With nine days to go until Election Day in the United States, the two leading contenders for the White House – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump – continue to battle for votes in battleground states, with polls pointing to a tight race.

On Saturday, Trump made a bold move for Arab-American and Muslim voters in Michigan, a swing state with nearly 400,000 voters of Arab background.

Michigan voted for Biden in 2020, but anger over Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the war on Lebanon could influence Democratic turnout for Harris.

Michigan is one of seven competing US states that will likely determine the winner. It is part of the “Blue Wall” that is considered Democrats’ best chance to elect Harris, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Harris also campaigned in Michigan on Saturday and warned that Trump would wield “unchecked and extreme power” if he returned to the White House.

What are the latest updates from the polls?

A poll released Saturday by the Emerson College Polling puts Harris and Trump in a tie at 49 percent each.

The survey, conducted on October 23 and 24, suggested a tighter race than a week earlier, showing Harris leading Trump 49 percent to 48 percent. It is also the first time since August in the Emerson weekly poll that Harris is not in the lead.

“Male voters break 13 points for Trump, 55 percent to 42 percent, a larger margin than in 2020, while women favor Harris by 10 points, 54 percent to 44 percent, underperforming Biden’s 2020 support,” said Spencer Kimball. executive director of Emerson College Polling.

The latest survey also found that regardless of who they vote for, 50 percent of American voters think Trump will win the election, while 49 percent think so for Harris.

The polls also noted that the most important issues for voters are the economy at 45 percent, followed by immigration (14 percent), threats to democracy (14 percent), access to abortion (7 percent), health care (6 percent) and crime ( 4 percent). ).

Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight’s latest daily average showed Harris leading in national polls, with 47.9 to Trump’s 46.6.

According to the same poll, Harris’ unfavorable rating rose to 47.8 percent, while her favorable rating was 46.4 percent. Trump’s unfavorable rating was 52.1 percent, while his favorable rating was 43.4 percent.

What was Kamala Harris doing on Saturday?

Harris was in Michigan, where former First Lady Michelle Obama ignited the crowd of Democratic supporters by distinguishing between Harris and Trump on personal character and qualifications, saying there was a double standard in the way the two were treated treated.

Obama warned that another term under Trump would lead to further rollbacks of abortion rights. She said Trump’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which was passed during her husband’s presidency, would affect “women’s whole health, everything.”

Harris was several minutes into an upbeat speech when she was interrupted by a protester who repeatedly shouted, “No more Gaza war.”

After Harris’ supporters called the adjournment, she responded, “On Gaza, we have to end that war,” picking up where she left off and asking voters to “turn the page on the fear and the division ”.

What was Donald Trump up to on Saturday?

During his campaign in Michigan, Trump met with a group of Muslim preachers, arguing that he deserved the support of Muslim voters because he would end conflict and bring peace to the Middle East.

Trump fully supports Israel and has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what you have to do” in dealing with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Still, Trump appears to be drawing support from some Muslim Americans angry at President Joe Biden and Harris’ policies in Gaza, and despite Trump as president banning immigration from some Muslim-majority countries.

Imam Belal Alzuhairi of the Islamic Center of Detroit joined Trump on stage in Novi and said: “We ask Muslims to support President Trump as he promises peace.”

However, during the same appearance, Trump also denigrated Detroit as he tried to appeal to suburban votes.

“I think Detroit and some of our areas make us a developing country,” he said, adding that people want him to say Detroit is “great” but he thinks it “needs help.”

What’s next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?

According to her campaign, Harris will spend all of Sunday in Philadelphia, crisscrossing the city in a series of community events to attract voters. Turnout in Philadelphia could be the deciding factor in whether Harris can maintain Pennsylvania’s critical state of 19 electoral votes.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, Harris’ day tour will focus on predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods of the Democratic-leaning city.

Harris will attend services and give speeches Sunday morning at a black church in West Philadelphia. She will also visit a barbershop in West Philadelphia for a conversation with young Black men and community leaders.

Meanwhile, Trump will take the stage at one of the country’s most iconic locations, hosting a home rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City to deliver the closing message of his campaign against Harris.

Trump was born and raised in Queens, New York City. He also built his real estate career in the city.

While some Democrats and TV pundits have questioned Trump’s decision to hold what they dismiss as vanity events, the rally in Democratic-leaning New York guarantees Trump what he craves most: the spotlight, wall-to-wall coverage and a national audience.

“It’s New York, but it’s also, you know, it’s MSG, it’s Madison Square Garden,” Trump said during a recent radio interview. “Guys like you and me, those words mean a lot. Madison Square Garden, right? Don’t you think? … It’s a really big stop.”

Trump will be joined at the rally by supporters including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost his campaign.