Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the latest in the US Election campaign

Labor Day in the US has come and gone, and the polls are as tight as ever. 

Seven states have emerged as battlegrounds, with Kamala Harris leading by slim margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with Donald Trump ahead by slim margins in North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. 

Harris is pulling ahead in terms of public favour, with 46% having a favourable impression of her and 53% viewing her as qualified to be president, compared to 33% and 47% respectively for Trump. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the gender gap is significant and growing. 

He said that Harris leads among women by 13 points, up six since the Democratic Convention, while Trump is up 5 points among men in that same period. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold, morning to you. What anyway, fresh after the
label weekend, ready to go? You got some numbers for us? Yeah,
I want to look in some of the details. Of course,
Labor Day over here is the holiday that signals the
end of the northern Some of this is the point
where US presidential campaigns typically reached the realm where they
wind up on election Day. Here's how Politiico, the political website,

(00:20):
puts it today. This campaign is like a knife fight
in a phone booth. Didn't know we had phone booths anymore,
but that's that's the idea. It's a toss up. Kamala
Harris didn't get much of a post convention bounce, did she. Instead,
the Dems got a pre convention bounced because of Joe
Biden's departure. So that's different. But seven states have emerged
as battlegrounds, and Harris leeds in three Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,

(00:42):
only by small small margins. In North Carolina, Trump is ahead,
but again by the smallest smallest margin one percent. We're
talking in the other three Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. The
numbers are so close. Different poles give different results, so
Kamala Harris is saying it's going to.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Be a tight race to the very end, so let's
not pay too much attention to those polls.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Well, what can be said for Harris is that just
forty six percent have a favorable impression of her, but
for Trump the number is thirty three percent fifty three
percent c Harris has qualified to be present compared to
forty seven for Trump. While the gender gap is huge
and growing, Kamala Harris leads among women by thirteen points,
which is up by six since the Democratic Convention. Trump

(01:27):
is up by five points in that period among men,
fifty four to forty one percent. So again, women and
men completely different worlds politically, even more so this go round.
So in this week before the presidential debate, Harris and
Kowe are setting out on what they're calling a reproductive
rights campaign to us, since abortion is an issue where
they have a clear lead. They also plan to unveil

(01:48):
more details of the economic program in the coming days
where Trump leads. Of course, it was the abortion question
that hurt Republicans so much in twenty twenty two, wasn't
it When there was all that talk about a red
wave the likely Republicans. That didn't happen. So Trump has
been flip flopping on abortion. Of course, Trump rags about
naming the three Supreme Court justices who tipped the balance
and allow the overturning of the abortion rights law Roe v. Wade.

(02:11):
Then he signaled support for a Florida plan to allow
abortions in his home state for at least six weeks,
a period in which many women, of course don't even
know if they are pregnant.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, I think the six week is too short. This
has to be more time. And so that's and I've
told them that I want more weeks for your vote
in favor of the amendment. I'm voting that I am
going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
So can you have it both ways? That led to
an anti abortion backlash against Trump, with Right to Life
as saying they could no longer trust Donald Trump, who
were then flip flopped again, are.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
You going yes or no?

Speaker 4 (02:44):
On amend and four in Florida? So I think six
weeks you need more time than six weeks. I've disagreed
with that right from the early primaries when I heard
about it. I has disagreed with it. At the same time,
the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just
a ridiculous issue where you can do an abortion in
the ninth month, and you know some of the states

(03:04):
like Minnesota and other states have it where you could
actually execute the baby after birth.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well that's a lie. But in terms of allowing abortions,
what he would support abortion if there was more time,
but he wouldn't support it if there was less time.
So he's anti abortion but could be pro abortioned if
there was an earlier ban or a later Who knows
right to simplematters?

Speaker 3 (03:24):
The Middle East?

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Where are we at?

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, Biden Harris has been meeting with the National security
folks today to consider laying out a final take it
or leave it plan to try to win release of
the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and find a
cease fire. Of course, we've heard this story before many times,
have we not? This after the execution by Hamas of
six hostages and the biggest anti Netnia who protests we've

(03:47):
seen in Israel just huge. Biden says nothing. Nettanna, who
is not doing enough to gain release of the hostages,
who include a number of Americans. Netnio, who has just
apologized to families of the hostages.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
I told the families, and I repeat and say this evening,
I'm asking for your forgiveness that we didn't manage to
bring them back alive.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
But he says there can still be no concession to
her master, especially on policing the Egyptian border zone. Those
Israeli protests have been intense. The mother of the Israeli
American killed, Rachel Goberg Pollen, took part in her son's
funeral services, saying, in part.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Finally, my sweet boy, finally, finally, finally, finally see I
will love you and I will miss you every single
day for the rest of my.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Life, while Hannah Siegel, whose Israeli American uncle still is
being held, says.

Speaker 5 (04:43):
This there has been a deal on the table that
Natanyahu has refused to take for months now, and we
are devastated and scared.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
So this is just excruciating. Yes, it is all right,
Richard c u won food. I appreciate it very.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
Much more From the Mic Asking Breakfast.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
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