By Tim Donner

There are many ways to judge the state of a presidential or Senate race beyond the tsunami of polls we attempt to process in the run-up to Election Day. While the trajectory of national and swing-state polling appears to favor the former president with just days to go until all votes are cast, the behavior of Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and down-ballot candidates on both sides is arguably even more revealing.

Trump was pumped up as he put it all on the line in a much-ballyhooed rally on Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden. To the strains of a live version of God Bless the USA, the 45th president strode onto the stage of the world’s most famous arena, after being introduced to the overflow audience by his wife for the last major speech of his third and final presidential campaign of an era he has largely defined. He channeled Ronald Reagan by kicking off his speech with that oft-repeated rhetorical question: Are you better off than you were four years ago? He spoke of a new golden age and reprised his most famous phrase prior to entering the political stage: “Kamala, you’re fired.”

He accused Vice President Harris of “shattering the middle class,” while promising to “make America affordable again.” He promised to end inflation and stop the invasion of criminals on the southern border, and to “build the greatest economy in the history of the world.” He reiterated his proposals to do away with taxes on tips, overtime, and social security benefits, and announced a new tax credit for caregivers, and making interest on car loans tax-deductible – but only for cars made in America. He reiterated his enthusiastic support for tariffs and used video clips about a vicious Venezuelan gang that has seized control of apartment complexes in Colorado and Texas, promising to reinstitute the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. He called for the death penalty for killing a police officer and for making sanctuary cities illegal.

The speech covered the waterfront, and – as most close observers say – Trump is in the zone, appearing happier than at any other time since he strode onto the political stage. And since we know the Donald loves nothing more than winning, that tells you something by itself. His speeches have become loftier, more uplifting, his rhetoric centering more around prospects for the future instead of grievances about the past. He has clearly adopted the stance of a Reagan-style happy warrior more than during his previous two campaigns for the White House. His recent maneuver at McDonald’s, designed to embarrass Harris and her unverifiable claim........

© Eurasia Review