Trump says he 'shouldn't have left' the White House

The former president made the remarks during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Tal Axelrod, Meredith Deliso, David Brennan, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: November 4, 2024, 8:26 AM EST

With two days to go until Election Day, the candidates making in their final appeaks to voters over the weekend.

After popping up on "Saturday Night Live," Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in battleground Michigan on Sunday. Former President Donald Trump is hitting three swing states on Sunday: Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news developed:
Nov 4, 4:26 am

More than 78 million Americans have voted early

As of 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, more than 77 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.

Of the total number of early votes, 42,654,364 were cast in person and 35,348,858 were returned by mail.

A man waits in line with other community members in East Tampa to enter the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library at a early voting polling precinct to cast their ballots in Tampa, Fla., Nov. 2, 2024.
Octavio Jones/Reuters

Nov 03, 2024, 6:39 PM EST

Trump loses crowd after arriving 2 hours late to North Carolina rally

At his second campaign stop of the day, former President Donald Trump lost the crowd after arriving two hours late to his rally -- with a massive number of people leaving just minutes into his speech.

It’s common to see supporters trickling out toward the end of his speeches, but the surge of supporters that headed for the exit at this rally, especially so early on, was unprecedented.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump dances at a campaign rally at Kinston Jet Center, Nov. 3, 2024, in Kinston, N.C.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Hundreds of people continued to leave the rally throughout his speech, even those seated in the prime bleacher spots right behind Trump. Seated sections noticeably thinned out, and the standing section only had a few rows of people.

Many people exiting said they were leaving early because they had other commitments to get to or had just been standing outside in the sun for too long.

-ABC News' Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Nov 03, 2024, 6:14 PM EST

Trump says he 'shouldn't have left' the White House after last election

During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, former President Donald Trump said that he "shouldn't have left" the White House after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

“I shouldn’t have left. I mean, honestly, because we did so, we did so well,” Trump said while discussing U.S.-Mexico border security.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, while stumping ahead of Gov. Tim Walz at a rally in metro Atlanta on Sunday, reacted to Trump's comments, saying "I couldn't believe it."

"Trump said he shouldn't have left the White House at the end of his term. He said that. He just said it an hour or so ago -- imagine that," Emhoff said.

"We need to take this very seriously right now. I mean, we're right at the end, and I know you all see that, and what we need to talk to some of these folks that just don't quite get it yet... what an actual threat this guy is, because you gotta listen to what he's saying," Emhoff added.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Nov 03, 2024, 6:10 PM EST

Walz and Emhoff campaign with Maya Harris and Bon Jovi in Georgia

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and second gentleman Doug Emhoff held their first joint event of the campaign cycle on Sunday, just two days out from Election Day in Gwinnett County, Georgia -- critical ground for Vice President Kamala Harris as she attempts to win the presidency on Tuesday.

The event also featured Harris' sister, Maya, and musical performances by Jon Bon Jovi, The War and Treaty and Michael Stipe. It was a high-energy affair, and when Walz asked who had already voted in the room of about 1,400 people, nearly every hand went up -- an anecdote consistent with the record early voting numbers Georgia has been reporting.

"Here's the deal, Georgia, you have the potential to win this whole damn thing," Walz said.

Walz also warned the crowd that GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson had said Republicans might seek to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act if they take control of Congress this cycle.

"Listen to this -- defunding 115,000 jobs that are already working in manufacturing and construction, including 1,200 good paying jobs right here in Georgia," Walz said. "This thing is not only important for jobs, it is critical that we win the competition of the 21st century from countries like China."

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Nov 03, 2024, 5:45 PM EST

Republicans seek to block Georgia voters from hand-returning mail-in ballots: Lawsuit

The Republican National Committee on Sunday filed a federal lawsuit taking aim at some Georgia counties that are allowing voters to drop off their mail-in ballots in person in the run-up to Tuesday's election -- a move Republicans say is illegal because the early voting period has ended, according to the filing.

Republicans have asked a judge to block these counties from accepting mail-in ballots from voters over the weekend and on Monday, saying the practice amounts to an "unlawful extension" of the voting deadlines.

A similar lawsuit filed by Republicans targeting just Fulton County over the same issue was already rejected by a Georgia judge, as ABC previously reported.

Early voting in the state ended on Friday.

The lawsuit Sunday targets seven counties in the state: Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, Chatham County, Clayton County and Clarke County.

The RNC claims, in part, that voters located in other counties where offices aren't open this weekend are being "denied equal protection" because they allegedly have fewer days and opportunities to drop off their ballots.

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin