Trump concludes MSG rally with anti-immigrant rhetoric

Trump was introduced to the stage by Melania in an unannounced appearance.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Tal Axelrod, Meredith Deliso, Emily Chang, David Brennan, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: October 28, 2024, 6:39 AM EDT

The race for the White House remained essentially a dead heat on Sunday -- with nine days to go until Election Day.

Former President Donald Trump delivered a speech Sunday afternoon at New York's Madison Square Garden. After making several stops in Philadelphia on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally there Sunday afternoon.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news developed:
Oct 28, 6:03 am

Almost 42 million voters have cast a vote

Almost 42 million Americans have cast a vote through early voting methods, as of Sunday afternoon, according to data from the University of Florida's Election Lab.

The about 41.9 million recorded mail and early in-person votes were evenly split with about 21 million mail ballots returned nationally and about the same cast at in-person early voting polling sites across the country, the data showed.

Early voting options are now open to voters in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many early voting periods will last until the weekend before Election Day.

Oct 26, 2024, 10:08 PM EDT

Trump 3 hours late for Michigan rally

After a three-hour podcast interview with Joe Rogan, Trump is expected to start his rally in Traverse City, Michigan, at 10 p.m. ET -- three hours after he was scheduled to take the stage.

As several hundred supporters dispersed from the airport hangar, Trump appeared on the Jumbotron notifying the crowd of his tardiness.

"Traverse City, I'm not going to be there for a little while. Filming Joe Rogan," Trump said.

Former President Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump looks out from his plane window as he arrives more than 3 hours late to a campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan, on Oct. 25, 2024.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

He continued, "It's a Friday night, so we can sit around and do an extra special job when we get there. ... It's all about winning, and we had to spend some extra time with some people, and lots of people, actually, but we are going to do a special performance, and we'll be there, and I think you'll see the plane land, and the whole thing."

Trump concluded his message by thanking his supporters for sticking around.

Many attendees did call it quits on the former president and headed home early.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim

Oct 25, 2024, 9:43 PM EDT

Walz: Country 'owes a huge debt' to Joe Biden

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ended his swing through eastern Pennsylvania on Friday with an energetic rally in President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton.

The governor topped off his remarks by saying that Biden has "secured his place in history" by upholding a presidential tradition of putting the country above himself.

Speaking of the city of Scranton, Walz said, "This is a place with a long tradition of people who know something about hard work and people know what it means to serve this nation. ... I want you to know that the country owes a huge debt to you and a huge debt to Joe Biden," Walz said.

Chants of "Thank You, Joe" erupted from the crowd.

With Vice President Kamala Harris in Texas on Friday night for a rally centered on abortion rights, Walz also talked directly about reproductive policies in the state.

"Would this surprise you that in the most recent data, maternal mortality rates in Texas have shot through the roof?" he said. "So let's just be very clear. Women are dying because of these decisions they made, and it's absolutely immoral."

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Oct 25, 2024, 9:11 PM EDT

Willie Nelson performs at Harris' Houston rally

Country legend Willie Nelson took the stage at Harris' rally in Houston.

Willie Nelson performs at a campaign rally, of Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris with singer Beyonce, in Houston, Oct. 25, 2024.
Marco Bello/Reuters

He played "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and "On the Road Again."

Beyoncé is also expected to appear at the rally tonight in her hometown.

Oct 25, 2024, 8:57 PM EDT

Vance says US adversaries don't fear Harris

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, speaking during a town hall with North Carolina voters on Friday, said U.S. adversaries don't fear Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Why do you have Russia invading Ukraine during Kamala Harris' watch and why do you have Iran and Hamas attacking Israel during Kamala Harris' watch?" Vance said at the town hall in Monroe, North Carolina, moderated by Republican National Committee Co-Chair Laura Trump. "And why do you have China saber rattling during Kamala Harris' watch? It's because who could possibly fear Kamala Harris? No one, right?"

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks at a campaign event in Monroe, N.C., Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Nell Redmond/AP

Vance added, "This is a woman who is terrified of softball media interviews and we think that she's going to sit in a room with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping."

Vance said that when former President Donald Trump was in office, U.S. adversaries feared the former president.

"That fear kept a lot of aggression in check, and it kept a lot of wars that otherwise would have started from starting in the first place," Vance said.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie