Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are tied for the popular vote. The final New York Times/Siena College poll among likely voters found that both candidates are locked at 48% to 48% less than two weeks ahead of the election. In early October, Harris enjoyed a slight lead on Trump, with 49% to 46% in the same poll; however, polling results have tightened since then. Harris has reduced the gap with Trump concerning the economy, which continues to be the primary concern for voters, per The Times. Last month, Trump led Harris by 13 points on who would better handle the economy; that margin has now decreased to 6 percentage points.
07:59 AM EDT
Why can't politicians ever admit they've been wrong?
No one likes to admit they were wrong. Politicians, it seems, are straight up allergic to it.
Former President Donald Trump has practically never admitted to making a mistake, while Vice President Kamala Harris has, in her three months as a presidential candidate, somersaulted and dodged questions about how her presidency would look different from that of the current administration, of which she is a part.
In a town hall with CNN on Wednesday, Harris was asked outright if she had ever made a mistake in her life. Prefaced with the qualifier that Trump has never admitted a mistake, and that "most politicians don't," Anderson Cooper asked the vice president: "Is there something you can point to in your life, political life or in your life in the last four years that you think is a mistake that you have learned from?"
"I've made many mistakes," Harris began. "They range from, you know, if you've ever parented a child, you know you make lots of mistakes, too."
She then reflected on her time in the White House, but stopped short of offering an admission of error, pivoting instead to her strengths as VP.
"In my role as vice president, I mean I probably worked very hard at making sure that I am well-versed on issues and I think that's very important. It's a mistake not to be well-versed on issues and feel compelled to answer a question," Harris said.
Her answer to a question asking about a specific time she was wrong was that she works hard to understand the issues.
A week ago, at his own town hall with Univision, Trump was asked by a Republican voter to address his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 — an opportunity for the former president to distance himself or make amends about an event that a majority of Americans tell pollsters they believe was an "attack on democracy" that should never be forgotten.
His answer? The riot at the Capitol was a "day of love" in which "nothing was done wrong at all."
So, why is it that politicians can't seem to admit fault? That they've grown and changed their views based on some kind of new information? After all, it's something all of us do with some regularity, whether with a spouse, children, friends or at work. The ability to change one's mind in the face of new evidence is what Jeff Bezos once called the number one sign of intelligence.
Newsweek spoke with five psychoanalysts who tried to explain what prevents people from being vulnerable, how politicians are "sensitive" to it, how Trump's brand of refusal works, and whether voters would embrace or penalize a candidate who could just own up to past mistakes.
Read more of this piece from Newsweek's Katherine Fung.
07:55 AM EDT
Campaign tracker: Where are the candidates today?
As the election nears, the candidates are doing what they can to make their final pitches to voters. Trump is hosting a press conference today in Austin, Texas, as indicated on his campaign website, where he will discuss border security and crime. Additionally, he is scheduled to tape an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. Meanwhile, Vance will be in North Carolina to give a speech and conduct a town hall, both centered around inflation.
Texas continues to be a solid Republican stronghold; the former president has a 6.7-point lead over Harris in the Lone Star State, according to the latest data from FiveThirtyEight.
Harris is in Houston, Texas today for a prominent rally with the state's Democratic Senate nominee, Rep. Colin Allred, who is engaged in a tight race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The vice presidential nominee, Walz, will host a "Friday Night Lights" rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania this evening.
The rally will focus on abortion rights, highlighting the effects of Texas's stringent abortion laws following the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Harris will be joined by Texas natives such as Beyoncé and Willie Nelson, which could help motivate younger and progressive voters in the region.
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