Trump to resume campaign as new polls show Biden lead growing in key states

[webfact]

Trump to resume campaign as new polls show Biden lead growing in key states

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump takes off his face mask as he comes out on a White House balcony to speak to supporters gathered on the South Lawn for a campaign rally that the White House is calling a "peaceful protest" in Washington, U.S., October 10, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

 

TOLEDO, Ohio (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is seeking to put his bout with COVID-19 behind him with a return to the campaign trail in Florida on Monday, as new polls show him losing more ground to Democratic rival Joe Biden in two battleground states that could decide the Nov. 3 election.

 

Trump's evening rally at an airport in Sanford, Florida, will be his first since he disclosed on Oct. 2 that he tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and will kick off a three-week sprint to Election Day.

 

Trump, who spent three nights in a military hospital for treatment, said on Sunday he had fully recovered and was no longer infectious, but did not say directly whether he had tested negative for the coronavirus.

 

Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday, his campaign said in a statement. The Democratic former vice president has tested negative a number of times since Trump announced his positive test.

 

Trump, 74, is seeking to change the dynamics of a race that national opinion polls and some state polls show he is losing to Biden, who is 77.

 

Biden pulled further ahead in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, building momentum in two states that Trump carried in the 2016 presidential election, Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls showed on Monday.

 

The polls, conducted Tuesday through Sunday, showed Biden now leading Trump by 7 percentage points in both states.

 

Reuters/Ipsos is polling likely voters in six states - Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona - that will play critical roles in deciding whether Trump wins a second term in office or if Biden is elected.

 

For months, Trump had worked furiously to shift public attention away from the virus and his handling of the pandemic, which has infected nearly 7.7 million people in the United States, killed more than 214,000 and put millions out of work.

 

His own illness has put the spotlight squarely on his coronavirus response during the closing stretch of the race, with the Biden campaign scaling up its attacks and stretching its campaign into states that normally lean Republican.

 

Speaking to unionized auto workers in Toledo, Ohio, on Monday, Biden said he and former President Barack Obama played a key role in keeping the U.S. auto industry afloat during the financial crisis and recession more than a decade ago.

 

"Barack and I bet on you and the American worker and it paid off," said Biden, who is hoping to undermine what polls show is Trump's greatest strength, the view among some voters that the former real estate entrepreneur is better at handling the economy.

 

Part of that effort requires winning over blue-collar workers whose support four years ago paved the way for Trump's victory over the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

 

It was Biden's second campaign trip in as many weeks to Ohio, which was once thought out of reach but where polls now show a competitive race.

 

Trump won the state by 8 percentage points four years ago and almost certainly must carry it again to win re-election. No Republican has won the White House without carrying Ohio.

 

"President Trump won Ohio convincingly in 2016 and will do so again in November, so we are thrilled to see Joe Biden wasting a valuable day on the campaign trail visiting a state he cannot win," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said.

 

FLORIDA UP FOR GRABS

Trump's rally in Florida, and planned rallies in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Iowa on Wednesday and North Carolina on Thursday, will be watched closely to see whether the president has reshaped his campaign approach since contracting the virus.

 

Most recent polls in Florida, where a Trump loss would dramatically narrow his path to re-election, show Biden with a small lead. Trump won Florida in 2016 by just 1.2 percentage points.

 

"Leaving now for Florida Rally. Big crowds!" the president tweeted on Monday.

 

Critics fault Trump for failing to encourage supporters at campaign events, and even White House staff, to wear protective masks and abide by social-distancing guidelines. At least 11 close Trump aides have tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

Trump campaign senior adviser Steve Cortes told Fox News that the president's doctors said he was free of the disease and not contagious to anyone. "He has been like a racehorse who has been kept in a starting gate for too long. That horse is ready to gallop," Cortes said.

 

Trump told Fox News on Sunday he felt good and, without producing evidence, that he was now immune, an assertion that drew a flag from Twitter <TWTR.N> for violating the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to COVID-19.

 

The scientific research has been inconclusive on how long people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies and are protected from a second infection.

 

(Reporting by John Whitesides, Trevor Hunnicutt, Jarrett Renshaw and David Brunnstrom; Writing by John Whitesides and Paul Simao; Editing by Soyoung Kim, Sonya Hepinstall and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-13

 

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[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.

 

[Somtamnication]

Every maskless campaign is another nail in the coffin. Go for it!

[Tug]

The callous disregard for the pandemic just beggers belief he’s endangering the lives of his base as well as the rest of us we need to put this era behind us 

[RJRS1301]

He may well be no longer able to transmit the virus,( having spread it to others within the WH) but what precautions will be in place to protect those attending any  rally he hosts?

Are those attending taking precautions, or do they feel they are protected by osmosis from beloved leader being "cured"?

 

[Laza 45]

Trump is on 'The Death and Destruction Tour'... Going Viral!.. a comment I saw earlier... 

[bendejo]

52 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

He may well be no longer able to transmit the virus,( having spread it to others within the WH) but what precautions will be in place to protect those attending any  rally he hosts?

Are those attending taking precautions, or do they feel they are protected by osmosis from beloved leader being "cured"?

 

The latter: this is faith-based politics, don't lose sight of that.

I guess you could say they're getting the messiah they deserve.

 

 

[Thailand]

A wagon with one wheel?

[simple1]

31 minutes ago, Thailand said:

A wagon with one wheel?

Currently looks correct - some republicans are saying likely he will lose the election

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/10/republicans-presidential-election-fears-biden-trump

[farang85]

wow so many  folks happy to read this news .  hope your happiness stays 

[OneMoreFarang]

I wonder why Trump does these shows.

Does he really expect that he will convince anybody to vote for him when he shouts into a room with people who anyhow vote for him?

Or does he do that only for his own ego to see all the people who come and love him? I guess now is the time to do that. After the election he can stay home and cry.

[Berkshire]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder why Trump does these shows.

Does he really expect that he will convince anybody to vote for him when he shouts into a room with people who anyhow vote for him?

Or does he do that only for his own ego to see all the people who come and love him? I guess now is the time to do that. After the election he can stay home and cry.

You're right, these rallies aren't really helping him.  But Trump loves them because he enjoys the adulation from his rabid cult followers.  And he thinks he'll get free publicity as the press will typically cover a sitting President when he speaks publicly.  But the press largely ignores it anymore because Trump will spew the same lies over and over again.  Trump doesn't realize that it ain't 2016 anymore.  Everybody's on to him.   

[thaibeachlovers]

Good news.

[Scott]

Off-topic social media post removed.

 

[Emdog]

Best evidence that Trump only cares about Trump first, last and everything in between.

After Biden wins, I would not be surprised if Trump blames his supporters for being suckers and losers

[ballpoint]

No doubt this is his own narcissistic, sociopathic idea, but I wonder who is advising him?  Are they afraid to tell him it's a bad one, or do they actually agree with him?  The only people who will attend these rallies are his die hard supporters, who will vote for him no matter what happens, while this will put off many of the as yet undecided voters.  Great move Donny.  Infect your fan base and put off the undecideds.  (And I really wonder about them too.  This has been one of the clearest cut election years ever in terms of choice.  Anyone who is yet to make a decision either way based on what has been playing out in front of us on a daily basis, and over the past four years, might as well just toss a coin and vote accordingly (Biden being 'heads' and Trump being 'tails' of course).

 

 

[ballpoint]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Reuters/Ipsos is polling likely voters in six states - Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona - that will play critical roles in deciding whether Trump wins a second term in office or if Biden is elected.

Funny how we're told that the Electoral College system is designed to prevent a few populous states from determining the election result, yet using the system just shifts the key states to a few not so populous ones.

[pacovl46]

9 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Funny how we're told that the Electoral College system is designed to prevent a few populous states from determining the election result, yet using the system just shifts the key states to a few not so populous ones.

The whole system is a joke. It should be most votes wins!!! 

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

You're right, these rallies aren't really helping him.  But Trump loves them because he enjoys the adulation from his rabid cult followers.  And he thinks he'll get free publicity as the press will typically cover a sitting President when he speaks publicly.  But the press largely ignores it anymore because Trump will spew the same lies over and over again.  Trump doesn't realize that it ain't 2016 anymore.  Everybody's on to him.   

He is really pumped up for this kind of rally; strut to the podium with the background music blaring Village People “ Mancho Man” lol. In my mind, “Fool on the Hill” seem more apt. He will be relatively safe on the podium and feet away from the maskless, tightly packed and vociferous supporters. He wouldn’t care less for his supporters. Don’t see any value to these rallies attended by his high core supporters who will vote him regardless. The debate which can reached a very large audience is much more effective but he blow it and he can’t handle intelligent debate. 

[Paul Henry]

Will be glad when the election is over and Biden and Harris are in  the WH. This will end the national and international embarrassment that the USA is currently facing. The Republicans should hang their head in shame. They will have at least eight years to get the party back on track and hopefully have respectable members in both houses instead of the gutless, lying, shameless fools they currently have. The list is too long to put here. 

[Srikcir]

Trump's doctor said Trump recently tested covid 19 free.

True but false.

He was apparently given one "snap" test which has a high degree of error. Trump could still be infectious, albeit without symptoms.

CDC guidelines requires two molecular RT-PCR tests 1-2 days apart showing negative for covid 19. Why the rush given the risk? 

[Opl]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder why Trump does these shows.

Does he really expect that he will convince anybody to vote for him when he shouts into a room with people who anyhow vote for him?

Or does he do that only for his own ego to see all the people who come and love him? I guess now is the time to do that. After the election he can stay home and cry.

Trump is addicted to crowds he can dominate

[RocketDog]

1 hour ago, farang85 said:

wow so many  folks happy to read this news .  hope your happiness stays 

Wowser. What a zinger! 

I feel terrible now. 

[TopDeadSenter]

39 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

He is really pumped up for this kind of rally; strut to the podium with the background music blaring Village People “ Mancho Man” lol. In my mind, “Fool on the Hill” seem more apt. He will be relatively safe on the podium and feet away from the maskless, tightly packed and vociferous supporters. He wouldn’t care less for his supporters. Don’t see any value to these rallies attended by his high core supporters who will vote him regardless. The debate which can reached a very large audience is much more effective but he blow it and he can’t handle intelligent debate. 

Allow me to explain why he is doing the rallies. Trump is a symbol of positivity, in fact he is the essence of positivity. His whole 1st term was about getting stuff done, getting the minorities back into work(without a magic wand), renegotiating or cancelling dubious foreign treaties to make life better for Americans. It is all positive. Conversely, the democrats are the symbol of negativity. Overbearing negativity, moaning and carping about anything and everything for the last 4 years, and the only message they have going in to the election is that Biden is not Trump, yet another negative.

 The rally is an overt symbol. It's OK guys, come out from hiding. Look at how strong President Trump is, look how he shook off the virus that wrecked the world economy, hopes and dreams of so many. Let's get back to work, let's start living life again. This is America, we will prevail. A message that resonates with many I'm sure. The contrast between Trump's message of hope, and the democrats message and actions since the 2016 election is night and day.

 

[fangless]

4 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Every maskless campaign is another nail in the coffin. Go for it!

Unfortunately it could also be for those mask less ones attending!

[Smigel]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder why Trump does these shows.

Does he really expect that he will convince anybody to vote for him when he shouts into a room with people who anyhow vote for him?

Or does he do that only for his own ego to see all the people who come and love him? I guess now is the time to do that. After the election he can stay home and cry.

Erm, I think they call it campaigning, apparently there's an election very soon. 

Who knew a winning strategy would be to hide in a basement, not answer any questions by a fawning media and refuse to tell the American people what your policies are. 

Apart from  the orange man bad mantra, what else do the Dems have.? 

[Opl]

8 minutes ago, fangless said:

Unfortunately it could also be for those mask less ones attending!

if it's so PC to wear a mask, why don"t they enlist as volunteers to vaccines trials if they trust Trump? 

[Isaan sailor]

Hillary and her supporters also thought she would win, based on the polls.

[Peterw42]

11 minutes ago, Smigel said:

Erm, I think they call it campaigning, apparently there's an election very soon. 

Who knew a winning strategy would be to hide in a basement, not answer any questions by a fawning media and refuse to tell the American people what your policies are. 

Apart from  the orange man bad mantra, what else do the Dems have.? 

Do you really think undecided voters are putting on a maga hats and going to trump rallies ?

 

[Tug]

36 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Allow me to explain why he is doing the rallies. Trump is a symbol of positivity, in fact he is the essence of positivity. His whole 1st term was about getting stuff done, getting the minorities back into work(without a magic wand), renegotiating or cancelling dubious foreign treaties to make life better for Americans. It is all positive. Conversely, the democrats are the symbol of negativity. Overbearing negativity, moaning and carping about anything and everything for the last 4 years, and the only message they have going in to the election is that Biden is not Trump, yet another negative.

 The rally is an overt symbol. It's OK guys, come out from hiding. Look at how strong President Trump is, look how he shook off the virus that wrecked the world economy, hopes and dreams of so many. Let's get back to work, let's start living life again. This is America, we will prevail. A message that resonates with many I'm sure. The contrast between Trump's message of hope, and the democrats message and actions since the 2016 election is night and day.

 

I beg to differ allow me my take is he likes to stroke his ego is one reason the other reason is his campaign is bankrupt he needs the free publicity that the obvious outrage brings when the person who’s oath is to protect the people deliberately exposes them to the virus in a super spreader event