Donald Trump leads new poll; Elton John reacts to Kim Jong Un nickname

Donald Trump has taken a lead over Kamala Harris for the first time in weeks, as singer Elton John reacted to the former president nicknaming Kim Jong Un ‘Little Rocket Man’.

Donald Trump has taken a narrow lead against Kamala Harris amid fears that the vice president’s honeymoon phase is collapsing.

With the first presidential debate on Tuesday local time, a New York Times/Siena College poll showed Mr Trump one percentage point (48pc against 47pc) ahead of Ms Harris for the first time in weeks – well within the survey’s three-point margin of error, meaning a win for either candidate in the November 5 election is well within reach.

The poll, conducted September 3-6, indicates that support for Mr Trump’s bid for a second, non-consecutive term in the White House remains robust.

“To me, the result is a bit surprising,” wrote New York Times chief political analyst Nate Cohn.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign event in Mosinee, Wisconsin. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

“It’s the first lead for Mr Trump in a major nonpartisan national survey in about a month. As a result, it’s worth being at least a little cautious about these findings, as there isn’t much confirmation from other polls.

“That said, it wouldn’t be hard to explain if Vice President Harris’s support really has faded a bit in recent weeks. After all, she was benefiting from an ideal news environment — an uninterrupted month of glowing coverage from President Biden’s departure from the race in July to the Democratic convention in August.

“It’s possible she was riding a political sugar high … if so, it would make sense if she came off those highs in the two uneventful weeks since the convention.”

FOLLOW UPDATES BELOW:

‘LITTLE ROCKET MAN’: ELTON JOHN SPEAKS OUT

Music legend Sir Elton John has revealed his thoughts on Donald Trump nicknaming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “Little Rocket Man”, after the singer’s classic song Rocket Man.

Sir Elton told Variety in an interview at the Toronto Film Festival that he thought Mr Trump’s nickname for the dictator was “hilarious” and made him laugh.

Sir Elton John with husband David Furnish at the premiere of Elton John: Never Too Late during the Toronto International Film Festival. Picture: AFP

“I laughed, I thought that was brilliant,” Sir Elton said.

“I just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald.’ … Donald’s always been a fan of mine, and he’s been to my concerts many, many times.

“So, I mean, I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh.”

Donald Trump was in a war of words with Kim Jong Un during his presidency. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump was embroiled in a war of words with the North Korean leader in 2017, with the then US president blasting the dictator as “Little Rocket Man” after North Korea carried out weapons tests aimed at acquiring the ability to launch nuclear strikes on the US mainland.

Mr Trump said he would rain “fire and fury” on North Korea, while Kim Jong Un questioned Mr Trump’s sanity and said he would “tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire.”

Sir Elton John also weighed in on the US presidential election, telling Variety that he would not tell fans who to vote for but said America was “in a very volatile position”.

TRUMP’S BIZARRE DEBATE REQUEST

This week’s debate will be the first time Ms Harris and Mr Trump meet in person.

And ahead of the high-stake face off, the former US president has made a strange and yet telling demand: that there should be no boxes or ‘artificial lifts’ used by the speakers on stage during the debate.

Vice President Harris and former president Trump will confront each other in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, local time (Wednesday 11am AEST) in their first – and possibly only – televised debate before what promises to be a nail-bitingly close 2024 election.

US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (L) greets people during a campaign stop at Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Picture: AFP

“No boxes or artificial lifts will be allowed to stand on during my upcoming debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,” Mr Trump said.

“We had this out previously with former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he was in a debate, and he was not allowed a “lift.” It would be a form of cheating, and the Democrats cheat enough. “You are who you are,” it was determined!”

Mr Trump’s demand has a logic: the Republican contender measures a self-reported 190cm, while Ms Harris stands at 5ft 4 162cm.

Even if she wears her trademark high heels, the height disparity will be noticeable on camera – as it was in his debate against presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton in 2016.

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands after the second presidential debate on October 9, 2016. Picture: AFP

Past elections have shown that the taller candidate tends to win more of the popular vote. One book reports that in the 20 presidential elections held between 1904 and 1980, the majority (80 per cent) was won by the taller of the two candidates.

Ahead of the televised debate, Trump gains another advantage as the candidates’ microphones will be muted when they are not speaking.

Ms Harris’s camp reluctantly agreed to this requirement, and she will be unable to benefit from one of Trump’s infamous ‘hot mic’ outbursts.

But Ms Harris, 59, will now face an opponent who has called her “crazy” and subjected her to racist and sexist taunts, as well as labelling her a Communist.

Despite being slightly ahead in the polls, America’s first female, Black and South Asian vice president insists she remains the “underdog” in a tight race.

A recent poll has Donald Trump trailing Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Knowing what’s at stake, Ms Harris is currently in Pittsburgh preparing for the debate.

Mr Trump, 78, is expected to take an aggressive approach, after Ms Harris’s entry into the race up-ended his White House bid and turned him into the oldest candidate in US history.

The lack of any prior face time is a result of Mr Trump having refused to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration after falsely claiming he was cheated in the 2020 election.

Adding an extra frisson is the fact that the debate is happening in Pennsylvania, the most bitterly-fought of the battleground states that will decide the election.

– with AFP

Originally published as Donald Trump leads new poll; Elton John reacts to Kim Jong Un nickname