Lies, Money, and Songs

The electoral campaign in the United States has entered its decisive stage. The final stretch. What happens in the next sixteen days will determine the outcome of the polls. And what emerges from them will determine the future of a country subjected to two ideologies, two characters, and two completely different political programs. Perhaps it is this disparity that is making this campaign the most visceral in recent history. Neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump have detailed their projects enough for voters to vote based on information and reflection. Mutual attacks and the stirring of the worst social and political ghosts dominate the speeches. This bipolarity, mixing hot blood and basic arguments, has taken over the scene in the United States as well.

Former President Donald Trump promised at a rally in Arizona to hire 10,000 new Border Police agents to monitor the border between the United States and Mexico. He avoided explaining how he will achieve that number of personnel, which in practice would almost double the current workforce of a Corps that has been struggling for years to recruit new members.

The Republican leader also announced that he will launch a program of mass deportations but omitted the economic part; where he will get the multimillion-dollar budget to implement the necessary administrative system. Finally, he committed to having the military collaborate in border patrol duties, without explaining how he will circumvent the legislation and courts that establish the limits of military and civilian roles.

But none of that matters to Trump's voters. Enthusiastic, they applauded each and every one of the Republican leader's measures in Arizona. It is unsettling how his hyperbolic discourse triumphs over reality and how far his electorate is willing to mobilize based on visceral reactions. But the worst part is that, in electoral polls, the magnate is the preferred choice among Americans regarding migration management. The hardships of thousands of displaced people on their way to El Dorado, which often ends in death, sexual abuse, and human trafficking networks, matter little. For Trump, the idea of building a great steel and concrete wall along the border with Mexico is becoming insufficient.

Michigan is a swing state, known in the United States as a 'Swing State', whose electorate can swing from one party to another in different elections. It was Republican until Bill Clinton won it for the Democrats in 1992. Twenty-four years later, Donald Trump made it Republican again. And in 2020, Biden was the preferred choice at the polls, bringing back Democratic power. Polls now show a difference of tenths between Kamala Harris and Trump. The dance card remains open.

However, there is deep concern among Democratic leaders about the apparent laxity with which Harris's team is campaigning in the state, especially in Detroit, where Biden garnered 94% of the votes four years ago. Whether due to a strategic error or the belief that the miracle of 2020 will repeat itself now, the fact is that the Democratic campaign has barely advertised, sent letters to residents, or mobilized its supporters to ensure the face and program of their candidate are permanently on the streets.

As an example, some of these leaders residing in Detroit express their anger, claiming to have received up to fourteen letters from the Republican Party soliciting votes for Trump and none from Kamala Harris. Or that even in front of their homes, the conservative campaign has placed large posters with the magnate's face, who has spent a fortune advertising himself in the Motor City.

Grilled cod and beef medallions. This is the menu for the top 300 fundraisers of Kamala Harris's campaign who sat at a fundraising dinner at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. There were ten guests per table. The cover charge seems to have been over $3,000. A golden cod. But people paid. Up to that point, everything was perfect.

The question now is: How long will it last? That same day, the Democratic Party leaked that it had reached $1 billion in revenue for Kamala Harris's electoral campaign. She has been the protagonist of much of the economic 'miracle'. Since Joe Biden's departure, wallets have loosened thanks to the enthusiasm generated by her candidacy for the presidency of the United States, although, significantly, the party has preferred not to reveal the total amount raised in September. Strategists fear that the financial boom will lead many to wonder what will happen with the leftover money after the campaign, or that the flow of donations will decrease because, after all, why would you need more help if you already have a billion dollars?

Donald Trump participated in a collective interview with his supporters in South Dakota. Moderated by Republican Governor Kristi L. Noem, the former president answered questions from a pre-selected audience concerned about housing prices and small business subsidies. Two attendees fainted from the heat. And Trump could think of nothing else but to ask, "Does anyone else want to faint?" Then, his campaign manager added, "The audience was so thrilled by Trump that there were faintings."

Everything was delirious. The candidate stopped answering questions and got his voters dancing with a selection of songs from Spotify. Trump curates his own playlists during flights and repeats them over and over to his team, who affectionately call him 'DJ Trump', with no escape inside an aircraft thousands of meters above the ground.

For some strange reason, the magnate has become obsessed with playlists as the electoral campaign progresses. Among his favorites are the Rolling Stones, Celine Dion, R.E.M., Beyoncé, or The White Stripes. Bands and singers have complained and demanded the removal of their songs from Republican rallies. His opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris, considers these new quirks of the former president to be things of age, as Modestia Aparte would say.