US Election Latest: The gender divide widens and Musk increases support for Trump

• Harris hopes to make further gains with women voters

• Why has Musk gone all-in with Trump and will it help?

• Trump is in the clear for now as his legal battles will pause

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• View Betfair Exchange politics markets as you have never seen before at Betfair Predicts

The Harris campaign and women

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, reproductive rights and the rights of women and girls have been firmly on the agenda in the United States. Kamala Harris and her campaign team, recognising that many moderate Republicans disagree with such a radical move, have sought to make this issue a wedge between the vice president and Trump.

In the final few weeks of the campaign, they are upping the temperature, according to a new article by POLITICO.

Yet both campaigns are also seeking to counteract their disadvantage with the opposite gender, too.

Trump has recently been trying to cast himself as a protector of women during rallies. Harris, meanwhile, has been making an explicit pitch to Black men in the last week or so, with a host of interviews and ad campaigns.

Joe Biden already set a new record in the gender gap when he won the presidency in 2020. He won 57% of the female vote, compared to 42% for Trump. The two campaigns will be hoping to capitalise on their advantage, but also counteract the asymmetry in their voting camps.

Will Musk's support help Trump?

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has been pitching in with Trump's campaign. He has already put himself forward for a role in the Trump administration to reduce government waste, and recently appeared at a Trump rally as an on-stage supporter.

While celebrity endorsements have a questionable impact on the race for the White House, Musk's involvement has taken a step up in the last few days.

Over the weekend, Musk has been promising $1 million every day for swing state voters who are signing up to mobilise in the state, and his "America PAC" - a fundraising vehicle - has been funneling cash into key states for Trump.

Musk has also been appearing at rallies throughout the weekend.

Yesterday, he joked that he was inviting assassination attempts at a rally in Pennsylvania by explicitly supporting Trump.

Musk's potential role in a Trump administration is clearly part of the motivation and the bllionaire claims that a Harris win would be a threat to democracy.

The jury's out on the impact of celebrity endorsements, especially given that Brits aren't convinced about Elon Musk either.

The recent Betfair survey by YouGov showed that only 17 per cent of Brits think Elon Musk would make a good President, compared to 65% saying he would make a bad president.

Trump in the clear for now

The judge overseeing the criminal case on stealing the 2020 election released extra evidence from the Justice Department over the weekend. This does mean that there will be no further action on any of his legal battles between now and the election.

Earlier this year he was facing multiple jeopardies on the legal front, but it looks that he is sitting pretty from now until the election.

In any case, Betfair data has previously shown that even the lowest lows of Trump's legal wranglings never really had a big impact on his betting odds.

He is well ahead, at 4/61.67 to win win the election (implying a 60% chance of victory).

Harris is behind at a distant 6/42.50 - suggesting a 39% chance of success.

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