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, 3:34 PM EDT

Biden woos union members at Pittsburgh events

President Joe Biden hit the campaign trail in Pittsburgh on Saturday and courted union members.

Speaking at a union get-out-the-vote event hosted by LiUNA (Laborers' International Union of North America), Biden made the pitch to members that this is the "most important election of our lifetime" and drew a stark contrast between former President Donald Trump's and Vice President Kamala Harris' stances on labor.

Biden sharply criticized Trump's stance on labor, saying that it's in the interest of labor unions to defeat him while also making the case that Harris has the back of middle-class Americans and union workers.

"He doesn't give a damn about union workers or any workers for that matter. He views unions as getting in the way of the accumulation of wealth for individuals," the president said.

President Joe Biden delivers pizza to thank Democratic campaign volunteers at the Allegheny County Labor Council Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa, on Oct. 26, 2024.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Biden later went to the Allegheny County Labor Council Headquarters along with Sen. John Fetterman to greet and thank volunteers who were rallying.

The president walked in with pizza boxes for volunteers who clapped, kissed the hand of one volunteer and then took a selfie with another while Fetterman photobombed in the background.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

Oct 26, 2024, 1:09 PM EDT

Harris to visit doctor's office to highlight reproductive rights

Vice President Harris will visit a doctor’s office in Portage, Michigan, on Saturday to continue her focus on reproductive rights before rallying with Michelle Obama, according to her campaign.

"She will meet with Michigan healthcare providers and medical students and discuss how Michiganders’ reproductive rights are directly threatened by Trump’s plans to ban abortion nationwide," the campaign said in a statement.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow

Oct 26, 2024, 12:09 PM EDT

Trump claims abortion has 'dropped way down' as an issue for voters

As Vice President Kamala Harris seeks to highlight abortion rights as a top issue this election, former President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that abortion is no longer front and center for voters.

In a new Truth Social post, Trump reiterated his abortion policy, suggesting the issue been left to the states.

"Abortion has dropped way down as an issue. States are already giving it to the PEOPLE to Vote, which is what everyone wanted," Trump posted ahead of his rally in Michigan.

Recent polls have shown that abortion and reproductive rights are among one of the key issues for voters.

A survey released by KFF earlier this month showed that abortion has emerged as the most important issue in the November election for women under 30.

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

Oct 26, 2024, 7:31 AM EDT

Over 38M votes already cast as early voting open in all states

Over 38 million votes have been cast through early voting methods as of Saturday morning, according to data from the Election Lab at the University of Florida.

Over 20 million of those votes came from mail ballots while the remainder have been cast as in-person early voting ballot sites, according to the data.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have begun early voting.

Residents vote in early voting at a park building in Detroit on Oct. 19, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Among the states that commenced their early voting option this weekend is Michigan a key battleground state that is opening in person poll sites for the first time.

Though voting had begun in some counties earlier, it will now be available to everybody across the state as of Saturday.