The video highlights the closing stages of the US election campaign, where tensions between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are noticeably heightened. Trump makes unverified claims about leading in polls and criticizes Harris on a variety of issues, displaying a consistent message of negativity cross-locked with economic and migration concerns. Trump's rhetoric aims to energize his core voter base, implying a sharp divide and potential voter alienation.

Kamala Harris, contrasting with Trump's approach, prepares for a major closing speech that encapsulates her vision and dispels Trump's negativity. Her approach seeks to redefine her image to viewers, leverage middle-class economic messages, and counterbalance Trump's criticisms. Addressing not only her vision for the country, Harris aims to rally support, particularly among undecided voters at this late election phase.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. knife edge [naɪf ɛdʒ] - (noun) - A very critical or close point, often used to describe situations that could easily go in either direction. - Synonyms: (crucial point, tipping point, brink)

It is exactly one week until the US Election and the race is at a knife edge.

2. swing states [swɪŋ steɪts] - (noun) - US states where both major political parties have similar levels of support among voters and can swing either way in an election. - Synonyms: (battleground states, critical states, pivotal states)

...he falsely claimed he was ahead in the polls for all of the seven swing states.

3. rhetoric [ˈrɛtərɪk] - (noun) - The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques. - Synonyms: (oratory, eloquence, speech)

Throughout this election campaign, it was heavily focused on strong rhetoric around immigration...

4. core messages [kɔːr ˈmɛsɪdʒɪz] - (noun) - The main ideas or themes that are consistently communicated in a campaign or strategy. - Synonyms: (central ideas, primary themes, main points)

He talked about areas of squalor, for example, in the U.S. essentially blaming the Biden Harris administration for what he describes as these areas that have been left behind, neglected economically. And I think that shows that his strategy really over the next couple of days is really to focus on some of those core messages.

5. margin of error [ˈmɑːrdʒɪn əv ˈɛrər] - (noun) - An amount (usually small) that is allowed for in case of miscalculation or change of circumstances. - Synonyms: (tolerance, deviation, allowable error)

Well, certainly the recent polls are incredibly close and all of the pollsters that you will speak to will say the same thing, that it is on a knife edge and within the margin of error in many places.

6. battleground states [ˈbætəlɡraʊnd steɪts] - (noun) - States in which the outcome of an election is uncertain and both parties have an equal chance of winning. - Synonyms: (swing states, key states, competitive states)

But as I say, most will tell you that this is within the margin of error and that it is simply too close to call in many of those key battleground states.

7. recount [rɪˈkaʊnt] - (noun) - An official count of votes in an election that takes place when the original count was extremely close or if there was an error. - Synonyms: (re-tally, vote count review, ballot count)

There may well be recounts in some of those close counties in particular.

8. middle-class vision [ˈmɪdəl klæs ˈvɪʒən] - (noun) - A political vision or set of policies focused on the needs and interests of the middle economic class. - Synonyms: (bourgeois vision, moderate policies, centrist ideals)

And the third is really to lay out again articulate her middle class vision for the country and the kitchen table issues that are actually the issues that swing voters decide who to vote for on.

9. polling day [ˈpoʊlɪŋ deɪ] - (noun) - The day on which elections are held and votes are cast. - Synonyms: (election day, vote day, ballot day)

What he's really concerned about is trying to rally up his core votes, his support base to go out and vote for him ahead of polling day.

10. american carnage [əˈmɛrɪkən ˈkɑ:nɪdʒ] - (noun) - A term used to describe perceived decline and destruction in America, often politically charged to suggest chaos or failure. - Synonyms: (destruction, devastation, havoc)

I just don't think they want another four years of this american carnage and everything is terrible.

Backlash after comedian at Donald Trump rally calls Puerto Rico 'island of garbage' - BBC News

Hello and welcome to today's Verified Live. It is exactly one week until the US Election and the race is at a knife edge. Republican nominee Donald Trump has been holding a press conference at Mar a Lago today where he falsely claimed he was ahead in the polls for all of the seven swing states. He also attacked his Republican, his rival, Kamala Harris on a range of points from migration to allegedly stealing the presidency. Well, the vice president is due to give a major speech later from the Capitol, a speech described as a closing moment speech to the nation. Well, let's start this hour hearing a little of what Donald Trump had to say.

Who would want open borders where millions of people can flow in from prisons and from gangs, Gangs, the worst gang members anywhere in the world. Who would want this for our country? Who would want all of these transgender operations all over the place, like at will, even if you're in detention? I want to. Transgender. These are things she used to. Who wants to defund the police? She's wanted her whole career to defund the police. She only changed recently. She changed on 15 different items. Fracking. She was against fracking at the highest level. Wouldn't even think about now all of a sudden, oh, I like fracking very much. But they change after the election in about two minutes. And I think Pennsylvania understands that.

Well, let's go to our North America correspondent, Ione Wells, who's there in Washington. I only. I know you were listening to that. That was a speech that ranged from saying he was not a Nazi to attacking Kamala Harris on all sorts of things and claiming he was ahead in all seven swing states. What did you make of all of that? Well, I think it showed how Donald Trump is really using the final days of his campaign to double down on some of his core messages. Throughout this election campaign, it was heavily focused on strong rhetoric around immigration, accusing migrants of bringing crime to the US for example. Also doubling down on some of his economic messages as well, which he knows, as the polls suggest is one of the top, top issues on voters minds at the moment.

He talked about areas of squalor, for example, in the U.S. essentially blaming the Biden Harris administration for what he describes as these areas that have been left behind, neglected economically. And I think that shows that his strategy really over the next couple of days is really to focus on some of those core messages. He's not really necessarily that occupied right now with trying to convince maybe some of those moderate voters. What he's really concerned about is trying to rally up his core votes, his support base to go out and vote for him ahead of polling day.

And what is your assessment in terms of recent polling? Well, certainly the recent polls are incredibly close and all of the pollsters that you will speak to will say the same thing, that it is on a knife edge and within the margin of error in many places. Now, in some of those key battlegrounds, Kamala Harris is very, very marginally ahead according to some polls, which is contrary to what Donald Trump said. But as I say, most will tell you that this is within the margin of error and that it is simply too close to call in many of those key battleground states.

I think what that does speak to is that this could be a result that goes on for several days. There may well be recounts in some of those close counties in particular. There may even be sort of challenges made to the result if it is particularly close. But both candidates are very keen to stress at the moment that they need their core vote, their base, as I say, to get out and vote for them. The Democrats have been pushing this message as well. They've been arguing that it is very close to call. They're trying to boost turnout and turnout is one of the things that will determine the results in some of these key states.

Irony. Thanks very much. Just another line to bring you from what we heard from Donald Trump a little earlier because of course, so much focus on that Madison Square Garden rally, which was, of course, they had the warm up act, which had those extraordinarily offensive comments aimed at Puerto Ricans and African Americans, Donald Trump calling that event, quote, a love fest. So no apologies or even hint of apologies for what happened on Sunday night that potentially has the impact of alienating a section of voters.

Let's talk on the program to Paul Ozulak, who's a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton and co founder of West Wing Writers. And thank you so much, Paul, for being here with us. Now, Kamala Harris has this really big speech coming up in the next few hours. It's there in the Capitol. It's called, or being called, a closing moment speech. What do you think in terms of content and where she's going to deliver it? Well, this is a campaign tactic that every campaign does from, you know, from the last hundred years.

There are three moments when the press actually reports directly what you say. Sort of there's your announcement speech, there's your convention speech. And then the closing argument is, as a prosecutor does in court, you pull the strings of your argument together and you make the case. Two, two things about this are really interesting. One is that she's doing it on the ellipsis behind the White House, behind the south fence of the White House, which is the same spot where Donald Trump delivered his Stop the Steal speech before his supporters went to the Capitol and killed some people and destroyed a lot of it back in 2021. And it's also, you know, within shouting distance of this rally that happened at Madison Square Gun, which was not part of the plan.

But I think the contrast is going to be pretty remarkable because you'll see, you know, we even saw this morning that one of the things that's marked this candidacy for former President Trump is that it's been relentlessly negative. I mean, it's the first modern campaign that has had no positive messaging. It's just all negative. And it's hard for voters to watch that and ask sort of what do I what is he going to do for me? Will I hear about being this. And yet when we were listening to, when we were listening to Donald Trump, he described Kamala Harris's campaign as a campaign of hate.

But in terms of what she needs to do in this speech, what is your assessment? Well, she'll pull the threads together. There are three things really to redefine who she is again, people polls have shown dial testing, everything's shown that when people learn, hear from her, learn more about her, they support her, they like her a lot more than they like him. The second is to contrast with Donald Trump, the threat that is Donald Trump that has been playing for a really long time and I think most people can see. And the third is really to lay out again articulate her middle class vision for the country and the kitchen table issues that are actually the issues that swing voters decide who to vote for on.

They are not the things that drive headlines. Usually they're not as sexy as Donald Trump talking about a golfers member or something in front of an audience, but they are the things that people make decisions on. And that's what she's going to go back to, protecting the Affordable Care act, housing, all the things that we, we've heard her talk about over the last 90 days. Why hasn't she campaigned harder on the economy? Because when you listen to voters, they invariably end up talking about that in terms of the administration. They have good numbers to boast about and yet it doesn't seem to connect.

Yeah, I would disagree with you that she has been talking about this pretty regularly. Everywhere she goes. It just doesn't get covered the way that the outrage of the day gets covered. Like in every rally. She's in front of 30,000, 40,000 people talking about these kitchen table issues. Many people pay attention all the way through. A lot of people really tuned in the last week before an election and they really start to care. So she's just going to reiterate all the things that she has been saying for 90 days. And I think that middle class voters will hear a very strong contrast of what they hear from the former president, which is that he doesn't have anything.

She will have to obviously address some of the things he has been saying. But here's a question. Are people actually listening? You know, whether it's the race baiting we had at the New York rally, whether it's all the crazy, is that in effect just baked in already? I mean, I hope they're listening. I mean, I think there are 470,000 Puerto Rican Americans in the state of Pennsylvania who heard what was said about Puerto Rico at that rally and are not happy about it. And very well, in a state where, you know, thousands of votes can mean the difference between winning or losing, it could make a difference.

So, yeah, I think they are paying attention. But really the message here is we don't have to live like this anymore. We don't have to have these attacks on women's appearances every day. We don't have to have people, Americans called by names that disagree with this candidate. We've lived this for 10 years every single day. And I think Americans are going to respond to that. I just don't think they want another four years of this american carnage and everything is terrible. Message, one sentence. Do you think the polls are wrong? I think the polls are wrong. I think women are going to turn out in record numbers because abortion is the first issue on a lot of people's minds that are not being seen in those polls. And I don't even think it's going to be close, to be honest.

Paul Ozulac, thank you so much for taking time. I know you were going to speak to you earlier in the day, but we had moving events so very patiently you waited. But thanks for talking to us on today's Verified Live. My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Politics, Leadership, Motivation, Us Election, Campaign Strategy, Voter Turnout, Bbc News