[ad_1]
Published in:
Washington (AFP)
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, will hold five electoral rallies in the main states on Sunday while his opponent, Joe Biden, centers the end of his campaign in Pennsylvania, which is also considered key, two days before the elections of 3 of November.
Although he has held hundreds of election rallies, the 74-year-old Republican president shows no signs of weariness. Rather, he prepares for a journey that stretches a total of more than 3,500 km on Sunday (Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida). It also has five constituencies in four states in both.
Trump supporters, gathering in four Pennsylvania cities, chanted “Four more years, four more years.” And the former real estate mogul had narrowly won 2016 over then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, in this former industrial bastion that could decide the fate of the election.
In parallel, the first African-American president, Barack Obama, addressed the supporters of his former vice president, Joe Biden, who had gathered in their cars to observe the physical distancing, in Michigan, which is also considered key for the elections of 3 of November.
Obama, who wore a muzzle that said “vote”, confirmed that “everything is at stake on Tuesday”, criticizing his successor’s management of the Covid-19 crisis in the country most affected by the epidemic in the world.
The Republican billionaire, for his part, boasts to his followers, who only a few wear masks, of underestimating the severity of Covid-19, from which he himself was infected.
Trump said Saturday that under the Biden administration “they will be prisoners in their country.” According to estimates by economists at Stanford University published this Thursday, 18 electoral rallies held by the president caused more than 30,000 people to become infected with the new Corona virus and more than 700 deaths (not necessarily among the participants in the rallies), according to statistical models.
The number of injured in the country remains high, with 77,000 cases of the disease registered in the last twenty-four hours, after registering a national record (94,000), according to the Johns Hopkins University census. And the United States is the country most affected by the epidemic in terms of deaths (230,320) and injuries (9,111,013).
Unlike his opponent, Joe Biden strongly respects imposed restrictions and preventive measures, to the point of accusing him by Trump’s team, which raises questions about his physical and mental health, of “hiding in the basement of his house “.
Black voices
On Saturday, Biden appeared to respond to these accusations when he arrived at the rally podium in Flint, walking fast and wearing his famous “aviator” sunglasses. “It is time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home,” said the Democratic candidate.
The question remains whether more black voters would vote in Michigan than in 2016. Four years ago, fewer than 11,000 votes made Trump win in this state, with fewer than 11,000 votes.
Biden and Obama then headed to Detroit, the historic heart of America’s auto industry and one of the poorest cities in America, where nearly 80% of the population is of African descent.
This year, the former vice president has a seven-point lead, according to the most recent polls.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris visited Florida to encourage voters to go to the polls early, in a state where Biden appears to be able to compete with the Republican president to win.
Joe Biden’s campaign team announced that the latter will address “the nation” on Election Day night, something that Hillary Clinton had not done after her defeat four years ago.
On the other hand, the first lady of the United States Melania Trump participated in a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, as well as the Republican Vice President Mike Pence in North Carolina, where the battle between the two candidates broke out.
– “Chaos” –
Like Trump and Biden, more than 90,000 Americans have already cast their votes in the presidential election, out of more than 230 million voters.
In an indication of the tension that prevails throughout the country with the election date looming, several stores have taken refuge in various American cities, including New York and Washington, DC, fearing that the demonstrations will escalate into unrest.
In case of an intense battle and the results are delayed, some fear that the supporters of the candidates will take to the streets to demand the annulment of the opponent’s victory.
Trump predicted Saturday that “there will be chaos in our country.” The president’s tone was not reassuring, as he had repeatedly refused to state clearly whether he would surrender the government peacefully if he lost the election.
“CNN” revealed on Saturday that several White House officials have been cooperating for months, as usual, with Biden’s team to prepare for the possible transfer of power.
© 2020 AFP
