12 DAYS TO SAVE THE WORLD
DONALD Trump and Joe Biden go head-to-head in their final TV debate tonight… ahead of the world’s most important election.
Bookies Betfair rate the Democrat challenger as 4/7 odds- on favourite, with the sitting Republican President 7/4.
Other firms report that in the past week, just over 60% of bets have been wagered on Trump.
And US pollster Robert Cahaly, who predicted the 2016 election result correctly, says Trump is on track to win because of his “hidden” support.
Yet early figures from the record 36 million Americans who have cast postal votes already amid soaring coronavirus cases show that 51% backed Biden, with 43% for his rival.
The President’s aides, however, are confident the gap will be closed in 12 days as millions of supporters vote for him.
The result on November 3 will affect post-Brexit trade UNDER ATTACK Dr Fauci negotiations with the US and have a bearing on continued tensions over US business with China. Betfair predicted a record £300million will be staked on the election. “The current total is double the £75million that was
b bet at this st stage four years ago,” it said. “That means this year’s election is on course to be the biggest betting event of all-time – eclipsing the £199million in 2016.” Polls in key states where the race will be won or lost show Biden between two and eight points ahead in Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
But Georgia is much tighter and in the crucial state of Florida the candidates are tied. Mr Trump has been on a whistle-stop tour of critical battlegrounds. He continued to downplay Covid-19 and attacked the US head of infectious disease Dr Anthony Fauci, branding him a “disaster”.
During his appearances, Trump has repeatedly claimed that America is
“rounding the turn on the pandemic” – telling thousands of his maskless fans that the battle is almost over.
But 38 states have recorded big increases in cases in recent days, with experts predicting even worse to come. Trump’s handling of the virus will feature prominently in tonight’s TV showdown. In the first debate last month, 73 million Americans saw the rattled President continually interrupt Biden, who, according to polls, won the arguments.
Trump snubbed last week’s debate when organisers said it would be conducted virtually after he had tested positive for the virus.
Both candidates then held rival TV broadcasts. Biden averaged 14.1 million viewers and Trump 10.9 million. For tonight’s TV clash, the Commission on Presidential Debates made sweeping changes to the format to prevent the chaotic scenes of the first one.
Both rivals will have two minutes of uninterrupted time at the start of each 15- minute segment as producers mute the non-speaker’s mic. An open discussion will follow. The President is expected to limit discussion of policy and focus on attacking Biden and his son Hunter. A computer once owned by Hunter, 50, was given to Republican supporters and it is alleged the hard drive contained damaging emails about business deals in China and Ukraine. It is claimed that Hunter aimed to use his father’s position as then vice-president to Barack Obama to benefit himself. Trump has used the allegations to brand Biden a “corrupt politician” who ran an “organised crime family”. However, in another twist, yesterday the New York Times reported t that the President maintains a previously undisclosed bank account in Beijing.