The Albany Gazette - Harris deploys Springsteen in celeb-heavy push

Harris is cranking up the celebrity wattage -- including with Beyonce in Texas on Friday, according to reports -- at a series of concerts in battleground states to boost support in the final days of a nail-biting election.

Thursday's rally in Atlanta, Georgia will be Harris's first campaign stop with Obama, the only Black president in American history and who remains widely popular with Democratic voters.

Large numbers of Americans, including about 2.2 million in Georgia, have already cast ballots in early voting, reflecting intense engagement ahead of Election Day November 5.

Springsteen will bring his brand of socially conscious, working-class anthems like "Badlands" and "My Hometown" to get out the vote and bolster Harris's blue-collar credentials.

The vice president raised the stakes further in a CNN appearance late Wednesday when she said she considers 78-year-old Trump to be a "fascist" -- as charged in a bombshell interview by the Republican's former chief of staff John Kelly.

Trump, the oldest major presidential nominee in US history and the first to be running with a criminal record, is also casting the election as an existential battle for the United States.

But it will have profound personal implications too, given he is the subject of serious criminal probes into his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his post-presidential hoarding of top-secret documents.

- 'Revenge' -

In a radio interview on his way to campaign rallies in Arizona and Nevada -- both swing states -- Trump announced that if elected he'd fire the special prosecutor overseeing his remaining cases in "seconds."

Harris, 60, for her part assailed Trump for "plotting revenge and retribution" against his political enemies, and took a swipe at his energy levels.

"The sad part about that is he's trying to be president of the United States -- probably the toughest job in the world -- and he's exhausted," she told reporters.

The election remains a toss-up, with the two candidates jostling within the margin of error in polls from all the swing states set to tip the overall national result.

US media reported Thursday that Beyonce -- whose hit "Freedom" is already the Harris campaign signature song -- will join the Democrat when she visits Houston on Friday to highlight reproductive rights.

Harris declined to confirm the reports, but urged Americans to "stay tuned."

Other big names helping Harris include rapper Eminem, Usher and Megan Thee Stallion.

Obama, 63, has been making his own headlining appearances in support of Harris in a slew of swing states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The Harris campaign hopes the former president will reverse fears of eroding support among Black voters.

Harris, 60, is of mixed Black and South Asian heritage, and is vying to become the country's first female president.

- American Dream 'unreachable ' -

Trump is expected to attack Harris's economic policies at a rally in Tempe, Arizona.

His campaign said the current vice president had "made the American Dream of home ownership unreachable for young Americans and families."

Trump will then attend a Las Vegas rally aimed at recruiting volunteers and celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Like Harris, Trump also heads Friday to Texas, where he is to deliver remarks on border security.

On his flight across the country, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, an ardent supporter, that he would instantly fire the special prosecutor overseeing his unprecedented slew of criminal cases.

"Oh, it's so easy," Trump said. "I would fire him within two seconds."

The hiring and firing of special counsels -- prosecutors who work at arm's length from the Justice Department in politically sensitive cases -- is the responsibility of the US attorney general, who is in turn appointed by the president.

(B.Smith--TAG)