WASHINGTON: The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):
2:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump is talking up strong car sales and grousing about Michigan’s governor as he visits the state as part of a three-state swing to the Midwest on Friday.
Trump has made criticism of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a staple of his rallies in the state. He told the crowd about the need to ease restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, prompting Lock her up! chants from the thousands who gathered.
Trump, referring to the chants and the media, said: They blame me every time that happens.”
Trumps visit comes as the number of COVID-19 cases reaches a record high nationally, but he complains that his challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, has predicted a dark winter ahead.
Trump says, Just what our country needs is a long dark winter and a leader who talks about it.”
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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:
When Joe Biden was last in Iowa, his presidential campaign was on the verge of collapse and he was soundly trounced in the caucuses by a former Indiana mayor nearly 40 years his junior. He returns Friday as the Democratic nominee.
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Election emerges as referendum on race relations
Election Day role for National Guard?
Texas early voting exceeds total of all 2016 ballots
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HERES WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:
2:10 p.m.
Joe Biden will spend his final day before Election Day hitting a familiar battleground: Pennsylvania, his home state and the one hes visited more than any other this campaign.
The Biden campaign announced Biden, his wife, Jill, Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will blanket the state Monday, with plans to fan out across all four corners of the state.
Its unclear which cities the four will hit, but Biden has so far traveled to Pennsylvania 11 times since being named his partys nominee at the convention and hell add another visit this weekend.
The campaign announced in addition to his Monday trip to the state, Biden will campaign in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The attention paid to the state underscores its significance for both Biden and President Donald Trump. While Bidens aides argue the Democrat has multiple paths to victory and doesnt need to nab Pennsylvania to win the White House, it would be virtually impossible for Trump to win reelection without the state.
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12:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump is hitting the Midwest as he begins the critical final stretch before Election Day. Hell be campaigning in Michigan and Wisconsin two states he narrowly carried in 2016 as well as Minnesota, which he narrowly lost.
Trump told reporters as he left the White House in his signature hyperbole, We got the biggest crowds in the history of politics and I think you will all be witness to that.
Trump has been drawing thousands of supporters, most not wearing masks, to rallies across the country despite the coronavirus pandemic and has faced minimal opposition from local leaders.
But state and local officials have insisted he abide by a 250 cap on large events in Rochester, Minnesota.
Trump complained that 25,000 people want to be there. And they say you can only have 250 people. They thought Id cancel. But Im not canceling and well find out what happens.
His closing sprint to Election Day will include three stops in Pennsylvania on Saturday and nearly a dozen events in the final 48 hours across states he carried in 2016.
Democrat Joe Biden was visiting Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota on Friday. He will hit Michigan on Saturday, where hell hold a joint rally with former President Barack Obama.
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10:15 a.m.
Joe Biden is insisting he doesnt take anything for granted as he launches into his busiest day of the general election campaign yet, with stops in three Upper Midwest states planned for Friday.
The Democratic presidential candidate will appear at drive-in rallies in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. While Iowa and Wisconsin are swing states that President Donald Trump won in 2016, Minnesota is one where Hillary Clinton was victorious. Its the first state that a Democrat won in 2016 that Biden has visited in weeks; his last campaign event in such a state was in Nevada in early October.
Biden last visited Minnesota in September. But Republicans are making a play for the state, and Trump will campaign there Friday as well.
Still, Biden insisted to reporters that Im not concerned about Minnesota. He said he was visiting the state because of its proximity to Iowa and Wisconsin, adding, Were gonna work for every single vote up til the last minute.
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7:30 a.m.
President Donald Trumps campaign says it will cap his planned rally Friday in Rochester, Minnesota to 250 people at the insistence of state and local officials.
The announcement comes as Trumps campaign sought to shift the venue to a nearby business but ultimately reversed course and moved ahead with the rally at the airport. Trump has packed thousands of supporters, most not wearing masks, into similar rallies across the country, despite the raging coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign said: Thanks to the free speech-stifling dictates of Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, only the first 250 people will be admitted.
In recent months Trump and his campaign have taken to calling their rallies peaceful protests as they flout local restrictions on gathering sizes due to the virus.
The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state.
Democrat Joe Biden, meanwhile, will be holding a socially-distanced drive-in event in St. Paul on Friday, his campaign said.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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