Summary

  • Our live coverage of the US election has moved - continue to follow us here

  • Donald Trump set out his campaign closing message to voters in New York's Madison Square Garden

  • The former president has distanced himself from a comedian who spoke at the rally and referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage"

  • Kamala Harris's campaign says language used at the rally was "divisive and demeaning"

  • Elsewhere, Vice-President Kamala Harris campaigned in Pennsylvania, one of the biggest targets for both campaigns

  • She used a speech to appeal for support from younger voters who are "rightly impatient for change"

  • The polls: Trump and Harris remain neck-and-neck

  1. Trump continues to attack America's electoral system - Ros Atkins takes a closer lookpublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 27 October

    The polls are close, and it's not clear which candidate will win.

    But there's another question hanging over this election: given what happened last time, will Trump accept the election result if he loses?

    In this video, the BBC's Ros Atkins talks you through what Trump said in the aftermath of his loss in 2020, and what he and senior Republicans are saying about the issue ahead of this one.

    Media caption,

    Ros Atkins on… Would Donald Trump accept defeat?

  2. Margins between Trump and Harris narrow in the pollspublished at 08:45 Greenwich Mean Time 27 October

    National polling averages show Democratic nominee and Vice-President Kamala Harris with a small lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump - Harris on 48%, Trump on 47%.

    Towards the end of August, Harris was almost four percentage points ahead of Trump but in recent days, this margin has narrowed, as you can see in the graphic below.

    And while national polls may give us a sense of how popular a candidate is across the US, it's important to consider the state polls in seven key battlegrounds states which this helpful guide by BBC's Visual Journalism and Data teams unpicks.

    Graphic with two lines that show averages of national polls from August to late October, with the Presidential debate highlighted
  3. Political gender gap could be deciding factor in electionpublished at 08:17 Greenwich Mean Time 27 October

    Katty Kay
    US special correspondent

    Graphic with Kamala Harris (shaded in blue) and Donal Trump (shaded in red)

    Donald Trump enjoys a huge lead among men, while women tell pollsters they prefer Kamala Harris by a similarly large margin. The political gender gap reflects a decade of social upheaval and could help decide the US election.

    For the first woman of colour to secure a presidential nomination, and only the second woman to ever get this close, Kamala Harris goes to great lengths not to talk about her identity.

    “Listen, I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender,” the vice-president said in a CNN interview last month.

    In this piece, the BBC's US special correspondent Katty Kay delves deeper into how this November’s election has turned into a referendum on gender norms, and the social upheavals of recent years.

  4. Nine days to go in race to the White Housepublished at 08:07 Greenwich Mean Time 27 October

    Good morning from London and welcome back to our live coverage of the US election and with just nine days to go until polling day, the race to the White House continues.

    Last night, at a rally in Michigan - a crucial swing state - Donald Trump received the endorsement of Arab-American leaders, who he said could "turn the election".

    Also in Michigan, former first lady Michelle Obama made her first appearance on the campaign trail at an event in Kalamazoo with Democratic nominee and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

    In a fiery speech, Obama urged voters to "do something" and protect the country from the "dangers" of Trump, while also warning how a Trump administration could impact abortion rights.

    Polls show the two locked in a tight race in Michigan, with Harris holding an extremely narrow lead 10 days before the 5 November election.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest news and analysis.

  5. Michelle Obama joins Harris in Michigan as Trump gathers support from Muslim leaderspublished at 00:31 British Summer Time 27 October

    Michelle Obama and Kamala HarrisImage source, Getty Images

    It has been another busy day in US politics, with just 10 days to go until the election. We'll shortly be wrapping up our live coverage, but before we go here are some of Saturday's main headlines.

    • Americans woke up to a new episode of one of the most popular podcasts in the US, The Joe Rogan Show, featuring an interview with Republican nominee Donald Trump. During the interview, he revealed his "biggest mistake" while president was: “I picked a few people I shouldn’t have picked”
    • Trump appeared alongside Arab leaders outside Detroit, Michigan where he received their endorsement
    • In Michigan, former first lady Michelle Obama joined Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, where she gave an emphatic speech calling on voters to "do something". Obama sought to strike an emotional chord with those in attendance, as she discussed women's reproductive health and the differences in scrutiny Harris and Trump face
    • At the same rally, Harris acknowledged that the election was very tight, but she repeatedly vowed to win
    • Trump also urged those at a rally in Pennsylvania to get out and vote, as early voting began in four more states - Michigan, New Jersey, Florida and New York
    • Both Pennsylvania and Michigan are among seven key swing states that are likelyto decide who becomes the next president

    We'll be back tomorrow with the latest on the campaign trail, until then you can head here for more on this story.

    Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump, stands with supporters on stage during a campaign rally at Suburban Collection Showplace on October 26, 2024 in Novi, Michigan.Image source, Getty Images
  6. Watch: 'We've got to do something', Michelle Obama sayspublished at 00:11 British Summer Time 27 October

    Former first lady Michelle Obama joined Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she urged those attending the rally to "do something" ahead of the upcoming election on 5 November.

    Obama, someone who Americans don't often hear from, gave an impassioned speech where she urged people not to sit around and complain - but instead go out and vote for the Democrats' nominee, Harris.

    Media caption,

    We can't just sit around and complain, we've got to do something - Michelle Obama

  7. Trump says international community respected US when he was presidentpublished at 23:50 British Summer Time 26 October

    We can now bring you a bit more from Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, where he says the international community feared and respected his leadership when he was in power between 2017 and 2021.

    Trump went on to cite the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, saying that the war between Russia and Ukraine needed to come to an end and if he was elected on 5 November he would make that happen.

    In his criticism of Kamala Harris and the incumbent Biden administration, Trump accused the Democrats of allowing "blood-thirsty criminals" from other countries to enter the US. Echoing his previous anti-immigration narrative, Trump says that if elected he is "going to have to get a lot of them [immigrants] out fast, because we're not safe".

  8. A few states over, Trump is speaking in Pennsylvaniapublished at 23:29 British Summer Time 26 October

    Trump speaks in front of a crowd waving Trump signsImage source, Reuters

    While Harris is speaking to a crowd in Michigan, Trump is speaking in College Station, Pennsylvania, close to Pennsylvania State University.

    Trump has largely repeated many of his campaign remarks.

    He spent a few minutes criticising Beyoncé's appearance on behalf of Harris last night in Texas.

    Trump says the crowd at the Houston rally did not have a good turnout, and doesn't compare to the Pennsylvania crowd he is speaking to.

    The Harris campaign estimated there were 30,000 people at last night's Houston's rally. Reporters on the ground in College Station estimate there are 15,000 people at today's Trump rally.

    "We don't need anybody because we have common sense," he says referring to celebrity appearances the Harris campaign has seen in recent days.

  9. Michelle Obama's impassioned speech hoped to strike an emotional chordpublished at 23:16 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the rally in Michigan

    Kamala Harris and Michelle ObamaImage source, Reuters

    Americans don't hear from Michelle Obama particularly often. In fact, this is her first time on the campaign trail, since Kamala Harris first became the party's official nominee during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.

    Her impassioned speech clearly sought to strike an emotional chord with the crowd, which alternated between sitting in silence listening and extremely loud cheers that made it difficult to hear her speak.

    It’s an argument with which the Democrats and the Harris campaign believe they can win - we've been hearing it repeated at rally after rally and at town halls as Harris and running-mate Tim Walz, along with their political allies, seek to make their closing arguments to voters.

    Obama also questioned why Harris is held to a "higher standard" than Trump

    "We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger," she said. "But for Trump, we expect nothing at all, no understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals."

  10. Harris acknowledges narrow margin but vows to winpublished at 23:01 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the rally in Michigan

    Kamala HarrisImage source, US Pool

    Harris has now taken the stage-beginning with a joke about the town of "Kamala-zoo" Michigan and telling voters that there’s still "hard work" to be done.

    Like Michelle Obama, Harris acknowledged that the election is very narrow - although she repeatedly vowed to win.

    Her remarks, however, were interrupted by a lone - but very loud - protester calling for the Gaza war to end and calling for Harris to have "decency" when it comes to US support for Israel.

    The protester was quickly escorted from the venue by police officers, while the crowd around him chanted "don’t come back!".

    Afterwards, Harris’s speech continued along now-familiar lines, including promises to crack down on price gouging, swipes at Donald Trump and a "common sense" plan top lower costs for medicines and other necessities for working-class Americans.

  11. Trump blamed for fall of Roe v Wade in Obama's addresspublished at 22:42 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the rally in Michigan

    This has been a fiery speech from Michelle Obama, in which she has both attacked Donald Trump repeatedly and focused heavily on abortion access.

    The former president, she said, could take the US back into the days before Roe v Wade, a landmark case that protected the right to abortion before it was repealed by the Supreme Court two years ago.

    She also explicitly, and repeatedly, blamed Trump for the fall of Roe v Wade, remarking that the “devastating consequences” of teenage or unintended pregnancies could be felt across America.

    Judges appointed by Trump to the now-conservative-leaning Supreme Court repealed Roe v Wade in 2022.

    Obama also brought up a “tragic” and worst-case scenario, where she argued the repeal of Roe v Wade could lead to the death of women.

    “I don’t want to be a downer, but in many cases, there is no warning,” she said.

    “I’m asking y’all, from the core of my being, to take our lives seriously.”

  12. Take our lives seriously, Obama says as she zeros in on women's healthcarepublished at 22:35 British Summer Time 26 October

    Media caption,

    Your rage does not exist in a vacuum - Michelle Obama

    Michelle Obama focuses in on women's access to healthcare, speaking in depth about maternal mortality, the lack of education on menopause, healthcare deserts and the effects of the overturning of Roe v Wade.

    "It's not just abortion care but women's health broadly," Obama says to the crowd.

    "I'm asking you from the core of my being to take our lives seriously," she says to thunderous applause.

    "A vote for him is a vote against us, against our health, our worth."

    She urges men to support Harris in the election, making a direct appeal: "Your rage does not exist in a vacuum ...We as women will become collateral damage to your rage."

  13. Obama criticises Trump repeatedlypublished at 22:20 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the rally in Michigan

    Michelle Obama directly criticises Donald Trump repeatedly, including by condemning his actions around the 2021 US Capitol riot.

    She's also using the words of former Trump-era officials against him, such as former Vice-President Mike Pence and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.

    "That ugliness will touch all of our lives," she said of the former president.

    Whether or not comments such as this have any bearing on undecided voters is unclear.

    The crowd here is overwhelmingly positive about Harris - and President Joe Biden, and much of what Obama is saying has been repeated in previous appearances by Harris and others.

  14. Energetic start to Michelle Obama's speechpublished at 22:05 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the rally in Michigan

    Media caption,

    We can't just sit around and complain, we've got to do something - Obama

    It's an energetic start to Michelle Obama's speech, who is urging voters to "do something" and get out to vote for Kamala Harris.

    She's also acknowledged that the election will be "too close" - and clearly is seeking to differentiate Harris from Trump, taking a series of thinly veiled swipes against for former President.

    She says, for example, that Harris is "an adult" and implies there was no sense of normalcy under the Trump administration.

    For the most part, however, Obama is appealing to the crowd here, telling them they have much to lose if Trump were to win.

    "I'm deeply concerned that so many people are buying into the lies of people who don't have our best interests at heart," she says.

  15. This race is too close for my liking - Michelle Obamapublished at 22:01 British Summer Time 26 October

    Michelle ObamaImage source, US Pool

    Michelle Obama, the former first lady, has taken to the stage in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

    "Doesn't it feel good to be together?," Obama asks, saying it feels good to see how energised everyone is ahead of the vote.

    "This race is close," she adds, "too close for my liking".

  16. Trump's complicated past with the Muslim votepublished at 22:00 British Summer Time 26 October

    Rowan Bridge
    North America correspondent, Washington DC

    Donald Trump knows that Michigan could be key to who wins the White House.

    And in a race as close as this there is one group in the state that could prove decisive: Arab-Americans.

    Michigan is home to the largest Arab-American community in the country, a historical trend fuelled in part by the growth of the car industry.

    Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by just over 150,000 votes, but some of the 300,000 Arab-Americans living here have expressed frustration at what they see as his favouritism towards Israel amid the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

    Both sides have been trying to court the Muslim vote, which is why Donald Trump brought Muslim Mayor of Dearborn Heights Bill Bazzi, who has endorsed him, on stage with him along with other Muslim and Arab leaders.

    “We as Muslims stand with President Trump, because he promises peace. He promises peace, not war,” said one speaker, who did not identify himself, praising Trump’s “commitment to promoting family values”.

    Trump has a complicated past when it comes to appealing to Muslim voters, though.

    One of his first moves as president when he was elected in 2016 was to introduce a travel ban covering people from several Muslim-majority countries.

  17. Michelle Obama a big draw at Harris rallypublished at 21:23 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from Kalamazoo, Michigan

    Kimberly Allen at the Harris rally in Kalamazoo, MichiganImage source, BBC/Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Image caption,

    Kimberly Allen dismisses any suggestion that Trump might win the election

    There's an air of excitement at the Harris rally in Kalamazoo, where attendees tell me they're particularly looking forward to the upcoming appearance of former First Lady Michelle Obama.

    "This is a historic moment," says Kimberly Allen, a resident of the nearby town of Grand Rapids. "I'm all for Kamala, but I love Michelle."

    This isn't Allen's first rally in support of Harris. Just days ago, she drove about two hours to Detroit for another event featuring Barack Obama, as well as rapper Eminem.

    "We're just full of support for her," she says, standing next to a friend. "It's great she's a woman."

    Allen downplays poling which shows Harris still locked in a tight race with Trump.

    "I think a lot of the information out there isn't exactly true," she adds. "I think Kamala is going to win. Even if it's close, I think she's going to come out on top."

  18. A quick guide to swing state Michiganpublished at 20:50 British Summer Time 26 October

    A BBC graphic showing a stylised postcard stamp reading "greetings from Michigan"

    Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are in Michigan today, as each are vying to win this crucial swing state. Here's the state of play:

    In a nutshell: Michigan helped propel Trump to victory in 2016, before Biden took the state back in 2020.

    What's the deal now? Neither Harris nor Trump is taking Michigan for granted in 2024. The candidates are focusing on Michigan’s large car industry as well as national issues such as the economy and immigration.

    2020 margin: Biden by 150,000 votes.

    Population: 10.03m, same as Greece.

    Electoral college votes: 16 of 538.

    Famous for: Its Great Lakes, the Mustang and Madonna.

  19. At Harris rally, abortions rights and democracy are voters' focuspublished at 20:08 British Summer Time 26 October

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from Kalamazoo, Michigan

    Crowd begins forming at Kamala Harris rallyImage source, Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC

    Two hours' drive from Donald Trump's rally in Detroit, I'm outside the Kamala Harris rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

    A large crowd has already formed ahead of her and former First Lady Michelle Obama's appearance later.

    I've been walking up and down the line, speaking to voters about the issues that matter to them.

    The most common answers, by far, are abortion access and fears that Donald Trump may return to the White House with an authoritarian streak, echoing frequent recent comments from Harris and her political allies.

    "The main thing that brought me out here is trying to save democracy," says Kelly Landon, a resident of Canton, Michigan, who came to the rally with her daughter and granddaughter. "And my family, and their right to be safe and be in charge of their bodies and their own futures."

    Landon says the economy isn't a concern - and that she's willing to "clip coupons" and save if she needs.

    "That's secondary to their health and safety," she says, gesturing to her family members. "And their right to live the way they want to live."

  20. Muslim community leaders join Trump on stagepublished at 19:48 British Summer Time 26 October

    A Muslim community leaders holds two fingers up in a "peace sign" next to Donald Trump on stage in MichiganImage source, Reuters

    A few moments ago at Trump's rally in Novi, Michigan, a group of Arab and Muslim community leaders joined the former president on stage to endorse him and explain why they're backing him.

    The largest Arab population in the US is in Dearborn, Michigan, not far from where Trump is speaking - and one of those on stage is the mayor of Dearborn.

    They voiced their support for Trump and desire for peace in the Middle East, which they believe he can bring. Trump said the Muslim vote could help turn Michigan for him.

    Both Harris and Trump have both been vying for support from Arab-Americans.

    Some Arab voters, particularly in Dearborn, are frustrated with the Democratic Party, especially Biden and Harris, for what they perceive as a lack of support for Palestinians in the Middle East.