In swing state Florida, Trump and Biden host contrasting rallies

[webfact]

In swing state Florida, Trump and Biden host contrasting rallies

By Ernest Scheyder and Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump applauds as first lady Melania Trump waves during his campaign rally outside Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, Florida, U.S., October 29, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

COCONUT CREEK, Fla./TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden rallied supporters on Thursday in the closely fought state of Florida, highlighting their contrasting approaches to the resurgent coronavirus pandemic as the clock ticks down to Election Day.

 

Opinion polls show Biden with a significant edge nationally, but with a tighter lead in the battleground states that play a decisive role in the final result.

 

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed Trump had essentially moved into a tie with Biden in Florida, with 49% saying they would vote for Biden and 47% for the president.

 

With its 29 electoral votes, the state is a major prize in Tuesday's election. Trump's victory in Florida in 2016 was vital to his surprise election win.

 

Thousands of people, many of them without masks, crowded together at an outdoor event in Tampa on Thursday to hear Trump mock his opponent, the former vice president.

 

"Could you imagine losing to this guy? Could you imagine?" Trump said, adding he was confident of winning a second term.

 

Biden held a drive-in rally at the same time at a college in Broward County, north of Miami, where attendees remained in their cars to avoid possible spread of the disease.

 

"Donald Trump has given up" on fighting COVID-19, said Biden.

 

Biden took a swipe at Trump for paying extremely low amounts of federal income taxes.

 

"Why should a firefighter, a nurse ... an educator pay a higher tax rate than the super-wealthy? Why should you pay more taxes than Donald Trump?" he asked.

 

The New York Times reported last month that Trump had paid only $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and no income taxes in 10 of the prior 15 years. Trump has sent mixed messages about the report, not directly denying it but saying at times the number was "wrong."

 

SHADOW OF THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic that has upended life across the United States, killed more than 227,000 people and caused millions of job losses, is roaring back.

 

Trump has repeatedly dismissed the threat of the pandemic, saying this week his opponents and the news media would stop paying attention to it right after the election, even as leaders in Europe scramble to contain a second wave and public health experts predict a grim winter in the United States.

 

Officials in Gastonia, North Carolina, warned people who attended an Oct. 21 Trump rally there that two people who took part tested positive for COVID-19.

 

Trump's own White House coronavirus task force is warning of a persistent and broad spread of COVID-19 in the western half of the United States, including in a number of states that will play an important role in the election.

 

The Republican president hailed figures released on Thursday that showed the U.S. economy grew at an unrivaled annualized pace of 33% in the third quarter because of a huge federal pandemic relief program.

 

"So glad this great GDP number came out before November 3rd," Trump wrote in a tweet. It is doubtful, however, whether economic data this close to Election Day can influence the outcome. Biden can point out that U.S. output remains below its level in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the pandemic hit.

 

Following his own bout with COVID-19, the president has had a hectic campaign schedule, holding as many as three rallies a day in different states, while Biden has taken a more measured tack, spending two days this week close to his home base of Delaware.

 

A planned Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for Thursday night was postponed because of a wind advisory stemming from Hurricane Zeta, Trump's campaign said. The president plans to return to the Midwest on Friday, campaigning in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In all, he plans to visit 10 states in the last days of the campaign and will host 11 rallies in the final 48 hours, a campaign official said.

 

EARLY VOTING DELUGE

More than 80 million Americans have already cast ballots in the presidential election, according to a tally on Thursday from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century.

 

That surge includes more than 51 million ballots cast by mail, a long-standing practice of American elections that is surging in popularity because of the pandemic. State officials and experts have warned that it may take days or even weeks to tally them as some states have rules that forbid counting early votes before Election Day.

 

Florida is home to large Latino populations, with Cuban Americans in the south of Florida traditionally tending to favor Republicans, while newer communities of Puerto Ricans in central Florida lean toward the Democrats.

 

Biden's campaign tried on Thursday to dampen concerns among Democrats that Biden is not reaching Latino voters nationally as well as former President Barack Obama used to.

 

"We are 100% on track to match or exceed the Obama Latino vote numbers in 2012," Matt Barreto, co-founder of the polling and research firm Latino Decisions, said on a media conference call organized by the Biden campaign.

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Ernest Scheyder; Additional reporting by James Oliphant, Jarrett Renshaw, Daniel Trotta, Heather Timmons and Katanga Johnson; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Scott Malone, Rosalba O'Brien and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-30

 

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[Scott]

Troll post removed.

 

[Tug]

a Truly stark difference one spreading falsehoods and disease the other strength of character truth decency and unity with real policy’s to me the choice is easy

[steven100]

let's hope he changes his hair salon before the next rally ....

[Kelsall]

It's over.  Trump wins.  Biden might as well pack it up and move into the home. 

[Hanaguma]

I wouldn't call what Biden did "a rally".

 

It is truly sad to see what the former VP has become.  I recommend everyone look back only a few years to when he was whole and healthy and in control of his facilities.  Go to Youtube and look up the speech he gave at the NAACP convention, for example.  He was night and day different to the pale shouter that he is today. He has become angry, grumpy, and humorless.  

[bronzedude]

Trump is toast!

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

I wouldn't call what Biden did "a rally".

 

It is truly sad to see what the former VP has become.  I recommend everyone look back only a few years to when he was whole and healthy and in control of his facilities.  Go to Youtube and look up the speech he gave at the NAACP convention, for example.  He was night and day different to the pale shouter that he is today. He has become angry, grumpy, and humorless.  

I recommend that serious people concentrate less on mannerisms and manner and more on what the 2 are actually saying. A reading of the transcript of the 2nd debate clearly shows that Biden was far more lucid and better informed than Trump. Trump seem absolutely incapable of absorbing  or regurgitating any information more complicated than a soundbite..

[joecoolfrog]

6 hours ago, Kelsall said:

It's over.  Trump wins.  Biden might as well pack it up and move into the home. 

Sarcasm or poor trolling ?

[joecoolfrog]

4 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

I wouldn't call what Biden did "a rally".

 

It is truly sad to see what the former VP has become.  I recommend everyone look back only a few years to when he was whole and healthy and in control of his facilities.  Go to Youtube and look up the speech he gave at the NAACP convention, for example.  He was night and day different to the pale shouter that he is today. He has become angry, grumpy, and humorless.  

None of which actually matters,Biden was chosen because he was the safest bet to beat Trump.

It looks likely that he will so job done!

[earlinclaifornia]

27 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Sarcasm or poor trolling ?

Very poor troller but time is nearly up

[candide]

36 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

None of which actually matters,Biden was chosen because he was the safest bet to beat Trump.

It looks likely that he will so job done!

I think Biden has been a very good choice in order to attract senior citizen who voted for Trump before.

Like them, he's calm and paying attention to others. They are afraid of Covid-19 for them and their family. They wear a mask, like him, and surely don't like Trump mocking people who wear a mask.

His way of talking is also smartly adapted to them. He talks slowly so they find it easy to follow. He repeats several times the same argument to make sure they memorize it. Unlike Trump, he doesn't stress them and he distillates a Zen atmosphere.

[steven100]

7 hours ago, Kelsall said:

It's over.  Trump wins.  Biden might as well pack it up and move into the home. 

agree .... There is no way Biden will win ....   Trump does speak his mind and ok, he says some pretty strange things at times, but he does know what is needed and he certainly knows the stock market and what the economy requires. He knows folks are suffering, but he cannot fix that overnight ....  I bet london to a brick on that he will win hands down  !!    imo

[LomSak27]

13 minutes ago, candide said:

Like them, he's calm and paying attention to others. They are afraid of Covid-19 for them and their family. They wear a mask, like him, and surely don't like Trump mocking people who wear a mask.

 

As the US just recorded more than 90,000 Covid-19 cases in one day for the first time on Thursday, and with more than 30 states reporting more than 1,000 cases. This will not help the president, it will sink him. 

 

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

 

As the US just recorded more than 90,000 Covid-19 cases in one day for the first time on Thursday, and with more than 30 states reporting more than 1,000 cases. This will not help the president, it will sink him. 

 

More significantly, daily death totals are going up. But not to worry, the White House claimed that Trump has defeated the pandemic. Whew! That's a relief.

Edited October 30, 2020 by placeholder

[earlinclaifornia]

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

agree .... There is no way Biden will win ....   Trump does speak his mind and ok, he says some pretty strange things at times, but he does know what is needed and he certainly knows the stock market and what the economy requires. He knows folks are suffering, but he cannot fix that overnight ....  I bet london to a brick on that he will win hands down  !!    imo

I would like a piece of that bet. Mostly when approval is the same as the support your toast. 40%

[Thingamabob]

Has anyone noticed the polls have closed rapidly in the last few days ? I suspect this is going to be a very tight race, with Biden still favorite but not by much.

[Thingamabob]

1 hour ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Pennsylvania Early Voting Statistics

 

Last Report: 10/30/2020
Source: Data provided by Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office

• Mail Ballots Returned
• Mail Ballots Rejected
• Mail Ballot Requests

Mail Ballot Requests by Party Registration

Party	Count	Percent
Democrats	1,946,462	62.8
Republicans	787,519	25.4
Minor	25,520	0.8
No Party Affiliation	337,524	10.9
TOTAL	3,097,025	100.0

Pennsylvania registered Democrats have a 1,158,943 ballot request lead over registered Republicans.

So what ? 

[owl sees all]

The Don did 'imself an injustice by not keeping his promises.

 

He promised to build a concrete wall and get Mexico to pay for it. That turned out to be a cheap metal fence just 10% of the actual border distance. Mexico offered to pay in tortillas but he said he wasn't keen on animals.

 

He promised to withdraw US troops from unnecessary foreign wars. That turned out to be a vote-winning hoax.

 

He promised to make America great again. He forgot to mention 'in my second term in office'.

 

He was right about Hillary, the WHO and the IMF and the FED though. Come on Don; sock it to 'em! It's not too late to catch those floating voters.

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.

 

[Kelsall]

19 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

I wouldn't call what Biden did "a rally".

 

It is truly sad to see what the former VP has become.  I recommend everyone look back only a few years to when he was whole and healthy and in control of his facilities.  Go to Youtube and look up the speech he gave at the NAACP convention, for example.  He was night and day different to the pale shouter that he is today. He has become angry, grumpy, and humorless.  

Yes, just another loser, ripe for being manipulated by the radical leftist wing of the Democrat party.

[ExpatOK]

I see the Communists are well represented today ????

[Pattaya Spotter]

More "not black" African-American Trump supporters...

 

Lil Wayne, Latest Rapper in Trump’s Orbit, Sees Backlash Over Photo

Following Kanye West, 50 Cent and Ice Cube before him, the rapper faced criticism on social media after posting a seeming endorsement of the president. https://nyti.ms/31XuwkN

Edited October 31, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[Scott]

Off-topic post and reply removed.

 

[Pattaya Spotter]

It's not over until the bodily-challenged woman sings...

 

`People Are Going To Be Shocked’: Return of the ‘Shy’ Trump Voter?

 

[I]t can be tempting to see the 2020 election as a done deal...Joe Biden has consistently...led Donald Trump in polls. Swing states in the industrial Midwest and Sun Belt appear to be heading Biden’s way, and if you trust the polls, it’s not a leap to imagine him winning 330+ electoral votes. But what if you shouldn’t trust the polls? https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/29/2020-polls-trump-biden-prediction-accurate-2016-433619

 

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[earlinclaifornia]

5 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

So what ? 

Trump supporter is white uneducated and he loves that. You can lead a horse to water but you ca't make him drink.

[earlinclaifornia]

4 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

More "not black" African-American Trump supporters...

 

Lil Wayne, Latest Rapper in Trump’s Orbit, Sees Backlash Over Photo

Following Kanye West, 50 Cent and Ice Cube before him, the rapper faced criticism on social media after posting a seeming endorsement of the president. https://nyti.ms/31XuwkN

Lil Jon Responds With Just 4 Words When Asked To Endorse Donald Trump

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lil-jon-not-supporting-donald-trump_n_5f9c3a66c5b6df1b7460d08c?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJNgZlLtn93Fpp2iRMRrHLN2olDNdkOJ_lATsniAZ-fLx6G42mKzfdBMDjY-_2AWsFc_5QmGVt_qNllF1sjAYHCwA52bxmjZBQabCU9wx6xCfsJdwT4k5P-n5ALekElwESWT8IvKhIMGvBNss_8WayBwI0gDLWyFPZnSVSYQCHwE

[earlinclaifornia]

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

It's not over until the bodily-challenged woman sings...

 

`People Are Going To Be Shocked’: Return of the ‘Shy’ Trump Voter?

 

[I]t can be tempting to see the 2020 election as a done deal...Joe Biden has consistently...led Donald Trump in polls. Swing states in the industrial Midwest and Sun Belt appear to be heading Biden’s way, and if you trust the polls, it’s not a leap to imagine him winning 330+ electoral votes. But what if you shouldn’t trust the polls? https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/29/2020-polls-trump-biden-prediction-accurate-2016-433619

 

 

Nope with this record turnout trump has been toasted.

[joecoolfrog]

On 10/30/2020 at 12:33 PM, steven100 said:

agree .... There is no way Biden will win ....   Trump does speak his mind and ok, he says some pretty strange things at times, but he does know what is needed and he certainly knows the stock market and what the economy requires. He knows folks are suffering, but he cannot fix that overnight ....  I bet london to a brick on that he will win hands down  !!    imo

I will take that bet , just as I have with another Trumper. What's the stake ?

[joecoolfrog]

16 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Has anyone noticed the polls have closed rapidly in the last few days ? I suspect this is going to be a very tight race, with Biden still favorite but not by much.

I haven't noticed that , probably because the polls haven't actually tightened at all .