Trump cancels a streak of events with only days until election

Former President Trump’s planned appearance at a National Rifle Association event next week was cancelled Thursday, the latest in a slew of scuttled public appearances and interviews by the former president in recent weeks.

Why it matters: With only 17 days to go until Election Day, the spate of cancellations gives voters fewer chances to hear from Trump before heading to the polls in a coin toss race.

• Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has been on a media blitz after enduring criticism from Republicans about a perceived lack of interviews.
• And while Harris has ventured into the unfriendly territory of a Fox News interview, Trump has stuck to the safe spaces of conservative outlets.
• In the appearances he has made, Trump’s rhetoric has grown more violent and nativist. In recent weeks, he has decried his critics as the “enemy from within” and fanned the flames of false conspiracy theories about migrants.
• Trump also pulled out of two mainstream media interviews this week, with NBC News and CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
• Earlier this month he backed out of a scheduled appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” while Harris appeared on the program….

Between the lines: Several of the events and interviews Trump has appeared at in recent weeks have raised eyebrows.

• Trump cut short a Pennsylvania town hall this week to listen and sway to music for more than half an hour. “Let’s make it into a music fest,” Trump said. “Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”
• In an interview with Bloomberg News at the Chicago Economic Club Tuesday, Trump downplayed the Capitol riot and struggled to respond when confronted about the costs of his economic plans.
• Trump later claimed he was “hoodwinked” into the interview.

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• During a podcast appearance Thursday, Trump once again falsely insinuated Harris, who has been open about having both Indian and Black heritage, was somehow hiding her racial identity, saying a “lot of people didn’t know” she was Black.

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