. And anyone that platformed his lies, that was a very expensive kinds of habit as well, too. You know, Fox had to pay over $800 million for those kinds of lies. And all of his supporters, you know, they were all dragged into court and they all turned their minds and they're like, oh, no, oh no, I'm sorry that I lied. And remember the Kraken? The Kraken, you know, and her defense was nobody takes her impossibly seriously. It's, again, it's the same sad story that he had in '20.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Meanwhile, some Trump allies appear reluctant to hold the former president accountable for his claims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: He's setting the stage for his supporters not to believe the results if he loses. Do you want him to stop doing that?
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): I would never tell any candidate on the ballot to talk about what happens if they lose. Obviously, you're going to lean into the victory especially.
BASH: I appreciate that, Senator, forgive me, but spreading false rumors --
SCOTT: You're running ahead your candidate.
BASH: Totally. The same poll states about fraud.
SCOTT: Totally disagree is not you.
BASH: You think it's OK to spread false rumors about fraud and undermine the integrity of the election regardless of what happens?
SCOTT: Dana, the liberal media has done a better job of spreading misinformation than any candidate I've seen so far.
BASH: Oh come senator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, police departments across the US Are increasing security efforts for election day and beyond with deep divisions over this election. In the long shadow of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol Police in several cities are on alert. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz shows you how they're preparing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Know where those polling locations are, but don't go unless you're explicitly requested to respond.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Police departments in battleground states across the nation are gearing up for the 2024 election like never before.
CHIEF SHON BARNES, MADISON, WISCONSIN POLICE: I've been in this business for 25 years. I can't think of an election where we have had as much planning and preparation for safety a lot of that has to do with what happened on January 6.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it is reported to us.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): CNN granted access to a Madison, Wisconsin police briefing on what officers should anticipate.
DET. GRACE FAVOR, CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE, MADISON, WISCONSIN POLICE: What we look for in criminal intelligence is not only day of protecting the ballots. If there's going to be any protest activity.
PROKUPECZ: It's interesting because the battleground states, the chiefs have really been. I feel like you guys have all been talking.
BARNES: Me and thousands of police chiefs all over the country are really taking this very, very seriously. So if something happens in another part of the state, I want to be aware of it. I want to be able to let folks know, hey, this is what happened in Georgia or Arizona or Pennsylvania.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): It's not only problems on the ground that worry police chiefs. They're concerned with social media.
BARNES: The disinformation worries me. We will be responsible for correcting that narrative.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Cities say they're ready. In Philadelphia, courts are canceled on election day to free up hundreds officers. In Georgia, panic buttons have been installed at precincts that will alert law enforcement. And in Arizona, plainclothes officers may deploy in parking lots of voting sites.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our first path is also going to be to deescalate and to see if we can just defuse the situation. PROKUPECZ: A lot of focus on November 5th, election day. But law
enforcement is also very concerned about the days after the election as votes are being potentially tallied. And also the certification process, which takes place here at the Capitol in December.
BARNES: The apprehension is about what happens after that if the will of the people, you know, isn't done or people don't accept the results.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is your ballot activated.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): For Pat Butler, who's been an election volunteer for nearly five decades, she says she isn't worried.
PAT BUTLER, ELECTION VOLUNTEER: For me to see people coming out to vote, it's just remarkable.
BARNES: Hop in.
PROKUPECZ: Do you feel you need to prepare differently?
[01:15:00]
BARNES: We want to try to prepare for, you know, worst case scenario. But I do believe that depending on who wins or who loses, the tenor of the conversation will change. We hope that there's a concession speech and it allows people to heal and move on and put what appears to be a divided country back on the same path.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I'm joined now by Elizabeth Wydra. She's the president of the Constitutional Accountability Center. It's great to have your voice on this. You're well qualified to speak on it. I mean, there is so little trust in the electoral system in the U.S. right now, particularly from the right, but also the left is worried Republicans and what they might do after election day. What to you, is the fundamental reason for that mistrust these days?
ELIZABETH WYDRA, PRESIDENT, CONSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY CENTER: Well, I think part of it is very intentional. We saw after the 2020 election efforts from particularly the Trump campaign to try to cast doubt on the election, even though all the evidence, everything, showed that it was actually a free and fair election. And there are checks and balances in the system that make sure that everyone's voice is heard and that all the votes are counted properly and that only eligible voters are the ones who are actually voting.
But all of this misinformation that's put out, and then in addition, these lawsuits that are filed, which aren't necessarily filed because there are facts to support them or because they think they're going to prevail, but because the simple fact of the lawsuit being filed helps to create that mistrust --
HOLMES: Right. WYDRA: -- helps to say, hey, look, if there's smoke, maybe there's fire, when actually there is no fire. There is a free and fair election being held that takes time and takes a lot of effort. But there are those check balances.
HOLMES: So has enough been done, particularly post-January 6, to shore up the institutions and guardrails? I mean, what if Republicans stall certification of results, you know, even in states that Harris wins past that December deadline, which they tried to do last time, and then the Republican controlled House could declare Trump the winner. Could that happen? And could more have been done to circumvent potentially impactful tactics this time around?
WYDRA: Well, Congress has passed a law since the 2020 election that tries to shore up the safeguards against something like that happening, that tries to make sure that the electoral count goes smoothly and that it can't be abused in that way. You know, obviously this is going to be a real test of that, and so we will see.
But literally our democracy depends on it. And the voices of the people who are casting their ballots and deserve to be heard depend on the system working. And, you know, we learned a lot from the January 6th investigation about how the Trump campaign, even before they knew they lost the election, intended to pretend that they didn't lose it, to try to hold on to power. And so I think people are prepared for that.
HOLMES: Yes.
WYDRA: And we've already seen this playbook to a certain extent, so there can be some preparations made, and judges are ready, you know, electoral workers are ready, and hopefully that the system will make sure that our voices are counted.
HOLMES: But to that point, I mean, you've taken part in cases before the Supreme Court. We know what happened with Bush v. Gore in 2000. Do you think the American public expects the current Supreme Court to be nonpartisan if this 2024 election ends up before the justices? And it could?
WYDRA: Yes. You know, we've already seen some cases, not, of course, at the level of Bush v. Gore, but even in this election, there's been a case where the Supreme Court, on what's called its shadow docket, allowed a Virginia purge of voters to go forward even this close to the election. There was another case where the court ruled in favor of allowing provisional ballots in Pennsylvania to be counted. So already cases are coming to the Supreme Court.
But you raise an excellent point that the public's trust in the Supreme Court as a neutral arbiter of justice has gone significantly down after they overturned Roe versus Wade. You know, and it's been building for a long time. Bush v. Gore, you know, was 20 something years ago. But there have been decisions along the way that have eroded public confidence in the Supreme Court.
And this is when we really do need a Supreme Court that follows the law, that has the trust and confidence of the public.
HOLMES: Yes.
WYDRA: And so that institution, having lost some of that confidence because of their decisions, that a lot of Americans view as partisan is problematic in this moment.
HOLMES: You focus on constitutional matters. What do you think the Founding Fathers would make of the state of elections, election integrity, and the tactics being employed these days by political parties and partisans?
[01:20:02]
WYDRA: Well, on the one hand, I think that they would be, you know, mortified. But on the other hand, you know, they knew very well the threats to American democracy when they wrote the Constitution. Of course, it was a fledgling democracy, and they knew that it was in some ways delicate. And so, it's really a testament that we have this enduring Constitution. Particularly I think it's enduring because it's been amended over time to be more inclusive and more just and more egalitarian.
But they wrote into the Constitution, you know, protections that they hoped would keep us from democracy failing. But they knew that democracy was something that was fragile and that it was up to Americans to keep it strong. So really the test.
HOLMES: We're right out of time, but I just wanted to very quickly, if you could keep it brief, what should Americans do on election night so they're not fooled by anything they see or hear. Real quick.
WYDRA: Yes, you know, that's a really great question. You know, you got to make sure that your sources, where you're getting your news are legitimate. You know, don't trust everything you see on social media. Make sure that you're getting news from diverse, varied and legitimate sources.
HOLMES: Stay off social media is probably a good idea.
WYDRA: Unless you're looking at like, dogs or memes or something.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. Cat videos. Elizabeth Wydra, a real pleasure to meet you and chat to you about this. Thanks so much.
WYDRA: Thank you.
HOLMES: Spain's king and queen paid a visit to Valencia, an area ravaged by some of Europe's worst flooding in decades, but they did not receive the royal treatment. We'll have more on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Spain is bracing for more rainfall in areas already ravaged by historic flooding, parts of the east coast under orange and yellow warnings for heavy rain and storms. Forecasters say some places could see about 50 millimeters of rain per hour on Monday.
Meanwhile, cleanup efforts were hampered on Sunday in Valencia, which saw more rainfall just days after the region experienced the country's worst flooding in modern history. Dozens of people still unaccounted for, and Authorities say about 3,000 homes are without power.
An angry crowd there, outraged over the government's response to the flooding, could be heard chanting killer. During the king and queen's visit to one of the hardest hit areas on Sunday. Atika Shubert is in Valencia with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Residents in Valencia are furious with the government for the slow response to the flooding disaster. The royal family, the king and queen of Spain, came to visit Paiporta. This is one of the most affected areas of Valencia, and they came here on Sunday with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Regional governor Carlos Mazon.
[01:25:07]
But when they stepped out onto the street, still caked in mud from the flood, they were confronted by angry mob that hurled insults, eggs and mud at the king and queen. It was a very tense situation. At one point, police looked like they might lose control of the mob.
What ended up happening was security whisked away Prime Minister Sanchez, but the king and queen remained and insisted on moving forward and talking to members of the public. And there are some incredible scenes of residents right up in the face of the king and queen berating them for their -- for failing to respond to the crisis in time.
Now the social media channel of the royal family published video showing distraught members of the public being embraced by the king, at one point falling into the king's arms as he listened to what they had to say. But it was such a tense situation that the visit had to be cut short and suspended.
So it really just goes to show how angry people are. And to make matters worse, the weather is turning bad once again. Spain's meteorological agency has upgraded the red alert warning system for Valencia. Unfortunately, for a region that has already been hit by floods, the last thing people want to see here is more rain. Atika Shubert for CNN in Valencia, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In Indonesia, at least six people are dead after a volcano erupted in the east of the country, Mount Lewotobi Laki, that erupted just after midnight on Monday and sent thick brown ash spewing thousands of meters into the air. Officials said hot ash hit a nearby village, burning down several houses, including a convent of Catholic nuns. It's Indonesia's second volcanic eruption in as many weeks. When we come back on the program, countries around the world anxiously
awaiting the results of the U.S. election. We'll hear from correspondents across the globe on how foreign relations could change depending on who wins the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:29:44]
HOLMES: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me Michael Holmes.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are running out of time to court voters ahead of election day polls on Tuesday.
Trump's going all out. On Monday four different rallies in three battleground states. Two of them in the critical state of Pennsylvania.
That's also where Harris will spend her last day campaigning. Her final pitch will come at a star-studded rally in Philadelphia.
The contest still so incredibly tight. There is no clear leader. The latest CNN poll of polls shows Harris leading Trump by just one point.
Joining me now from Los Angeles is Michael Genovese, a political analyst, president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University and author of "The Modern Presidency: Six Debates that Defined the Institution".
Always good to see you, sir.
So what do you make of the closing messages in the last few days? What do you think is resonating? What is a turn off for whomever hasn't yet decided or voted already?
MICHAEL GENOVESE, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Well, there has been a lot of voting already, and there are very few undecideds.
But Kamala Harris' strategy started out, right after she got the nomination, very positive message. She went darker and more negative attacking Trump then, and that didn't work well for her. So she's back to a positive message and we'll see if that resonates.
Donald Trump is all anger all the time. He's had a dark message from the very beginning, a lot of violent rhetoric, fear-mongering. But that's what he's trying to get his base to get excited, get revved up and get out to vote.
Donald Trump has not tried to change voters, to lure new voters in. He's trying to rev up his base that already love him.
HOLMES: Yes. You know, talking about Trump, I mean he was at a Pennsylvania rally on Sunday. He described the Democratic Party as demonic. Said he shouldn't have left the White House in 2020. And that he wouldn't mind if a gunman aiming at him shot through the fake news media.
I mean that's one rally, but that kind of messaging has him 50-50 in this election. Why?
GENOVESE: It's amazing that he has 50. I think you have to just look back on his base and how much loyalty there is, affection for him, even love for him.
It's an unusually deep sense of devotion that they have to him. He has a certain magical quality that appeals to a certain segment of the population, just as it repulses the other segment.
But that's what's going on in America. We are very divided, a division that is wide and getting wider. And it's also getting darker.
And the darker is because Donald Trump loves to talk about violence and make hints and drop hints about violence -- completely unnecessary, completely uncalled for. But it works for his base.
HOLMES: Yes. We talk all the time about the presidential race for obvious reasons, but speak to the importance of down ballot voting. I mean, who controls the House and the Senate is pretty important to all of this.
How do you see that shaping up? And how crucial are those votes versus who becomes president?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, it hasn't been in the front pages of the news, but it should be because that's an incredibly important question, because ours is a tale of three branches, not one.
And the president, in order to govern effectively needs Congress. And he needs to use congressional legislation to get the gold standard that he wants.
Right now, the Democrats have a razor thin control of the Senate. But it looks like they're going to lose that. The House Republicans have a razor thin majority. They might lose that.
And so I think the Democrats are probably in more trouble in the House and Senate than the Republicans. But either way, no president, whomever it is, will have a mandate to govern.
HOLMES: Yes. Of course, most of us are on the edge of our seats about election day and the days after. But just as importantly are the days and days after. What do you expect to see happen as the dust settles on the 2024 race?
GENOVESE: Well, you know Donald Trump has already filed over 130 lawsuits. So if he loses, there will be more lawsuits. There'll be more chaos. There will be more promised revenge as he's already made clear and there may very well be violence.
I mean, Donald Trump is a bad winner, but he's a terrible loser. And so I think, you know, we've seen the movie before. It's what happened in 2020. It didn't end well, it ended in January 6th. And Donald Trump, he will not go quietly into the night. He will -- he
will go kicking and screaming and so he could cause deep trouble and take the divisions that we have and drive us even further apart as a country.
HOLMES: He's talked a lot about, you know, his little secret with the -- with the House leader, Mike Johnson. A lot of people take that to mean that there are Republican operatives in county, district, state levels who are in there simply to stop the certification of various states.
[01:34:48]
HOLMES: You could have a situation where Kamala Harris gets the 270 on paper, and then some of those states just won't certify which can lead to a situation of the House voting -- voting-in the president, which would be insane, but it could happen.
A lot of people are worried about that. Are you?
GENOVESE: I'm worried about it only to the extent that Donald Trump will try to do whatever he can, no matter how civil, uncivilized or how inappropriate it is. If he loses, he'll try anything and everything.
He filed over 60 lawsuits after he lost in 2020. He'll go to the courts. He'll go to the people and, you know, he just won't give up. He won't give in.
In some respects, that's an admirable quality. But you reach a point where you say you've lost. You're the loser. He lost in 2020. If he loses again, I'm not sure that he'll have much of a leg to stand on any longer.
HOLMES: All right. Michael Genovese always good to talk to you. Thank you, my friend.
GENOVESE: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: Now, the outcome of this election will have major ramifications around the world as well.
CNN's team is stationed across the globe with the latest reactions from world leaders as they monitor the race.
Fred Pleitgen in Berlin. Mike Valerio in Seoul. But first, let's go to journalist Karol Suarez in Mexico City for more on what relations with Mexico's new president might look like.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAROL SUAREZ, CNN JOURNALIST: I'm Karol Suarez in Mexico City. In just a few days before the U.S. election, the expectations here are high because just last year, Mexico became the U.S.' top trading partner. They shared the busiest border in the world with trade amounting of $1.5 million every minute. So it's not just about the economics, the border or even the
historical ties that they share, but also the main concerns on immigration and national security topics.
So whoever wins this election will have to play a key role in shaping the future of the bilateral relationship. Former president of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he had a good relationship with Joe Biden.
But now he's gone and Mexico has its first female president and she has expressed her commitment to working with whoever wins the election on Tuesday, understanding that the outcome of that election will directly impact on key issues like the reviewing of the U.S.-Mexico- Canada trade agreement, immigration topics, and of course, the cooperation against organized crime.
So whoever wins will have to deal with Mexico's president to maintain the partnership between both countries.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety here in Europe about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, especially among the U.S.' European NATO allies.
Now, there are some who fear that if Donald Trump wins the presidency, that it could lead to the United States significantly scaling back its commitments to NATO and possibly even not vow to protect NATO members if they are attacked from the outside.
All of this, of course, is happening in front of that backdrop of the war in Ukraine, which of course, is still a huge topic here in Europe.
And there, both the Ukrainians and European NATO allies fear that if Donald Trump wins the presidency, that it could also lead to the U.S. significantly scaling back its military aid for Ukraine and possibly even stopping it altogether which in the end could force the Ukrainians de facto into a surrender against Russia.
A lot of European NATO countries have, of course, given significant military aid to Ukraine, but a lot of them are doing that knowing that the U.S. will protect them from Russia.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for millions of South Koreans, one of the biggest consequences of the U.S. election involves North Korea. Specifically could the next U.S. president decide to keep the roughly 30,000 U.S. troops here on the Korean Peninsula, in part as a security guarantee against North Korea, or could the next U.S. president decide to reduce the number of U.S. troops here on the peninsula?
Certainly, former President Trump has considered doing so in the past, and in 2018, he paused military exercises between South Korea and the United States. That pause happened when Trump was negotiating with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un over Kim's nuclear program.
But under the Biden-Harris administration those military exercises between South Korea and the United States have begun once again.
In fact, the Biden-Harris White House takes credit for the formation of a new security partnership between Japan, the United States and South Korea, forged in part to counter North Korean threats.
So security looming large here as we await the results of the U.S. election.
Mike Valerio, CNN -- Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The Associated Press reporting that Moldova's pro-western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in office in an election marred by allegations of Russian interference.
With nearly 99 percent of the votes counted, Sandu was at 55 percent, giving her apparent victory over her opponent from the pro-Russian Socialist Party.
Sandu is a former World Bank adviser who's worked to curb Moscow's influence and pushed to join the E.U. She says the election result is a firm endorsement of those policies.
[01:39:54]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAIA SANDU, MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Moldova has been under an unprecedented attack in the history of all Europe. Dirty money, illegal vote-buying, the interference in electoral processes by hostile forces from outside the country and by criminal groups -- lies, sowing hatred and fear within our society.
Our people have united and freed them and the citizens have won. Peace and hope for a better life have prevailed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The country's parliamentary elections next summer should provide a fresh test of her views.
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, new concerns over Israels military campaign in northern Gaza as a worsening humanitarian crisis continues to unfold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris courted Arab-American voters on Sunday in her final Michigan rally before election day, vowing her best to end the war in Gaza, acknowledging the suffering there and the many Palestinian lives lost. Harris also said she'll support both Palestinians and Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This year has been difficult given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon.
It is devastating. And as president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza, the bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure and ensure the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, security and self- determination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN's Matthew Chance is in Jerusalem with more on how Israelis are feeling about the race for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Here in Israel, the U.S. presidential election is being closely watched. The outcome being seen as having a direct impact on this country, too, which is of course, fighting in Gaza and Lebanon and engaged in a spiraling confrontation with Iran.
One recent opinion poll here suggests a clear majority of Israelis favor Trump over Harris to become the leader of Israel's most important ally.
Trump is remembered for a series of pro-Israel moves when he was president, including moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights and taking a tougher stance on Iran.
While the Biden administration, including Vice President Harris, is seen by many here as having sought to restrain Israel's tough military response in the year since the October 7th attacks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:44:46]
HOLMES: Antony Loewenstein is a journalist and author of the "Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World". He joins me now from Sydney, Australia.
Antony, always good to see you. I want to talk about northern Gaza. There are growing reports, including in Israeli media, that Israel is essentially trying to clear the north of Palestinians deliberately as part of a plan.
There was one Israeli newspaper editorial that said, quote, "If it looks like ethnic cleansing, it probably is." That's an Israeli newspaper. Do you think that's happening and why?
ANTONY LOEWENSTEIN, JOURNALIST: The evidence for that, Michael seems to be overwhelming. It's coming both from some in the Israeli press, but also frankly, a number of Palestinian journalists. The ones that Israel haven't killed in the northern parts of Gaza that have been reporting for weeks of mass starvation, mass killings and the mass removal of people.
Now, the language that we use here is important. It's ethnic cleansing, which has been said by virtually every human rights organization in the world, in the U.N., who obviously have some presence there.
It's devastating. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people. And of course, the idea behind this is not simply to go after Hamas. Some Israeli reporters are saying that there's not much fighting going on at all, actually.
What this is about is to cleanse the land, that's their -- Israeli language, and find a way to essentially bring back some settlements, outposts, settlers.
Now nothing is guaranteed, but there's a massive presence in the Israeli government and some in the Israeli public that are demanding a return of Israeli settlements in the northern part of Gaza, which would just be horrific.
HOLMES: Yes, Israel has already built a road across the center of Gaza which would split it anyway.
It's called The Generals' Plan, that's what people are talking about. What would implementation of The Generals' Plan mean for Gaza and Gazans after its been executed if that happens?
LOEWENSTEIN: The Generals' Plan essentially, in some ways is a bit of a red herring. And the reason I say that is it was obviously floated by a number of senior Israeli former military figures that are then were disseminated in the press, both the local Israeli press, but also international media.
But it ignores the reality. There was an interesting report a few days ago in the Israeli outlet or Palestinian outlet called Plus 972, which actually said that The Generals' Plan, which calls by the way, for the mass removal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, the essentially cleansing of northern Gaza -- that's the language that is used.
It's genocidal, not just content, but also desire. What's happening on the ground now is far worse. Actually it's an acceleration that the idea behind The Generals' Plan was to say Palestinian civilians have a week to get out of northern Gaza. Then they -- then essentially if anyone who's left, they're presumed to be Hamas.
That is literally not what is happening. The opposite is happening. Palestinians are saying based on what Palestinian journalists are saying in northern Gaza, they cannot leave their house, they cannot move. They are being killed and shot and bombed.
This is the reality and so The Generals' Plan in itself is horrific. But what's happening now is actually far worse.
HOLMES: When you look back, do you think as some even in Israel do, that the October 7th terror attacks by Hamas, as awful as they were, in some way provided an excuse, if we can say that, for Israel's hard right and settler community to put into action plans that have been simmering for years, not just in Gaza, but also the West Bank and for that matter, Lebanon, as well, give cover for bigger things to happen.
And if so, what do you think that is?
LOEWENSTEIN: To give cover but also Western support? I mean, essentially, you could argue that since 1948, the birth of Israel; 1967, the Six-Day War, every time there's been a mass war-conflict, ethnic cleansing, Israel has attempted to find more ways to cleanse more territory of Palestinians.
No doubt the 7th of October terror attack was that latest excuse. And what Israel would see is essentially Western support for that. We hear Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, European leaders, Arab leaders talking about their concern about Palestinians while at the same time still arming and funding and backing Israel where it matters.
So yes, I think this is seen by many within the Israeli government and frankly, public are finally enacting a long-held plan for, frankly, decades ago to cleanse Palestinian territory of Palestinians.
And the fact that there is not, as some are now calling for expelling Israel from the U.N,. countries in the past, that's happened to have done far less than what Israel is currently doing in Gaza and Lebanon.
HOLMES: We're almost out of time, but I do want to ask you about the U.S. election. It's now a day away.
The Israeli government has essentially ignored the Biden administrations even modest quote, unquote, "concerns" about how the war is being prosecuted in Gaza.
But if Trump wins the election, how much more emboldened will Netanyahu and the extremists in his government be?
LOEWENSTEIN: Look they will be. I mean, there is no doubt that Israel wants Trump to win, the Israeli government has really unofficially said that for a long time. Frankly, the majority of Israeli Jews have said that in poll after poll.
[01:49:50]
LOEWENSTEIN: But the realities on the ground, what Trump could force Israel to kind of resolve or end this conflict, which means potentially an acceleration of ethnic cleansing.
Well, Kamala Harris, if she wins -- the Democrats have shown clearly in the last 12-plus months that they are not just complicit in it, but are arming Israel.
So I think ultimately, without international pressure or sanctions or some kind of other way, this is not going to end regardless of who wins between Trump or Harris.
That's a pretty grim reality for the millions of Palestinians in Palestine.
HOLMES: Right out of time. Always good to talk to you Antony.
Antony Loewenstein there in Sydney for us.
LOEWENSTEIN: Cheers.
HOLMES: Coming up on the program, Susan B. Anthony paved the way for women to be able to vote in the U.S. We'll show you how they're honoring her in this fraught election where some say women's rights are on the line.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Kamala Harris stopped (ph) last on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, but Donald Trump's campaign hopes he ends up getting the last laugh in the form of a minute of free ad time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hello to our great sports fans and I hope you're having a fantastic time.
We're two days away from the most important election in the history of our country. We've got to save our country and it needs saving. It's in very bad shape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's part of a hastily-produced Trump campaign ad that aired across NBC stations during NASCAR post-race coverage on Sunday.
Kamala Harris' cameo on "Saturday Night Live" triggered the U.S. government's equal time rule. If one political candidate gets free airtime on a broadcast station, then their opponent can request an equal opportunity.
Trump last appeared on "Saturday Night Live" during the 2015 primary season, and four of his Republican rivals received airtime as a result.
Now, this election appears to have galvanized American women. Many female voters see their rights and freedoms at the center of the campaign. Some early voters are making their voices heard and celebrating with a pioneering women's rights icon Susan B. Anthony. Reporter Matt Malloy from WHAM has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT MALLOY, REPORTER, WHAM: 93-year-old Jean Alfieri cast her ballot, then came here to Susan S. Anthony's grave. She says her mother taught her the importance of voting.
JEAN ALFIERI, VOTER: She voted every time and she took us to vote.
MALLOY: Alfieri's mother was a suffragette fighting for women's rights. This marks her fourth visit to Anthony's gravesite. Why?
ALFIERI: Because everybody has a voice no matter who they are or what they are. And that shows you have the voice.
MALLOY: That sentiment felt by others at Mount Hope Cemetery.
BECKY D'ANGELO-VEITCH, VOTER: I'm a mom of two daughters and I want my daughters to be engaged citizens. I want them to vote and to be able to do that here today.
And then just to come and honor the work that Susan B. Anthony did to give me the right to do that was beyond important.
MALLOY: Becky D'Angelo-Veitch and Jane Carden voted at Susan B. Anthony's home before coming to her grave.
JANE CARDEN, VOTER: The fact that she took the stand over 100 years ago, that I could do this, and that my daughters can do this, it's a privilege. I wouldn't be anywhere else. I wouldn't vote anywhere else this year.
[01:54:49]
MALLOY: "I voted" stickers from across the nation honor Anthony's legacy on her gravestone.
ELIZABETH PHELPS, FIRST-TIME VOTER: I find it very significant, not just for the community, but for the nation.
MALLOY: Elizabeth Phelps is a first-time voter.
PHELPS: Because I want my voice to be heard and I believe that it is important for everybody's voice to be counted for.
MALLOY: Rochester's rich history in the women's rights movement not lost on Taelar Johansen and Emily Pollmann. Pollmann from Minnesota, Johansen from Nebraska both now call Irondequoit home.
TAELAR JOHANSEN, VOTER: I remember seeing like news or segments in my hometown about people who'd come and do it in years past. And I remember thinking like, I want to do that someday. Never really thinking I live in Rochester or any of that.
And now here it is. And it's, you know, the biggest election of my life.
EMILY PULLMANN, VOTER: There's so much gravitas to the area. And it's just the most perfect place in the world to me right now. Here and being here at Susan B.'s grave and placing my sticker on her grave and it's just incredible. I love everything about this city.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: That was Matt Malloy from WHAM reporting.
Now, more than 50,000 runners took part in the annual New York City Marathon on Sunday, making the 26.2-mile journey from Staten Island through all five boroughs and finishing in Central Park.
The Netherlands' Abdi Nagai won a thrilling men's race, finishing in two hours, seven minutes and 39 seconds. Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui marked her debut with a victory in the women's race. Her winning time was two hours, 24 minutes and 35 seconds, living up to her status as one of the pre-race favorites.
And runners in the southern hemisphere can take part in the Sydney Marathon a little closer to home. It's been named as a seventh major competition in the elite circuit.
Starting next year, it will be considered the equal of the Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin and Tokyo races. A record 20,000 runners finished this year's race back in September.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on X and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Stick around. My friend and colleague Rosemary Church picks up with more news after a quick break.
[01:57:09]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
