A monumental dump and Obama the rapper: an offbeat US campaign week

A sarcastic monument is dumped in Washington, Barack Obama shows off his rapping skills, and a bakery says cookies can predict the election outcome.

Here's a look at the wild, weird side of the US presidential race over the past week.

- Oh, crap -

A strange new monument was installed in Washington: a replica of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk, with a large, emoji-style turd sitting atop it.

A plaque sarcastically states that it "honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls."

Amid the pro-Trump riot, in which supporters sought to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, some reportedly spread their feces throughout Congress, with one claiming to have defecated on Pelosi's desk.

The installation will be removed after a week.

- Obama, rapper in chief -

Addressing a Kamala Harris rally in Detroit, Michigan, former president Barack Obama seemed to lose himself in the moment.

Introducing rapper Eminem, a longtime Donald Trump critic, Obama recited some of the star's opening lines from his famous song "Lose Yourself."

"I'm nervous, but on the surface I look calm and ready," Obama rapped to cheers, a grin spreading across his face.

- 'MAGADonald's' -

Donald Trump sought to cash in on his publicity stunt at a closed McDonald's in Pennsylvania, in which he donned an apron and served food to pre-selected customers as part of a carefully staged photo opportunity.

His campaign advertised T-shirts with an image of Trump leaning out of a drive-thru window and captioned "MAGADonald's," a play on his "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Suggested donations for the shirt ranged from $45 to $1,000, according to New York Magazine, which was part of his array of other fundraising merch -- from Trump Bibles to $100,000 watches.

- Boozing toward victory -

If Kamala Harris can relate to the average voter by sipping a beer on national television, as she did earlier this month, so can J.D. Vance -- and he'll serve them up, too.

Donald Trump's vice presidential pick stepped behind a bar to serve patrons in Wisconsin ahead of a Green Bay Packers NFL game.

"Go Pack, go Trump," Vance said, referencing the team's nickname, as he took a swig of beer himself.

- Stop the (cookie) count -

May the sweetest candidate win.

An Italian bakery outside Detroit is letting Americans vote with their stomachs, by buying red-icing cookies to show their support for Trump or blue-icing cookies for Harris.

The gambit has successfully predicted the vote winner in every election since 1984 -- except for in 2020, when the acerbic Trump won in the world of sweets but lost the Electoral College.

Michigan is considered a must-win swing state. The polls are tight. And at Mannino's Bakery, Trump is again in the lead.

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