Trump and Harris stop in the same key state, Michigan

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are moving their duel on Friday to Michigan, one of the most contested states ;s of a thrilling race for the White House, marked by heated debates over American support à Israelël.

A very large number of Arab-Americans reside in this northern state, which borders Canada.

These voters traditionally tend to support the Democratic candidate in the presidential election but are this year very critical of the Biden administration, of which the Democratic candidate is a part, with regard to the war in Gaza and Lebanon.

In Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, the war in the Middle East is indeed in every conversation.

Polls in the “swing states”: Michigan © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sabrina BLANCHARD, Cléa PECULIER

Marwan Faraj, a 51-year-old American of Lebanese origin, explains to AFP that he has always voted Democrat but that he will turn his back on Kamala Harris who has supported “this ethnic cleansing and genocide since day one, with our tax money”.

Biden “has ruined everything, and Kamala promises to play the same role”, believes this American who arrived from southern Lebanon at the age of 16 and who runs a medical centre.

“We don't want to vote for Trump, because he looks down on us, or for the Democrats who respected us and who are now giving weapons to Israel,” adds Haider Koussan, also of Lebanese origin and co-owner with his brothers of a small supermarket chain.

– Peace “easier” according to Trump –

Although she has not openly broken with the line of Joe Biden, who has given Israel almost unconditional support, Kamala Harris is well aware that this position could cost her votes in an ultra-tight election where every ballot, or almost, counts.

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US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to reporters ahead of a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 18, 2024 © AFP – KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI

The vice president, who replaced Joe Biden in the race for the White House less than three months ago, is therefore playing a very delicate role in this state, where she is participating in three campaign meetings on Friday.

The 59-year-old candidate said that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, announced by Israel on Thursday, offered “an opportunity” to “end” the war in Gaza.

Her Republican rival in the November 5 election said it made peace in the Middle East “easier.”

“I'm glad Bibi decided to do what he had to do,” he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, upon his arrival in Detroit.

The Republican's visit to Michigan is an opportunity to detail, according to his campaign team, how “families have been crushed by inflation, under Kamala's failed leadership.”

– 10 Million Americans Voted –

Donald Trump also confirmed that he plans to work at a McDonald's over the weekend, an unusual stop aimed at mocking the Democratic candidate's comments that she worked there as a student.

A person votes in Black Mountain, North Carolina, on October 18, 2024 © AFP – Allison Joyce

The economy, Immigration and abortion are among the most debated topics in a particularly tense and close election.

With 18 days to go before the election, the two candidates are neck and neck in each of the most contested states, the famous “swing states”.

And this, despite a series of unprecedented twists and turns in the campaign: Donald Trump's criminal conviction, two assassination attempts against him and Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race.

More than 10 million Americans have already voted, including more than three million in these states that are expected to decide the election, according to data compiled by the University of Florida.

Georgia and North Carolina have broken records, including in regions recently hit by the devastating Hurricane Helen.

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