US election 2024 updates: Harris brands Trump IVF remarks 'bizarre' ahead of Fox interview
Posted on 10/17/2024
'We're potentially playing kingmaker here'
Rachel Looker
US reporter
I'm continuing to speak to voters from some of the key battleground states about what it's like to live there during an election.
Joseph Takacs, 47, from Michigan, says he sees his vote as a "drop in the bucket" on election day, and plans on reluctantly backing Donald Trump.
"I live in a rural area, so it's very, very Trumpy up here."
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Jason Bowen, from Pennsylvania, says he plans to vote for Kamala Harris despite living in a rural area with a lot of visible Trump support.
"We're potentially playing kingmaker here," he says.
"It is kind of nerve-wracking knowing that we're going to play such a big role because there's a lot of people that are just so burnt out about everything."
The states likely to decide this election
In our coverage of the US election, we're consistently referring to swing or battleground states and their importance.
In case you're wondering what those terms mean - here's a reminder.
About 240 million people are eligible to vote in this presidential election, but only a relatively small number of them are likely to settle the question of who becomes the next president.
Experts believe there are only a handful of states - the swings and battlegrounds - that could plausibly be won by either the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump: North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Both parties are therefore campaigning intensively to win over undecided voters in these states - and the graph below shows their latest polling data:
North Carolina still reeling from deadly hurricane - a worry for Democrats
As we've been reporting, some people have already cast their ballots in several US states, with in-person early voting due to begin in the key swing state of North Carolina tomorrow.
But the process could hit snags as election day gets nearer.
The state is one of seven crucial battlegrounds that experts say could tilt this election - and it's still reeling from Hurricane Helene which tore through it at the end of last month.
In Buncombe County, one of the hardest-hit areas where dozens were killed, several buildings were destroyed, including planned polling locations.
The county's Democratic chair, Kathie Kline, has told Politico she's worried about the storm's effect on her party's chances: "I am very concerned that North Carolina could lose. We were feeling pretty confident we were going to turn blue this year, but because of the storm we're less convinced that we're going to have that positive impact at the polls."
Harris says 'quite bizarre' Trump called himself 'father of IVF'
Vice-President Kamala Harris has responded to comments from Donald Trump that we brought you earlier, when he called himself the "father of IVF" during a town hall of women voters.
Speaking to reporters in before boarding Air Force 2 to Pennsylvania, Harris says Trump's label for himself on the reproductive procedure was "quite bizarre".
She says he should in fact be taking responsibility for the women living under abortion bans or restrictive abortion laws around the country.
"So let's not be distracted by his choice of words. The reality is, his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue," she says.
Harris is referring to the fact that many US states have some kind of abortion ban or restriction on the books after the 2022 overturning of the law that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationally. That decision was made by a conservative-majority Supreme Court, three of whom were nominated by Trump when he was president.
Trump has said he is not in favour of some of the most restrictive abortion regulations that some in the Republican party have championed, but that he wants to leave the matter up to state law rather than federal.
Read more: What are the abortion laws in US states?
'I don't quite understand the hysteria' - voters have their say
Rachel Looker
US reporter
Over the last few hours, we brought you several top lines from Donald Trump's appearance on Fox News.
Let's hear more now directly from voters in key swing states whose support is highly sought after by both major presidential political campaigns.
Ben Stumf, 32, from Michigan, says he has always voted Democrat, but constantly receives flyers in his mailbox from the Republican Party.
"It is non-stop, incessant up here and it's exhausting," he says.
Jonathan Hills, 42, from North Carolina, is a new US citizen who says he plans to vote for Trump, but doesn't see much of a difference between the candidates.
"Very little changes when a Republican or a Democrat becomes president. I don’t quite understand the hysteria," he says.
Fact-checking Trump’s claim about 13,099 murderers
By Lucy Gilder
Speaking about crime and immigration in the US during his all-women town hall on Fox earlier, Donald Trump said: "It was just announced last week, 13,099 murders were released into our country."
This figure comes from recently released data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – but more context is needed around Trump’s claim.
ICE has said there were this number of non-citizens convicted of homicide on its database, as of July 2024, which were not detained currently by them. It did not say when they came to the US.
The Department of Homeland Security DHS - which oversees ICE - said the data "includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years or more, the vast majority of whose custody determination was made long before this administration".
It also said that although those on the list may not be in ICE custody they could be detained or in prison under the supervision of other agencies.
READ MORE: Migrants with criminal records - what new US data shows
Former president Jimmy Carter casts his ballot for Harris
Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution (ACJ) two months ago that his grandpa wanted to live long enough to cast a vote for Kamala Harris.
At the time, the former president was aged 99.
Carter voted for Harris on Wednesday in his home state of Georgia, on the second day of early voting. He turned 100 on 1 October.
The Carter Center confirmed the former president has cast his ballot for the presidential election by mail.
His grandson Jason Carter previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the former president wanted to vote for Harris because she is "more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza".
Trump calls himself the 'father of IVF'
In a room full of women, an audience member asks Trump how he's going to preserve women's abilities to make decisions about their bodies.
He seemed at odds on how to answer the question, balancing what some prominent Republicans want to see, versus Trump's support of sending the power back to the states to regulate abortion access.
He is then asked about access to IVF (in vitro fertilisation).
He calls himself "the father of IVF," but does not elaborate on what exactly that might mean.
The comment went viral last night after the taping wrapped in Georgia, but he hasn't expanded on those remarks now the town hall is actually airing on Fox News.
Last night, Kamala Harris wrote on social media: "Donald Trump called himself “the father of IVF.” What is he talking about? His abortion bans have already jeopardized access to it in states across the country—and his own platform could end IVF altogether."
The town hall has now finished, but stay with us. We have plenty more US politics coverage coming up.
Trump's town hall attempts to shore up support with women voters
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
Fox News is providing Trump with a friendly forum to speak to women voters, who, taken as a whole, have been somewhat sceptical of him since his first run for office in 2016.
Polls suggest 56% of likely women voters are backing Vice-President Kamala Harris, while 40% back Donald Trump, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll taken in late September and early October.
To shore up support with women, Trump has sought to turn issues like immigration, crime, and the economy into kitchen-table issues. Despite being asked about abortion, Trump's answers at the town hall so far have focused on these other topics.
Unlike Democrats, who tend to focus on women's rights and abortion access when talking to women voters, Trump is making a different play for women voters here - and on the campaign trail.
Trump doubles down on 'enemies from within' comment
Trump has spent a chunk of time during this pre-recorded town hall with an all-women audience talking about the border.
But he has pivoted to comments made earlier this week, when he talked of "enemies within".
He once again says "the enemy from within" is more dangerous than China and Russia. Trump specifically mentions "the Pelosis" - as in Democratic former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - and Adam Schiff - who led the impeachment case against him - as "the enemy from within".
Trump goes on to say there are "Marxists, and communists and fascists" among this group he has designated.
For context: US intelligence has spent the last few months warning about election interference by China, Russia and also Iran. Their concern is that cyber attacks or social media campaigns could try and sway the result of the election or undermine its legitimacy. But Trump has singled out domestic protesters – "radical left lunatics" – as the main risk to the election itself
Woman asks about childcare costs
The woman admits she's nervous - "I'm shaking like a freaking leaf", she says - but she also tells Trump she broke her neck last year and that it has been difficult to balance the costs of childcare with her recovery. She asks how Trump will help parents with the cost of raising children.
Trump replies that his daughter, Ivanka Trump, was pushing for child tax credits during his previous administration. He says that they will "re-adjust things so that it's fair to everybody" and that he primarily sees the programme in the form of a tax cut.
Both Trump and Kamala Harris have unveiled child tax credit proposals.
Trump rapidly switches talking points
Fox News host Harris Faulkner is working hard to keep Donald Trump on the topic of each question.
The former president frequently switches his talking points when answering.
At one point he was talking about the border and she steered him back to talk about the economy.
Later, Trump started talking about the 2020 election and Faulkner guided him back to talk about inflation.
When he was asked about minority voters, he switched the topic to law enforcement and border patrol.
Trump's first question is on the economy
Trump's town hall has started and the first question is from a woman named Lisa, who asks if Trump would outline his plans to "revitalise the economy again as president, and policies that specifically support the middle class when re-elected?"
Trump hits his usual economic talking points: He says America will drill for more fossil fuels - what he calls "liquid gold" - and bring down energy costs. He says he will incentivise more US-based manufacturing and "make it possible for companies to come into our country again".
"We're going to have record setting jobs," he claims.
Trump has sought to appeal to women voters by making the economy and other issues like immigration and crime front and centre.
Why is IVF a 2024 talking point?
Holly Honderich
US reporter
Before Donald Trump’s town hall today even aired, his pre-recorded comments on IVF (in-vitro fertilization) made headlines.
The Republican declared himself the “father” of IVF, before saying he had asked Senator Katie Britt, from Alabama, to explain what it was.
“I said, explain IVF very quickly,” Trump tells Fox News host Harris Faulkner. “And within about two minutes, I understood, we're totally in favour of IVF.”
For months, Republicans have struggled to find their footing on the procedure after Alabama's state supreme court ruled that frozen embryos were "unborn children", and that a person could be held liable for accidentally destroying them.
The decision opened up a new front in the battle over reproductive health. IVF - like abortion - is supported by the majority of Americans, external. But the procedure is opposed by some of the social conservatives that make up the Republican base, because it can involve the destroying of embryos.
Facing down those numbers, Trump has in recent months worked to show his support for IVF, even pledging to make the procedure free for all Americans - something even Democrats haven't offered.
But critics say that Trump's support is hollow, pointing to his support for state abortion bans which, in some cases, could threaten IVF in the country.
'The ads have gotten horrendous'
Rachel Looker
US Reporter
The 2024 presidential race will likely come down to seven key battleground states, where political campaigns are fiercely competing for votes. Here's how some people who live there feel about being the centre of such focus:
Seventy-four-year-old Mary Cider, from Wisconsin, says she is voting for Harris and worries about Trump's campaign distorting facts.
"The ads have gotten horrendous... distortion is so over the top," she says.
Andy Jones, 50, from Pennsylvania, plans to vote for Trump for a third time, but says his neighbours are equally split across who they support.
"One neighbour across the street might have two Trump signs and then the neighbour next door might have four Harris signs. It's like a battle of who can out-sign the other person," he says.
READ MORE:US voters on living in a swing state
Nebraska court upholds felon voting rights
Nebraska's Supreme Court has just issued a ruling which allows felons who have completed their sentences to vote.
The ruling comes ahead of the state's voter registration deadline on 25 October.
The court decided in its split decision that the law giving former felons the right to vote is not unconstitutional, as Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers had argued.
There are at least 7,000 Nebraskans eligible to vote under the new law, according to estimates from the Voting Rights Restoration Coalition.
The growing list of artists banning Trump from using their music
On Monday night, Donald Trump was filmed standing onstage following a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, dancing along to the music playing over loudspeakers.
Among the nine songs Trump stood onstage for was Rufus Wainwrights' version of ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen. Wainwright has now issued a statement that said he was "mortified" that the song played at the rally, that he endorses Kamala Harris.
Wainwright joins the growing list of musicians who have asked Trump not to use their music, including Celine Dion, Jack White, ABBA, Foo Fighters, the Village People, the Rolling Stones, Rihanna and the estate of Sinead O'Connor.
Earlier in the year, Beyonce issued a cease-and-desist letter after the Trump campaign used her song “Freedom” in an online video. The song would go on to become a centrepiece of the Harris's campaign.
Rachel Looker
US reporter
I'm continuing to speak to voters from some of the key battleground states about what it's like to live there during an election.
Joseph Takacs, 47, from Michigan, says he sees his vote as a "drop in the bucket" on election day, and plans on reluctantly backing Donald Trump.
"I live in a rural area, so it's very, very Trumpy up here."
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Jason Bowen, from Pennsylvania, says he plans to vote for Kamala Harris despite living in a rural area with a lot of visible Trump support.
"We're potentially playing kingmaker here," he says.
"It is kind of nerve-wracking knowing that we're going to play such a big role because there's a lot of people that are just so burnt out about everything."
The states likely to decide this election
In our coverage of the US election, we're consistently referring to swing or battleground states and their importance.
In case you're wondering what those terms mean - here's a reminder.
About 240 million people are eligible to vote in this presidential election, but only a relatively small number of them are likely to settle the question of who becomes the next president.
Experts believe there are only a handful of states - the swings and battlegrounds - that could plausibly be won by either the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump: North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Both parties are therefore campaigning intensively to win over undecided voters in these states - and the graph below shows their latest polling data:
North Carolina still reeling from deadly hurricane - a worry for Democrats
As we've been reporting, some people have already cast their ballots in several US states, with in-person early voting due to begin in the key swing state of North Carolina tomorrow.
But the process could hit snags as election day gets nearer.
The state is one of seven crucial battlegrounds that experts say could tilt this election - and it's still reeling from Hurricane Helene which tore through it at the end of last month.
In Buncombe County, one of the hardest-hit areas where dozens were killed, several buildings were destroyed, including planned polling locations.
The county's Democratic chair, Kathie Kline, has told Politico she's worried about the storm's effect on her party's chances: "I am very concerned that North Carolina could lose. We were feeling pretty confident we were going to turn blue this year, but because of the storm we're less convinced that we're going to have that positive impact at the polls."
Harris says 'quite bizarre' Trump called himself 'father of IVF'
Vice-President Kamala Harris has responded to comments from Donald Trump that we brought you earlier, when he called himself the "father of IVF" during a town hall of women voters.
Speaking to reporters in before boarding Air Force 2 to Pennsylvania, Harris says Trump's label for himself on the reproductive procedure was "quite bizarre".
She says he should in fact be taking responsibility for the women living under abortion bans or restrictive abortion laws around the country.
"So let's not be distracted by his choice of words. The reality is, his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue," she says.
Harris is referring to the fact that many US states have some kind of abortion ban or restriction on the books after the 2022 overturning of the law that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationally. That decision was made by a conservative-majority Supreme Court, three of whom were nominated by Trump when he was president.
Trump has said he is not in favour of some of the most restrictive abortion regulations that some in the Republican party have championed, but that he wants to leave the matter up to state law rather than federal.
Read more: What are the abortion laws in US states?
'I don't quite understand the hysteria' - voters have their say
Rachel Looker
US reporter
Over the last few hours, we brought you several top lines from Donald Trump's appearance on Fox News.
Let's hear more now directly from voters in key swing states whose support is highly sought after by both major presidential political campaigns.
Ben Stumf, 32, from Michigan, says he has always voted Democrat, but constantly receives flyers in his mailbox from the Republican Party.
"It is non-stop, incessant up here and it's exhausting," he says.
Jonathan Hills, 42, from North Carolina, is a new US citizen who says he plans to vote for Trump, but doesn't see much of a difference between the candidates.
"Very little changes when a Republican or a Democrat becomes president. I don’t quite understand the hysteria," he says.
Fact-checking Trump’s claim about 13,099 murderers
By Lucy Gilder
Speaking about crime and immigration in the US during his all-women town hall on Fox earlier, Donald Trump said: "It was just announced last week, 13,099 murders were released into our country."
This figure comes from recently released data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – but more context is needed around Trump’s claim.
ICE has said there were this number of non-citizens convicted of homicide on its database, as of July 2024, which were not detained currently by them. It did not say when they came to the US.
The Department of Homeland Security DHS - which oversees ICE - said the data "includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years or more, the vast majority of whose custody determination was made long before this administration".
It also said that although those on the list may not be in ICE custody they could be detained or in prison under the supervision of other agencies.
READ MORE: Migrants with criminal records - what new US data shows
Former president Jimmy Carter casts his ballot for Harris
Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution (ACJ) two months ago that his grandpa wanted to live long enough to cast a vote for Kamala Harris.
At the time, the former president was aged 99.
Carter voted for Harris on Wednesday in his home state of Georgia, on the second day of early voting. He turned 100 on 1 October.
The Carter Center confirmed the former president has cast his ballot for the presidential election by mail.
His grandson Jason Carter previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the former president wanted to vote for Harris because she is "more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza".
Trump calls himself the 'father of IVF'
In a room full of women, an audience member asks Trump how he's going to preserve women's abilities to make decisions about their bodies.
He seemed at odds on how to answer the question, balancing what some prominent Republicans want to see, versus Trump's support of sending the power back to the states to regulate abortion access.
He is then asked about access to IVF (in vitro fertilisation).
He calls himself "the father of IVF," but does not elaborate on what exactly that might mean.
The comment went viral last night after the taping wrapped in Georgia, but he hasn't expanded on those remarks now the town hall is actually airing on Fox News.
Last night, Kamala Harris wrote on social media: "Donald Trump called himself “the father of IVF.” What is he talking about? His abortion bans have already jeopardized access to it in states across the country—and his own platform could end IVF altogether."
The town hall has now finished, but stay with us. We have plenty more US politics coverage coming up.
Trump's town hall attempts to shore up support with women voters
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
Fox News is providing Trump with a friendly forum to speak to women voters, who, taken as a whole, have been somewhat sceptical of him since his first run for office in 2016.
Polls suggest 56% of likely women voters are backing Vice-President Kamala Harris, while 40% back Donald Trump, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll taken in late September and early October.
To shore up support with women, Trump has sought to turn issues like immigration, crime, and the economy into kitchen-table issues. Despite being asked about abortion, Trump's answers at the town hall so far have focused on these other topics.
Unlike Democrats, who tend to focus on women's rights and abortion access when talking to women voters, Trump is making a different play for women voters here - and on the campaign trail.
Trump doubles down on 'enemies from within' comment
Trump has spent a chunk of time during this pre-recorded town hall with an all-women audience talking about the border.
But he has pivoted to comments made earlier this week, when he talked of "enemies within".
He once again says "the enemy from within" is more dangerous than China and Russia. Trump specifically mentions "the Pelosis" - as in Democratic former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - and Adam Schiff - who led the impeachment case against him - as "the enemy from within".
Trump goes on to say there are "Marxists, and communists and fascists" among this group he has designated.
For context: US intelligence has spent the last few months warning about election interference by China, Russia and also Iran. Their concern is that cyber attacks or social media campaigns could try and sway the result of the election or undermine its legitimacy. But Trump has singled out domestic protesters – "radical left lunatics" – as the main risk to the election itself
Woman asks about childcare costs
The woman admits she's nervous - "I'm shaking like a freaking leaf", she says - but she also tells Trump she broke her neck last year and that it has been difficult to balance the costs of childcare with her recovery. She asks how Trump will help parents with the cost of raising children.
Trump replies that his daughter, Ivanka Trump, was pushing for child tax credits during his previous administration. He says that they will "re-adjust things so that it's fair to everybody" and that he primarily sees the programme in the form of a tax cut.
Both Trump and Kamala Harris have unveiled child tax credit proposals.
Trump rapidly switches talking points
Fox News host Harris Faulkner is working hard to keep Donald Trump on the topic of each question.
The former president frequently switches his talking points when answering.
At one point he was talking about the border and she steered him back to talk about the economy.
Later, Trump started talking about the 2020 election and Faulkner guided him back to talk about inflation.
When he was asked about minority voters, he switched the topic to law enforcement and border patrol.
Trump's first question is on the economy
Trump's town hall has started and the first question is from a woman named Lisa, who asks if Trump would outline his plans to "revitalise the economy again as president, and policies that specifically support the middle class when re-elected?"
Trump hits his usual economic talking points: He says America will drill for more fossil fuels - what he calls "liquid gold" - and bring down energy costs. He says he will incentivise more US-based manufacturing and "make it possible for companies to come into our country again".
"We're going to have record setting jobs," he claims.
Trump has sought to appeal to women voters by making the economy and other issues like immigration and crime front and centre.
Why is IVF a 2024 talking point?
Holly Honderich
US reporter
Before Donald Trump’s town hall today even aired, his pre-recorded comments on IVF (in-vitro fertilization) made headlines.
The Republican declared himself the “father” of IVF, before saying he had asked Senator Katie Britt, from Alabama, to explain what it was.
“I said, explain IVF very quickly,” Trump tells Fox News host Harris Faulkner. “And within about two minutes, I understood, we're totally in favour of IVF.”
For months, Republicans have struggled to find their footing on the procedure after Alabama's state supreme court ruled that frozen embryos were "unborn children", and that a person could be held liable for accidentally destroying them.
The decision opened up a new front in the battle over reproductive health. IVF - like abortion - is supported by the majority of Americans, external. But the procedure is opposed by some of the social conservatives that make up the Republican base, because it can involve the destroying of embryos.
Facing down those numbers, Trump has in recent months worked to show his support for IVF, even pledging to make the procedure free for all Americans - something even Democrats haven't offered.
But critics say that Trump's support is hollow, pointing to his support for state abortion bans which, in some cases, could threaten IVF in the country.
'The ads have gotten horrendous'
Rachel Looker
US Reporter
The 2024 presidential race will likely come down to seven key battleground states, where political campaigns are fiercely competing for votes. Here's how some people who live there feel about being the centre of such focus:
Seventy-four-year-old Mary Cider, from Wisconsin, says she is voting for Harris and worries about Trump's campaign distorting facts.
"The ads have gotten horrendous... distortion is so over the top," she says.
Andy Jones, 50, from Pennsylvania, plans to vote for Trump for a third time, but says his neighbours are equally split across who they support.
"One neighbour across the street might have two Trump signs and then the neighbour next door might have four Harris signs. It's like a battle of who can out-sign the other person," he says.
READ MORE:US voters on living in a swing state
Nebraska court upholds felon voting rights
Nebraska's Supreme Court has just issued a ruling which allows felons who have completed their sentences to vote.
The ruling comes ahead of the state's voter registration deadline on 25 October.
The court decided in its split decision that the law giving former felons the right to vote is not unconstitutional, as Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers had argued.
There are at least 7,000 Nebraskans eligible to vote under the new law, according to estimates from the Voting Rights Restoration Coalition.
The growing list of artists banning Trump from using their music
On Monday night, Donald Trump was filmed standing onstage following a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, dancing along to the music playing over loudspeakers.
Among the nine songs Trump stood onstage for was Rufus Wainwrights' version of ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen. Wainwright has now issued a statement that said he was "mortified" that the song played at the rally, that he endorses Kamala Harris.
Wainwright joins the growing list of musicians who have asked Trump not to use their music, including Celine Dion, Jack White, ABBA, Foo Fighters, the Village People, the Rolling Stones, Rihanna and the estate of Sinead O'Connor.
Earlier in the year, Beyonce issued a cease-and-desist letter after the Trump campaign used her song “Freedom” in an online video. The song would go on to become a centrepiece of the Harris's campaign.
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