(AFP) – Donald Trump compares himself to Elvis Presley, astronauts voting from space, and Taylor Swift perhaps giving Kamala Harris a run for her money. Here are offbeat highlights this week from the campaign trail.
– **’Greater than Elvis’** – Never one to be modest, Trump said he is “greater than Elvis,” and suggested that he pulls in bigger crowds than the rock and roll legend. “Nobody can draw crowds like me… I’m the greatest of all time, maybe greater even than Elvis,” the former president said. “Elvis had a guitar, I don’t have a guitar. I don’t have the privilege of a guitar,” he told a rally in New York.
– **One vote for mankind** – Two astronauts stranded in space since June will still have the chance to vote in November’s election — despite floating 200 miles (322 km) above their nearest polling station. NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return home in 2025 due to issues with their Boeing spacecraft, will use satellites to beam their votes down to Earth from the International Space Station.
– **Swift sensation** – Should there be a blank space on the ballot for Taylor Swift? The pop sensation might pose a challenge to Harris — whom she endorsed after the Democrat’s debate against Trump last week. Polling published on Thursday by The New York Times showed that 44 percent of likely voters have favorable views of the star, compared with 48 percent for Harris, and 47 percent for Trump.
– **West Wing welcome** – The White House meet its fictional cousin “The West Wing” on Friday, with First Lady Jill Biden hosting the popular TV series’s creator and cast to celebrate 25 years since its first broadcast. The political drama, set in Washington but filmed in Los Angeles, ran for seven seasons and featured a Democratic head of state — not unlike the sitting President Joe Biden.
– **Burgers and bitcoin** – Donald Trump apparently became the first former US president to use bitcoin in a purchase, as he bought burgers at a New York City restaurant, which hailed it as a “historic transaction.” “Who wants a hamburger?” Trump announced to fellow diners on Wednesday, days after he launched a cryptocurrency platform with his sons.
– Ben Turner
© 2024 AFP
