Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining our live coverage of the US election, here are the main developments on the campaign trail you need to get caught up on:

• Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigned in Pennsylvania on Monday - a swing state which could prove pivotal when votes are counted after the 5 November election
• Polls suggest the state is incredibly close and both the Republican and Democratic candidates are trying to win over undecided voters in the remaining weeks of the campaign
• Harris used a rally in the city of Erie to strongly condemn her opponent, where she focussed on his comments about a domestic "enemy within" and said a second Trump presidency would be "dangerous" for Americans
• Trump took questions from audience members at a town hall-style event in Oaks, which was cut short after two supporters in the crowd collapsed, seemingly due to high temperatures in the venue
• Elsewhere, Harris has agreed to an interview with Fox News later this week, in what will be her first extended appearance on the conservative news network

Image source, Reuters

The campaigns, pundits and voters of all stripes will be frantically checking the polls over the coming weeks.

BBC News has compiled this tracker which looks at how Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are performing nationally - and, crucially, what their support looks like in those all-important swing states.

The polls suggest Harris continues to hold a narrow lead over Trump across the US, but it's a much tighter picture when you drill down into the key states both camps are desperate to win.

Leads for either Trump or Harris are well within a 3% margin of error in Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona - or, to put it more simply, this election is too close to call.

As ever, all polls should be treated with caution. They can only indicate how voters were feeling on any given day and it's possible some industry-wide methodological error means the pollsters will be left red-faced come 6 November.

Image source, BBC News

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump is making gains with black and Latino voters, polling data from the New York Times and Siena suggests.

While Harris is still ahead among both electorates - 78% to 15% among black voters, and 56% to 37% among Latinos - the poll indicates Trump is more popular among these voters than any Republican for decades.

Even slight gains for Trump could give the former president an edge in key battleground states such as Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.

The poll suggests a majority of both groups are dissatisfied with the state of the economy - a factor which further helps Trump with some voters.

Among those who have expressed concern about the economy is is Quenton Jordan, a 30-year-old Virginia resident who once voted for Barack Obama, but has voted for Trump since he first entered the national political stage in 2016.

"Inflation has pretty much made it impossible, or extremely challenging, for people to provide basic necessities for their families," Mr Jordan says.

"It's tangible things like that, that make people say [they] don't like the pressure I'm getting from the cost of goods. It's making it harder for me," he adds.

What could Trump's 'enemy within' line mean in practice?published at 04:15 British Summer Time

04:15 BST

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Donald Trump has referred to his political opponents and those who disagree with his policies as “the enemy within” on numerous occasions during his latest presidential campaign.

At times, he has even said they present a greater threat to the nation than America’s foreign rivals and adversaries.

During a television interview that aired on Sunday, however, he went a step further.

When asked whether he expects “chaos” on election day, the former president said the real threat was “radical left lunatics” - and added that the National Guard or, perhaps, the US military could be used to ensure security.

While on the campaign trail, Trump has also called for using the military to fight crime in US cities and prevent undocumented migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border.

Trump's comments echo those made when he was president in 2020, when he advocated using active duty military forces to re-establish order during the sometimes violent Black Lives Matters protests.

Those efforts were opposed by members of the US military, including then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley, who has since publicly criticised Trump as being “fascist to the core”.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Pennsylvania

Recent polls suggest support for Kamala Harris could be slipping among a key demographic: black men.

As Tommy Twillie waited to enter Harris's rally in Erie earlier, I asked him what he makes of criticism that she isn’t doing enough to earn support from black men.

"I don't see that she needs to do anything else," he told me. "She's for all. Not just for any one particular race or one particular religion."

Former President Barack Obama faced backlash in recent days for remarks he made on the campaign trail in Pittsburgh, where he suggested some black men are considering not voting for Harris because she's a woman.

Homer Smith echoed Obama's comments, saying he thinks "many young men in particular are looking at it from a standpoint that’s discriminatory, that women shouldn't be put it in that position" as president.

But Smith said Harris has "proven she can hold her own," and that she has done enough to earn the votes of black men like himself.

Regan Morris
US Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

In Arizona, some Republicans are backing a Democratic candidate over their party's own in the race to become Maricopa County's top election official.

The state's largest county was at the heart of the so-called "stop the steal" movement in 2020. Trump supporters surrounded the County Recorder's Office after it became clear Joe Biden was on course to win the county, and with it the state.

An audit found no evidence of election interference but Republican election official Stephen Richer has endured years of harassment and death threats for certifying the results.

Richer was ousted in a Republican primary in July after being defeated in a primary by Justin Heap. While Heap has never explicitly denied the state's election result, he has the backing of prominent figures who claim Trump won.

Many of the state’s Republicans are backing Democrat Tim Stringham over Heap in the race to become the new Maricopa County Recorder.

At a press conference on Monday, Bettina Nava - a Republican strategist and former state director for John McCain - called Heap "extreme" and an "election denier".

Julie Spilsbury, a councilmember from Mesa City and "lifelong Republican", called on voters to "support candidates who prioritize integrity and transparency in our elections regardless of party affiliation".

Heap, a current state lawmaker, could not be reached for comment.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Pennsylvania

Earlier at the Harris rally, we heard the crowd chant "lock him up”. That chant was made notorious by Trump supporters during his first presidential run when it was aimed at Hilary Clinton.

Harris politely stopped them, saying: “Now hold on, the courts will handle that.”

Harris spent the first half of her remarks touting her economic record and promoting her new policy to expand medicare for seniors to give them the ability to live at home. The economy and healthcare are what voters here told me they wanted to hear about most.

However, much of the rally focused on Trump and what Harris says are the risks of his potential return to the White House.

She said he’s not a serious man, but “the consequences of him ever becoming president again are brutally serious.” She also played an ad where Trump refers to “the enemy within”.

Does Harris's 'Trump tax' claim stand up to scrutiny?published at 02:10 British Summer Time

02:10 BST

by Jake Horton

Earlier we heard Kamala Harris say a "Trump sales tax" - a reference to his tariffs plan - will cost US families almost $4,000 a year. We've heard this claim before - but does it stack up?

Economists say that tariffs - taxes on imported goods - can increase prices for consumers but it’s not guaranteed that they would go up by as much as Harris says.

The "almost $4,000" figure comes from analysis by the left-of-centre think tank the Centre for American Progress, external of Trump’s pledge to increase tariffs on all imported goods to 10-20%, and all goods imported from China to 60%.

They took the amount the US buys in goods from abroad annually, figured out how much the new taxes on these goods would be and divided this by the number of households in the US.

It works out at $4,600 per household, but when you look at “middle income” families you get a figure of $3,900 a year.

Other estimates are lower. The Peterson Institute reckons the impact, external would be closer to $1,700 a year (for tariffs at 10%) or $2,500 (at 20%).

Trump insists the cost of his tariffs would be felt by foreign countries instead, external.

It is difficult to assess the exact impact of these taxes but studies, on previous tariffs, have suggested that a lot of the economic cost was ultimately borne by American businesses and consumers.

Fact-checking Trump’s claim about inflationpublished at 01:36 British Summer Time

01:36 BST

by Jake Horton

Both candidates have now finished speaking in Pennsylvania.

At his event a little earlier, Donald Trump said that, under President Joe Biden, the US had seen "in my opinion the biggest inflation in the history of our country".

Inflation under Biden was nowhere near the worst in US history.

It peaked at 9.1% in the year to June 2022 – the record was 23.7% in 1920.

Inflation did rise significantly during the first two years of the Biden administration.

This was comparable with many other Western countries, which experienced high inflation rates in 2021 and 2022, as global supply chain issues, as a consequence of Covid and the war in Ukraine, contributed to rising prices.

But some economists say Biden’s $1.9tn (£1.5tn) American Rescue Plan in 2021 was too big and estimate that it added between 0.1% and 4% to the inflation spike.

Since then, US inflation has fallen steadily, external with the latest monthly figure at 2.4%, as of September 2024.

When Biden came to office in January 2021, inflation was low, external - at 1.4%.

Image source, Reuters

Harris has been hitting on some of her strongest issues with voters as she seeks to contrast her beliefs with Trump's.

She calls for voters to research Project 2025, a conservative plan to re-make the federal government if a Republican wins the White House, and also hits on abortion and the 6 January attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol.

"This is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher," she says, referring to a recent Supreme Court decision that granted broad legal immunity to US presidents for certain official acts.

She says that the decision would allow Trump "to be a dictator on day one" if he wins.

Harris then plays a clip, a compilation of Trump calling his political rivals "enemies".

"He's talking about the enemy within Pennsylvania... He's talking about anyone who doesn't support him or does not bend to his will [is] an enemy of the country," says Harris.

"A second Trump term would be dangerous," she says, calling Trump "increasingly unstable and unhinged" and "out for unchecked power, that's what he's looking for".

Harris has taken the stage in Erie.

"Let's get to work," she says after taking the stage and thanking local Democrats.

She begins by noting that there are only 22 days left until the election.

"This is gonna be a tight race until the very end. We are the underdog and we are running like the underdog," she says.

She adds that "hard work" will be required to beat Trump, but "hard work is good work".

Harris then goes on to lead the crowd in a chant of "We will win" before pivoting to speak about the economy and her plan to help first time homebuyers - a topic Trump also discussed at his own event just minutes ago on the other side of the state.

"Under my economic plan we will bring down the cost of housing," she says, pledging to give $25,000 to Americans who are buying their first home.

Polls show that Trump has the voters' trust when it comes to the economy, moreso than Harris.

Like immigration, it is one of the issues she considered weakest on.

She also says she has plans to "lower prices on everything from healthcare to groceries".

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Pennsylvania

My colleagues have been bringing you updates from Donald Trump's rally outside Philadelphia.

I'm all the way across the state at a Harris rally in Erie in western Pennsylvania, where Senator John Fetterman has been hyping up the crowd.

It's a brief but important speech from Fetterman, who won this crucial county in his Senate race two years ago that ended up flipping the seat to the Democrats. He's recently made comments that he's sure Harris will win in this battleground state, and that he's not worried about tight polling here.

We're now moments away from Kamala Harris taking the stage and the arena is packed, with supporters holding signs reading Freedom. Chants of "We're not going back" and "Lock him up" echo throughout the bleachers at any mention of former President Donald Trump - a reference to his 2016 campaign rallies in which he often led similar chants about his then-rival Hillary Clinton.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

After taking a question on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and another question on issues facing black Americans, Trump begins speaking about migration.

"What's coming into our country now is having a huge negative impact on black families and Hispanic families, and ultimately everyone," he says.

"We're gonna close that border so tight. It's gonna be closed," he continues, though he adds that people will still keep coming into the country "legally".

He goes on to boast that his poll numbers with black and Latino voters "have gone through the roof".

The number of illegal crossings at the southern US border amounts to "an invasion", Trump continues.

"These radical left lunatics want everyone to come into the country, and many of them are criminals," he says.

Immigration is one of Trump's signature issues, dating all the way back to his his 2016 presidential candidacy, when he called for a wall to be built between the United States and Mexico.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump's town hall-style event in Oaks, Pennsylvania has just begun, with South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem hosting as audience members ask questions of the former president.

"I'm gonna get real with you: Kamala Harris sucks," Noem says on stage, before leading the crowd in chants of "We love Trump".

After introducing the Republican candidate, she goes to an audience member who asks Trump how he will make homeownership more affordable.

Trump says that much of high housing costs are due to planning and approvals, not construction.

"We're going to get rid of them," he says about zoning regulations.

"I call the home part of the American dream. We're going to create the American dream for young people and for older people too."

Polling suggests voters trust Trump on the economy more than Kamala Harris, who has also pledged to reduce housing costs by offering help for first-time home buyers and providing incentives to increase housing supply.

Town hall host Noem had been widely discussed as a potential running mate for Trump earlier this year, before a scandal erupted over her openness about fatally shooting her pet dog.

Her memoir, titled No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, described how she killed her "untrainable" and "dangerous" dog.

Trump supporters awaiting the former president are being treated to classic rock and pop songs, including Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Let's Get It Started by the Black Eyed Peas.

And like at other Trump rallies, the audience stood, removed hats and placed their hands over their hearts as the US national anthem was played.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Pennsylvania

Image source, Cai Pigliucci / BBC

In just over an hour, Vice-President Kamala Harris will take the stage here in Erie, Pennsylvania, kicking off a battleground state tour as she hopes to win over voters in this historically bellwether county.

One of the attendees here Rose Moore calls herself a "middle person" - meaning she's a swing voter who's not affiliated with a political party. She came with a friend who's for Harris to see what the vice-president is all about. She said she looks for "sincerity" in a candidate.

"When they believe in what they're speaking about, then you know that that's what they're going to fight for," she said.

Asked if Harris can win her vote tonight if she's sincere enough, Rose said, "It’s possible".

Moore is one of many swing voters in Erie County. Former President Barack Obama won the county comfortably in 2008 and 2012. It then flipped to Donald Trump in 2016 and back to the Democrats with Joe Biden in 2020 - both by slim margins.

But most people here tonight are staunch Harris supporters, including Janae Eppelbaum, who came with her daughter in matching pink Harris sweatshirts. She said it's important that Harris came to Erie today to speak to voters.

"I'm worried. We're from Meadville, and it's a more rural community, we see a lot of Trump signs down there, but I hope the bigger cities can pull it (out) for us."

Image source, Cai Pigliucci / BBC

From former US president Bill Clinton talking at a Kamala Harris rally in swing state Georgia, through to Donald Trump's supporters selling an array of Make American Great Again (Maga) products, here's a look at what's been happening across the country today:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Caitlin Wilson
Live page editor, in Washington DC

There are just three full weeks for US political candidates to convince voters to cast their ballots in their favour - and the Harris and Trump campaigns are sprinting towards that goal, full speed ahead.

Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are set to speak tonight in swing state Pennsylvania, which, with a competitive electorate and 19 electoral votes, is considered a must-win for both of them. Most polling suggests support for each is nearly evenly split.

In the chart below, you can see how support for each party's candidate has ebbed and flowed in recent months.

Trump's event is first, with the former president scheduled to appear at a town hall in Oaks. It's his second time in Pennsylvania in less than two weeks - the former president recently held a rally in Butler, returning to the place where he was targeted in an assassination attempt over the summer.

Harris will then speak to supporters all the way across the state in Erie, an area which is known for its "purple" political leanings - that is, a strong mix of Republican and Democratic voters - and which has faced major economic struggles in recent years.

Pennsylvania is a large and diverse state, geographically and demographically, with nearly 13 million people living in both urban and rural settings across 46,055 square miles (119,282 square km).

So, there's a lot to come but stick with us - we'll bring you updates from the candidates and attendees at both events.

Image source, EPA

Republican nominee for vice-president JD Vance is also on the move today, travelling to Minneapolis for a fundraiser.

During the visit, Vance went to the former site of a Minneapolis police precinct building that was burned down by protesters in 2020, after the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd - whose murder led to anti-racism protests around the world.

Speaking to reporters on the street, Vance accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz - who was serving his first gubernatorial term at the time - of having encouraged protesters to set the building alight.

Reporters asked Vance about how that criticism fit in with a 2020 phone call that then-President Trump was on, in which he praised Walz's handling of the unrest.

Vance said Trump was only being "nice and polite" during the call.

"I was polite to Governor Walz during my debate. It doesn't mean that he should have let rioters and looters burn down at the city of Minneapolis,” he said.

"That doesn't mean that Tim Walz can run away from the fact that he let his own city burn to the ground,” he continued.

Walz has defended his, saying that his administration tried to do the best it could in a difficult situation. You can read more about Walz's response to the 2020 protests here.

Earlier on Monday, Vance's plane landed at the Minneapolis airport just moments after Walz's plane took off, carrying the Democratic candidate to the neighbouring state of Wisconsin.

According to CNN, Vance also plans to travel to Chicago for a second fundraiser during his Midwest trip.

Kayla Epstein
Live reporter

There's been a lot of talk during this election campaign about election integrity - particularly as Donald Trump and some of his allies continue to suggest the 2020 result was in some way wrong.

Earlier, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger criticised a controversial rule change in the state to hand count ballots in the upcoming November election. The rule change faces legal challenges.

Raffensperger, a Republican who oversees all elections in the state of Georgia, said the rule change "exceeds state law".

In an interview with the Washington Post, Raffesnperger said it could slow down the vote count, which could create a "breeding ground for conspiracy theories".

"They got pushback from both sides of the aisle," he said, adding that the rule raised "chain of custody concerns" and noted that a hand count will take "a lot more time". He went on: "Everything we’ve been fighting for since 2020 is, get the voter quicker responses, quicker results."

• For context: After the 2020 election, a recording revealed that Donald Trump had told Raffensberger he wanted to "find 11,780 votes" - to overturn the election result - when the final vote tally showed Joe Biden actually won Georgia. Raffensperger was heard on the call telling Trump that Georgia's results were correct.