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- Early voting is expanding in the US, nearly 20 million have already voted.
- Donald Trump will speak to seniors in Florida before heading to Georgia today.
- Joe Biden focuses on healthcare at campaign events in Michigan.
- Biden’s campaign beat Trump’s by $ 135 million in September.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the United States elections. These are Steve Chaggaris and Jihan Abdalla.
Friday October 16:
10:35 ET – Republican governor says he voted for Ronald Reagan
Larry Hogan, a Republican governor of Maryland said that he “voted for Ronald Reagan” in this year’s election, writing on behalf of the late president and Conservative icon.
Hogan called Reagan his “political hero” and made the decision after concluding that he could not support either Trump or Biden.
“I know it is simply symbolic. It will not change the result in my state. But I thought it was important to just cast a vote that would show the kind of person I would like to see in office, ”Hogan said in an interview with the Washington Post.
10:30 ET – Christie says she was wrong not to wear a mask in the White House
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he was wrong not to wear a mask in the White House after he and Trump contracted the coronavirus.
In a statement, Christie said she has recovered from COVID-19 after a week-long stay in a hospital’s intensive care unit. He called on all political leaders to advocate for face covering, and the practice is becoming increasingly politicized even as the pandemic has killed more than 217,000 Americans.
“I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, I had entered a safe zone, due to the tests that I and many others go through every day,” Christie said. “I was wrong.”
FILE PHOTO: US President-Elect Donald Trump with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie before their meeting at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, USA, November 20, 2016 REUTERS / Mike Segar / File Photo10:20 ET – Senator from Nebraska criticizes Trump for COVID-19 and foreign policy
Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from the United States, told Nebraska voters in a town hall phone meeting that Trump has “flirted with white supremacists,” mocks evangelical Christians in private, and “kisses dictators’ butts. “.
Sasse, who is running for a second term representing a trusted Republican state, made the comments in response to a question about why he has been willing to publicly criticize a chairman of his own party.
He also criticized Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the Trump family has treated the presidency “as a business opportunity.”
10:00 ET – It’s been a year since Trump and Pelosi spoke
An emblem of political polarization in Washington: Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have not spoken directly since October 16, 2019, exactly one year ago.
On that date, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders walked out of a meeting at the White House on Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. As tensions escalated, Trump called Pelosi a “third-rate politician” and soon after, Democratic leaders walked out of the meeting.
Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! Either there is something wrong with your “upstairs”, or you just don’t like our great country. Today he had a total collapse in the White House. It was very sad to see. Pray for her, she is a very sick person!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Oct 17, 2019
Pelosi said this week that any negotiations she has with the White House are through Trump’s intermediaries, not with Trump himself.
09:45 ET – White House Warned Russia Targeted Giuliani as Messenger of Disinformation: Report
The Washington Post reports that the White House was warned last year that Trump’s lawyer and adviser, Rudy Giuliani, was the target of a Russian intelligence disinformation operation.
The warnings prompted National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien to alert Trump that any information Giuliani brought from his trips to Ukraine, including information about Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s business dealings, should be considered to have fingerprints from Russia. Trump reportedly “shrugged” and dismissed the concerns.
Giuliani is reportedly one of the sources for a disputed New York Post report released this week on Hunter Biden’s deals in Ukraine.
Trump was warned about information Rudy Giuliani gathered in Ukraine [File: Sarah Silbiger/Reuters]9:30 ET – Biden significantly outrages Trump in September
Joe Biden and the Democrats have announced his fundraising record in September: $ 383 million, and it was suspected that this would put him well ahead of the Trump campaign. Now we know how far ahead Biden is.
The Trump campaign and the Republicans raised $ 247.5 million in September and ended the month with $ 251.4 million in cash on hand. Biden’s campaign announced that it had $ 432 million in the bank as of September 30.
Campaigns will have a final pre-election fundraising disclosure next week that will give a snapshot of how much they have on hand as of October 14.
09:15 ET – Trump and Mister Rogers smile
Two moments of last night’s duel between the Trump-Biden city councils touched on an unlikely topic: smiles.
Before asking a question about immigration, a voter told Trump, “I have to tell you, you have a big smile … You are so handsome when you smile,” prompting a wide smile from the president.
Voter for President Trump in #TrumpTownHall: “You are so handsome when you smile.” pic.twitter.com/KgJThAtAQg
– NBC News (@NBCNews) October 16, 2020
Interestingly, after town hall, the Miami New Times ran into that voter, Paulette Dale, who told the newspaper that she was voting for Biden. “I wish he would smile more and talk less,” he said of Trump.
As for Biden, Trump’s senior campaign adviser Mercedes Schlapp was increasingly frustrated with the tone of Biden’s city council and compared it to “watching an episode of” Mister Rogers Neighborhood. He was referring to Fred Rogers, the late children’s television show host who continues to make children and adults smile and is praised for his kindness and patience.
Good @Joe Biden @ABCPolitica the city hall feels like you’re watching an episode of Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. https://t.co/bC8fIZPxHR
– Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) October 16, 2020
His comments made Mister Rogers trending on Twitter with many responses finding humor in Schlapp’s attempt at an insult that turned into an inadvertent compliment from Biden.
Are you saying that Biden was great? Because most Americans would prefer Mr. Rogers right now
– Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) October 16, 2020
09:00 ET – Twenty-one million Americans have already voted
Turnout totals for early voting, which expanded in the US due to the pandemic, soared to more than 21 million, far exceeding this point in previous elections.
The U.S. Elections Project, which tracks early voting across the country, reported that 21,231,821 people have already voted before Election Day, November 3. In 2016, the total number of Americans who voted early by mail or in person was 47 million.
First voters wait to cast their ballots at the South Regional Library polling place in Durham, North Carolina, on October 15, 2020 [Gerry Broome/AP]
More Democrats than Republicans have cast their votes so far, yet election experts warn that exactly who those voters voted for is unknown until those votes are counted. Also, historically, Republicans have participated less in early voting and traditionally show up in greater numbers in person on Election Day.
Read yesterday’s updates here.
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