In the final hours of the tense U.S. election campaign, Kamala Harris aimed to connect with voters upset by the ongoing Gaza conflict, while Donald Trump intensified his aggressive rhetoric, including a controversial remark about journalists potentially being shot. Both the Democratic vice president and the Republican former president campaigned vigorously across several crucial swing states, working to persuade remaining undecided voters with less than 36 hours before polls open on Election Day.

Trump expressed confidence in a "landslide" victory, whereas Harris, addressing a lively crowd at Michigan State University, claimed, "we have momentum—it's on our side."

The 2024 election is proving to be particularly competitive, with many key states virtually tied, more so than in any previous election. Over 77.6 million early votes have already been cast, accounting for nearly half of the total ballots from the 2020 election.

As time ran out, Harris focused her efforts in Michigan, where she is at risk of alienating the Arab-American community, which numbers around 200,000 and has criticized U.S. responses to the Israel-Hamas war.

"Should I become president, I will do everything possible to end the war in Gaza," she stated at the beginning of her address, acknowledging the presence of community leaders at her rally. "This year has been hard, given the level of death and destruction in Gaza, the civilian casualties, and displacement in Lebanon. It is heartbreaking."

However, her speech took a more optimistic turn, emphasizing the importance of voter turnout rather than attacking Trump. "We have two days to make this happen," she urged. "Let's use these last two days to ensure we have no regrets."

Trump concentrated his campaign efforts on Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia—three critical swing states with significant Electoral College weight. The 78-year-old Trump hinted at not accepting a potential defeat and added to his troubling remarks by suggesting to supporters that he wouldn't mind if journalists were harmed.

He described Democrats as "demonic," telling his audience in Lititz, Pennsylvania, that they would be "stupid" not to vote. Despite lacking evidence of significant electoral fraud, he claimed that Democrats in Pennsylvania were working tirelessly to "steal this damn thing."

During an often meandering 90-minute speech, Trump recounted an assassination attempt against him in July, suggesting that if someone were to shoot him again, the bullet would have to pass through the crowd of reporters. "To get to me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news—and I'm not too bothered by that," he said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

He also stated he "shouldn't have left" the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020 and has previously hinted that he might reject defeat again this time around. In another lengthy speech in Kinston, North Carolina, he declared, "on Tuesday, we’re going to have a landslide that’s too big to rig."

Polls, however, indicate that the election is likely to be exceptionally close. A final New York Times/Siena poll on Sunday showed minor shifts in swing states, but all results remained within the margin of error.

Trump made a rare acknowledgment to ABC News earlier on Sunday, saying, "I guess you could lose. I mean, that happens, right?"

As the deadline approached, both candidates were intensely focused on solidifying their support bases and attracting undecided voters, with some polling data suggesting a decline in Black voter support for Harris.

Earlier, Harris quoted scripture at a predominantly Black church in Detroit, Michigan, encouraging Americans to look beyond Trump. "Let us turn the page and write the next chapter of our history," she urged.

With abortion rights as a key concern for voters, her campaign highlighted the significant turnout of women among early voters.

Harris received a boost on Saturday from the final Des Moines Register poll in Iowa, a state Trump had easily won in both 2016 and 2020, showing her in the lead. Trump dismissed these findings as a "fake poll."