So let's get a live updates coming in India Today
is Rohit Sharma is joining me live from Washington DC.
Rohit.
So its literally now the countdown in USA.
Who's leading according to you Possibly if it looks like
the race to the White House.
Do you think Kamala Harris has an edge or is
Donald Trump's return more likely?
Look, this race is very, very close.
You know, nobody knows who's who's leading.
I mean, you look at 1 poll and you look
like come the Harris is leading.
You look at the other poll and you it looks
like Donald Trump is leading.
I mean, you know, given all the polling that's happened
since Kamala Harris has entered this race, it's the, the
difference between both the candidates have tightened and it's really
close.
I mean, we looked at some of the polls today
and, and it, it made it seem like, you know,
Donald Trump has slight edge over Kamala Harris.
And then the other polls came out and they said,
you know, Kamala Harris is still leading in, in some
of these states.
So we are headed in a very, very different direction
that what most people had anticipated at the start of
this all important 2024 presidential election.
Now, can Kamala Harris overcome, you know, the challenges that
Hillary faced in 2016?
We do not know.
But we do know for a fact that she's making
inroads with older women and that there's a poll that
came out not too long ago from the state of
Iowa, which is a red state, saying that Kamala Harris
is leading by three points against Donald Trump in that
particular state.
And interesting fact was women are voting and in numbers
in Iowa.
And I think if that team, if you just stick
to that one particular team and apply to some of
these battleground states, Kamala Harris maybe may be able to
overcome the challenges, the challenge of Donald Trump that is.
But look, Trump's polling really well among white white males
who are who do not have a college degree among
Latinos, among black African American voters and even among Indian
American voters.
So he has a very new coalition that's guiding him,
you know, in this race towards the White House.
The other aspect of of, you know, if Kamla can
do this or not also depends on voter turn out
on Tuesday, November 5th.
Now, remember, Democrats traditionally like to vote early.
They try to use mail in ballots, while Republicans want
to show up to the polls.
They believe they're showing up to the polls gives them
the best chance to win the election.
So can Kamala Harris, you know, basically motivate her, her
base to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 5th?
That was a one mistake that Hillary Clinton made in,
in 2016.
So I think they're both very focused on making sure
voters turn up to vote on Tuesday, November 5th.
But from the polls that we have right now, you
can't tell.
You cannot separate the, the candidates and you really cannot
say who's leading and who's not.
It only, you know, you look at 1 poll and
you look at the other.
We we are all very confused in modern history of
American elections.
This race is, is being compared to the that of
6th in the 60s when John F Kennedy faces rival.
Very interesting.
And what you're telling us also about, you know, there's,
there's diversity in opinions whether its about races, but also
women in terms of gender.
And I wonder if abortion laws has something to do
with how the voting could go in the red states
like you mentioned Rohit, Indian origin diaspora India, for example,
is also watching all of this very carefully.
What do you think Donald Trump or Kamala Harris could
be better for India?
We've seen that and she's been able to talk to
the Prime Minister.
We've seen their chirpy videos.
We've seen all of that.
So as far as who's going to be better for
India, I think both of them would want to continue
the partnership, the growing partnership that they have in India.
I think both the parties see India as a very
crucial member to their new alliance, especially when you talk,
when you talk about contract China and their influence in
Quad and manufacturing and supply chains and AI.
Like, I think both parties understand that India is very
crucial.
So there would be a little bit of subtle personality
difference that could probably play a role.
But as far as India is concerned, I think we're
both the parties and both the candidates.
It's very, very important.
I really don't see much changing except for the fact
that you might see Donald Trump, you know, saying certain
things and, and doing certain things and sometimes overwhelmingly and,
and sometimes even surprising the Indian counterparts.
While if you were to talk about Vice President Kamala
Harris becoming the president, it would be a very nuanced
approach.
It would be very, you know, warm, but also measured
in some areas.
And I think that would be the key difference between
a Donald Trump presidency and Vice President Kamala Harris's presidency.
It's been fascinating how they've reached out to either the
Indian origin diaspora or India itself as its relationship.
Thank you very much, Rohit.
Looking forward to your coverage as the final countdown to
US as elections.