Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Nervous States..
Trump & Biden face off in poll amid turmoil...
AFTER f four years of chaos and confusion, America last night teetered on the brink of civil unrest as the people went to the polls to choose their new President.
The huge division between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has left fears of bloodshed on the streets.
Across the US, shops and businesses were yesterday boarded up and the National Guard on stand-by to deal with clashes between far-right militia and anti-fascist groups.
Amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 230,000 American lives, cost millions of their jobs and upended election day itself, millions left it until yesterday to cast their vote.
Almost 100 million people had already voted, making use of America’s efforts to make the election safer during the Covid-19 crisis.
Battleground states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania, were making news not for their turnout but for setting one-day records for new coronavirus cases.
Contrary to Trump’s repeated claim that the States is “rounding the turn”, the US has more new infections than ever. Millions viewed the President’s handling of the coronavirus as the most significant political issue in an election he predicted he would win by a wider margin than in 2016.
White House press secretar y Kayleigh Mcenany said yesterday the President’s “campaign believes that tonight will be a landslide”.
On his favourite Fox News, Trump said he would declare himself the winner “only when there’s victory”.
He said: “There’s no reason to play games. I look at it as being a very, a very solid chance of winning here. I don’t know how they rate the chances.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the tremendous crowd size.”
His Democrat rival Biden appeared in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, with two of h i s g ra n d c h i l d re n , Finnegan and Natalie, after first attending church in Greenville, Delaware.
On Monday, pop star Lady Gaga declared her support for Biden, appearing on stage in Pittsburgh on Monday before the former Vice President spoke.
She referred to sex assault claims against Trump, and then declared:
“Vot e f or J oe. H e’s a good p person . Thank yo y o u . L et ’s v o t e Tru Trump out.”
It is feared the election resu result could trigger clashes lh bt between Trump’s supporters, backed by farright militia and white supremacists, and the left, backed by anarchists and groups such as Antifa. In recent weeks, gun sales have soared. The number of background checks done by the FBI since January,
have topped 28 million, surpassing the total number for all of 2019.
Historically gun purchase tends to rise around stressful events and ahead of elections, where some buyers wish to protect themselves from unrest, and others worry a winning Democrat will pass stiffer gun control laws.
But talk of civil unrest is rife in online forums where right-wing extremists gather. They have been emboldened by the language used by Trump who, in a TV debate, told one far-right group to “Stand back and stand by”. White Supremacists took
his words to be a call to arms. Activists have been planning protests and demonstrations for after polling day.
In Portland, Oregon, the backdrop to months of violence after the deaths of black men and women at the hands of the police this year, a right-wing group plans to show up at ballot dropoff sites with their weapons on show.
Some extreme left-wing organisers are prepared to be there as well.
The famous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hill s, California , was last night closed to pedestrians and vehicles, while Chicago’s Magnificent Mile had
“everything from snow ploughs to salt trucks” to control crowds, Rich Gamble, chairman of the Magnificent Mile Association said.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said police and emergency officials had been training to make sure they were ready “regardless of whatever scenario happens”.
He said: “Many cities across the country are doing similar planning. Everything is uncertain, and so we’re trying to anticipate any hazard.”
In New York, the NYPD’S Chief of Department, Terence Monahans said
police had a plan in case any protests turn violent. He said: “There is no secret that this election is more ore contentious than in years’ past.”
A Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids, s, Michigan, was vandali i sed , with pro-Trump graff itgraff it ii sprayed on headstones. adstones. It was discovered red on Monday, the day y the President ent visited the city. y.
Police were e also prepared for trouble in Seattle, Miami, LA, Orlando, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by a po police officer. Trump has been stoking up his base to take actio action if he loses, while Bid Biden’s campaign has centred cen on him resto restoring stability. C Close races fro from Maine to A Arizona give Democrats a chance to win. It is understood the Duchess of Sussex yesterday became the first person in the modern royal family to vote in a US presidential election . In September, Meghan, 39, said: “Every four years, we’re told, ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime’. But this one is.”
It was taken to be an attack on Trump, who later responded, saying: “I’m not a fan of hers.”