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SANFORD (REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump returned to the election campaign on Monday (October 12) for the first time since announcing his Covid-19 diagnosis, touting his handling of the pandemic as opinion polls they showed him losing more ground to his Democratic rival. Joe Biden.
Trump arrived at the outdoor rally in Sanford, Florida, the first of six planned for this week, without a protective mask.
He threw masks to thousands of supporters who stood shoulder to shoulder, most without protective covers, and spoke repeatedly about his recovery from the coronavirus.
“I passed it now. They say I’m immune. I feel so powerful, ”Trump told the crowd during his hour-long remarks.
“I’ll kiss everyone in that audience, I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women, I’ll give you a big, fat kiss.”
Trump’s return to his signature campaign rallies kicked off a three-week race toward the November 3 election.
The 74-year-old Republican president seeks to change the dynamics of a career that national opinion polls and some key state polls show he is losing to Biden, who is 77 years old.
The rally at the Sanford airport indicated that Trump had not changed his campaign approach or perspective since contracting the coronavirus, which has infected more than 7.8 million people in the United States, killed more than 214,000 and left out of work millions.
He told his supporters that the coronavirus security shutdowns had caused great damage to the economy and were too drastic.
“It’s risky, but you have to go out,” he told his fans, who chanted, “We love you.”
Critics have blamed Trump for failing to encourage supporters at campaign events and White House staff to wear protective masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. At least 11 close associates of Trump have tested positive for the virus.
As Trump held his rally, leading US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told CNBC that the United States would face “a lot of trouble” if it did not encourage universal use of face masks and avoid mass gatherings.
Trump’s rally came hours after the White House said he had tested negative for Covid-19 on consecutive days and was not infecting others. They were the first negative tests for the president’s Covid-19 announced by the White House since Trump said on October 2 that he had contracted the virus.
In a memo, Dr. Sean Conley did not say when the tests were performed, but that the tests and other clinical and laboratory data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication.”
On Sunday, Trump’s claim that he was now immune to the virus, made without evidence, attracted a Twitter flag for violating the social media platform’s rules on misleading information related to Covid-19.
Scientific research has not been conclusive on how long people who have recovered from Covid-19 have antibodies and are protected from a second infection.
‘IMPECCABLE PERSONAL CONDUCT’
Trump has worked hard for months to divert public attention from the virus and his handling of the pandemic.
But his own illness has put the spotlight squarely on his response to the coronavirus during the final leg of the race, with Biden expanding his attacks and reaching states that normally lean toward Republicans.
On Monday, Biden made two campaign appearances in Ohio, where he was once considered a long shot, but polls now show a close race.
Speaking in Cincinnati, he criticized Trump for downplaying the coronavirus threat and mocked the president’s statements that he did not want to scare Americans.
“Trump is the one who panicked. His reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis, too, has been inconceivable.
And the longer Donald Trump is president, the more reckless he becomes, ”Biden said.
Biden tested negative for Covid-19 on Monday, his campaign said in a statement, the latest in a series of negative results the former vice president has released since Trump announced his positive test.
It was Biden’s second field trip in as many weeks to Ohio. Trump won the state by 8 percentage points four years ago and almost certainly must win it back to win reelection. No Republican has won the White House without Ohio.
Biden has made further progress in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, gaining momentum in two states Trump won in the 2016 presidential election, Reuters / Ipsos opinion polls showed on Monday.
Polls, conducted Tuesday through Sunday, showed that Biden now leads Trump by 7 percentage points in both states.
The most recent polls in Florida, where a Trump defeat would drastically reduce his path to reelection, showed Biden with a small lead and ahead of key demographics in the state, particularly seniors. Trump won Florida in 2016 by just 1.2 percentage points.
Trump plans rallies in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida later this week as he storms through crucial states on the battlefield before the election.
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