Biden aims for ‘significant’ South Carolina win, Trump urges supporters to intervene

Presidential contender Joe Biden told South Carolina’s Democrats on Friday that they can take control of the White House if they pick “the right nominee” to face President Donald Trump.

“If you send me out of here with a victory that’s significant then I think I’m going to be the next nominee,” he said at Wofford College in Spartanburg. “We really can’t afford to let Donald Trump have four more years.”

It was a message of hope for Democrats who widely dislike the sitting president, but also for a campaign much in need of hope.

A win in South Carolina’s fourth-in-the-nation nominating contest on Saturday would be a big boost to Biden’s chances of being the Democratic nominee to run against Trump on 3 Nov. Biden faces candidates including front-runner Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.

At a rally in North Charleston, Trump urged his Republican supporters to vote in the Democratic primary to ensure he faces the weakest possible opponent, which is allowed in South Carolina.

“Who the hell is easier to beat?” Trump asked of the crowd. He ultimately said the answer was Sanders.

Before Trump took the stage in North Charleston, his fiercest supporters had been waiting for hours - even days.

Packing blankets, chairs and coolers, thousands waited to enter the rally, some of them having camped out to attend.

Richard Snowden was in his usual place - first in line. Dressed in a crisp suit and tie, the 68-year-old retired restaurant and nightclub businessman from Florida said he arrived on Tuesday for what would be his 66th Trump rally.

“I’m competitive, obviously. And I like being number one,” he said. Trump decided to hold a rally here even though the state’s Republican Party canceled its nominating contest to ensure the president faced no opposition as he seeks re-election.

The evening marked the third Trump event for Snowden’s girlfriend, Trish Asselta, who said she’s already hooked.

“The energy that everyone portrays is just a feeling that you just can’t explain. I mean, he energises everyone,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Biden, Sanders and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined the chorus of prominent Democrats criticising the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, which expanded to six new countries and sent global stock markets tumbling again on Friday.