Trump’s Pennsylvania town hall, interrupted by medical emergencies in crowd, turned into an impromptu concert

(WASHINGTON) — The act of certifying the presidential election results will now be given the highest security designation the federal government makes available, the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday.

Jan. 6, 2025, will now be designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security — on par with events like the Democratic and Republican national conventions. This designation allows for “significant resources from the federal government, as well as from state and local partners, to be utilized in a comprehensive security plan,” according to the agency.

“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, the special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement. “The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.”

An NSSE is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security and is led by the Secret Service.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser made a request for the designation, according to the agency.

Jan. 6 is a formality, but the last time Congress attempted to certify the results of the presidential election, a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the Capitol in an attempt to stop it.

The results of Jan. 6 resulted in hundreds of prosecutions by the Justice Department and criminal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing.

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(LOS ANGELES) — Former President Donald Trump on Friday said he would conduct a mass deportation of immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and dismissed a question from ABC News about the bomb threats the town is experiencing in the wake of unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants.

“We’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country,” Trump said as he took reporter questions in Los Angeles, California. “And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora, [Colorado].”

The remark comes after Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, amplified unsubstantiated claims of Haitian migrants in Springfield eating pets. Trump did not repeat the baseless rumor when speaking in California, but called the Haitian migrants “illegal” despite the city explaining the Haitian population is in the U.S. legally under the Immigration Parole Program.

Two schools were evacuated and another was closed in Springfield on Friday after bomb threats were sent “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office. The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the unfounded rumors spread online about Haitian migrants.

ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran asked Trump, “The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, the police chief, the Republican governor of Ohio, have all debunked this story about people eating pets, and now there are bomb threats at schools and kids being evacuated. Why do you still spread this false story?”

“No no, no. The real threat is what’s happening at our border,” Trump said. “Because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in — and also dying.” (There is no evidence of thousands of people being killed by migrants crossing the border illegally.)

Trump used Ohio to reinforce his promise of overseeing the largest mass deportation operation, one of his most discussed campaign promises this cycle.

“I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio, large deportations,” he said. “We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela.”

On Friday, President Joe Biden weighed in on the controversy, saying it has “no place in America.”

“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” Biden said, referring to Trump.

Trump became angry as he started talking about immigration on Friday, calling America a “dumping group” for people from other countries, stereotyping them as criminals.

Earlier on Friday, Trump’s running mate Vance continued to make what appeared to be unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield. Vance claimed on X that “there has been a massive rise in communicable diseases, rent prices, car insurance rates, and crime. This is what happens when you drop 20,000 people into a small community.”

Haiti does not have access to the same access to vaccines or requirements as the United States, but Ohio is already working to address those concerns. Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this week announced he was earmarking $2.5 million to expand primary care access for the entire city.

Springfield’s mayor also told ABC News that while there are discrepancies in vaccines, the biggest issue they’re dealing with when it comes to the migrants is traffic violations. DeWine also said he’s directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to support the local police with traffic enforcement.

Trump was also asked about Laura Loomer joining him as the campaign trail this week. Loomer is a far-right activist who has spread baseless claims about Springfield on social media.

Loomer’s presence has prompted push back from several Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, who said she was “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.”

Trump claimed she was just a supporter who has “strong opinions” over whom he had no control. He also claimed to not have seen her more controversial posts, including conspiracies about the 9/11 attacks, including that it was an “inside job.”

“She’s a free spirit … I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do. Laura’s a supporter,” Trump said. “I have a lot of supporters, but so I don’t know what exactly you’re referring to.” He said he would review what he called her “strong opinions” and put out a statement.

Loomer out out a statement, saying in part, “I am a private citizen and an independent journalist. I don’t work for President Trump. I am simply a ride or die supporter and I believe in President Trump and his agenda to Make America Great Again.”

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Much of the work of election campaigning goes on beneath the radar, where campaigns fight furiously to identify and register potential supporters and ensure their participation. Identifying likely voters, as such, is a moving target — but with absentee voting now beginning, an initial look reveals some intriguing patterns.

As previously reported, Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by a slight 4 percentage points, 50-46%, among all adults and registered voters alike, and by 6 points, 52-46%, among likely voters in the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll. While those numbers are virtually identical, closer assessment shows movement to Harris in some groups when comparing all adults with likely voters — notably, those younger than 40, younger women in particular and Black people.

This analysis, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that support for Harris goes from 54% of all adults younger than 40 to 64% of those identified as likely voters. Trump’s support, meanwhile, drops from 42% of adults in this age group to 33% of those likely to vote.

That shift is driven largely by women: Harris’ support increases from 60% of all women younger than 40 to 73% of those in this age group who are likely to vote. Trump sees a corresponding drop in support, from 35% among all women younger than 40 to 24% of those likely to vote.

Harris has 82% support among all Black people, rising to 93% among those who are likely voters. Trump, for his part, goes from 15% support among all Black people to 7% among those who are likely to vote. Harris also gains among liberals.

Countervailing movement in Trump’s direction doesn’t reach the level of statistical significance in any group. He has, for example, 52% support among all 50- to 64-year-olds (his best age group) and 56% among likely voters in this group. He goes from 85% to 88% among conservatives and from 52% to 54% among people who don’t have a four-year college degree.

But it’s not all about who receives more support in likely voter groups; it’s also about the size of those groups. Harris, for example, leads Trump by 23 points, 60-37%, among likely voters with four-year degrees — and, as such, benefits from the fact that this group makes up 45% of likely voters, vs. 35% of the general population.

Trump pushes back with his 10 point likely voter advantage among white people: they account for 61% of all adults but 71% of likely voters. He’s also aided by a lower prevalence of adults younger than 40; they make up 36% of all adults vs. 25% of those identified as likely to vote.

All told, it’s the combination of group sizes and preferences among groups that add up to keep the race a close one. Likely voters are defined here, in part, by people saying they are certain to vote. Motivating them actually to do so is what both campaigns are all about — starting now.

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