Donald Trump's biggest, most recent moments on the campaign trail | Column

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s own. They are not representative of The Daily Collegian or its board of editors.

After a long, anticipated wait, Election Day has arrived.

On July 15, former President Donald Trump was announced as the Republican Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election after being the frontrunner for much of the primary season.

Since then, he has had many hit moments on the campaign trail, pushing him to one of his biggest leads in the polls as of Monday, according to Project 538, which combines data from polls around the country every day.

There have been some critical moments within the past few weeks that have brought attention to Trump's campaign.

Oct. 5: Elon Musk rallies with Trump in Butler County

After an assassination attempt in July in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Trump returned to the same location in October to finish the rally.

Alongside Trump was the owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump in July.

Musk took the stage as “Dark MAGA,” donning a black “Make America Great Again” hat while saying that Trump is a champion of free speech.

Later in the rally, the former president took the stage and started with, “as I was saying,” referring to how the last rally was cut short.

While this event itself didn’t cause a major shift in the polls, it continued to build support in a swing state county that Trump won by 65% in 2020.

Oct. 20: McDonald’s appearance

Soon after Kamala Harris received the Democratic nomination, claims of her working at a McDonald’s in the 1980s circled around as a way of her connecting with lower-income families.

However, there’s no record that she worked there, leading to calls from Trump that she faked her job history.

As a result, Trump took to the fry station at a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, in order to claim he has worked at a McDonald’s longer than Harris has.

Making fries, manning the drive-thru and answering questions from the media, Trump’s McDonald’s visit gave him his first lead in Pennsylvania after jumping 0.4% from the day before, according to Project 538.

Oct. 26: Joe Rogan Podcast interview

Hours before a rally in Traverse City, Michigan, Trump sat down with podcaster Joe Rogan, filming an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

Lasting three hours, Trump took the opportunity to elaborate on many of his main talking points, weaving anecdotes throughout.

He discussed foreign policy and said that he put his foot down against Russia, North Korea and China with threats of high tariffs.

After just nine days in circulation, the podcast has received over 44 million views on YouTube as of Monday, spreading Trump’s ideas far and wide.

Oct. 27: Madison Square Garden rally

A day after Trump filled the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, he did it again in New York City, with nearly 20,000 people filling the historic Madison Square Garden.

Speaker-wise, the rally had one of the most star-studded lineups of the year, featuring Trump, Musk, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, television star Dr. Phil McGraw, WWE legend Hulk Hogan, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and more.

However, the event made headlines in several news outlets after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who was a speaker at the event, said that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.”

While many said this would destroy Trump’s chances with the Puerto Rican vote, just two days later, the shadow senator for Puerto Rico endorsed Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Since then, the Puerto Rican vote for Trump has risen in Florida with a two-point lead, according to a survey conducted by Cygnal. Florida has one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the country, according to U.S. Census data.

Oct. 28: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health takeover

On Oct. 28, Kennedy announced in a video outside the Department of Agriculture a list of changes he would make as the head of public health agencies if Trump wins the election.

After suspending his bid for presidency in August, Kennedy endorsed Trump, leading to one of the biggest political mergers in American history.

Coming from a Democratic family, the idea of a Kennedy endorsing Trump turned the heads of many, but since then, Trump has announced big plans for the former environmental lawyer.

Kennedy said that Trump has promised him control of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

Since his endorsement, Kennedy and Trump have reportedly discussed several possible policy changes, including banning vaccine mandates and increasing the access to cleaner foods and raw products.

Oct. 30: Garbage truck entrance

After the garbage joke was made by Hinchliffe, President Joe Biden countered it the following day by calling Trump’s supporters “garbage.”

As a result, Trump boarded a Trump-themed garbage truck, switching his navy blazer for a safety vest to enter his next rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

While riding along, the former president answered questions from the media, similar to the McDonalds photo-op earlier in the month.

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Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s own. They are not representative of The Daily Collegian or its board of editors.