Biden calls him “reckless”; Second Trump-Biden debate ruled out, leaving only the October 22 event before the polls
US President Donald Trump will deliver a public address at the White House on Saturday night for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19, as he prepares for a swift return to the election campaign just three weeks before 10:00 p.m. elections.
Also read: Amid concerns, Donald Trump may campaign on October 10
The 74-year-old commander-in-chief also announced a rally in Florida Monday in an attempt to relaunch his shaky re-election campaign against growing Democratic rival Joe Biden, who called the president’s behavior “reckless.”
Seeking to project strength and improve health, Trump declined to participate in the debate scheduled for next week after organizers switched it to an online format due to concerns about the coronavirus.
On Friday, the Committee on Presidential Debates made it official, saying next Thursday’s debate was ruled out, leaving an Oct. 22 event, the final Trump-Biden showdown, before Election Day on Nov. 3.
That prompted allegations of bias from Trump’s campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who said there is “no medical reason to stop” the Oct. 15 debate.
Knocked out of the election campaign by his three-night hospitalization last week, the president is in the midst of a frantic attempt to catch up with Biden.
On Friday, during an extensive media blitz, Trump falsely claimed that COVID-19 now has a cure.
He also revealed that he had been told he was near death at the worst moment of his fight with the virus, which has killed more than 2.13,000 Americans and severely undermined his chances of winning a second term.
Saturday’s speech, which a senior administration official said would be on Trump’s favorite “law and order” topic, will give him a chance to dispel lingering doubts about his health.
The crowd will be on the South Lawn of the White House, while the president will speak from the balcony.
A source with knowledge of the planning said all attendees should wear masks and have their temperatures checked.
Crucial state
On Monday, Trump will take another important step by holding a rally in a crucial state on the battlefield.
“We will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a BIG RALLY!” Trump tweeted.
The events come despite ongoing questions about how sick Trump was and how complete his recovery is now, and White House officials are refusing to answer basic questions, including when the president first contracted the virus and if it has tested negative since then.
After Trump spent months mocking Biden for staying home during the pandemic, it is Biden who has stormed the swing states this week.
He visited Arizona on Thursday and campaigned on Friday in Nevada. Trump won both states in 2016, but now they are narrowly tipping the Democrats in the polls.
At a drive-in event in Las Vegas, Biden hit the president.
“His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, the destabilizing effect he’s having on our government, is inconceivable,” Biden said.
As he boarded his campaign plane, he delivered a message to those attending Trump’s public events: “Good luck. It wouldn’t appear unless you had a mask on and you were estranged. “
On Friday, Trump gave a marathon interview to right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh in which he said the experimental cocktail of Regeneron antibodies he took as part of therapeutic treatment was “a cure.” It’s “a total game changer.”
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