Trump, Biden attempt to flip states
Candidates go on offense in Nev., N. C.
CARSON CITY, Nev. — President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden both went on offense Sunday, each campaigning in states they are trying to flip during the Nov. 3 election that is just over two weeks away.
Mr. Trump began his day in Nevada, making a rare visit to church before a fundraiser and an evening rally in Carson City. Once considered a battleground, Nevada has not swung for a Republican presidential contender since 2004.
The rally drew thousands of supporters who sat elbow to elbow, cheering Mr.
Trump and booing Mr.
Biden and the press. The vast majority wore no masks to guard against the coronavirus, though cases in the state are on the rise, with more than
1,000 new infections reported Saturday. The president, as he often does, warned that a Biden election would lead to further lockdowns and at one point mocked Mr. Biden for saying he would listen to scientists.
“He’ll listen to the scientists. If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression,” Mr. Trump said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden, a
practicing Catholic, attended Mass in his home state of Delaware before campaigning in North Carolina, where a Democrat hasn’t won in the White House race since Barack Obama in 2008.
Both candidates are trying to make inroads in states that could help secure a path to victory, but the dynamics of the race are remarkably stable: Mr. Biden enjoys a significant advantage in national polls but carries a slim edge in battleground state surveys.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump sat in the front row at the nondenominational International Church of Las Vegas as the senior associate pastor, Denise Goulet, said God told her early that morning that the president would secure a second term.
“At 4: 30, the Lord said to me, ‘ I am going to give your president a second win,’ ” she said, telling Mr. Trump: “You will be the president again.”
Mr. Trump, in brief remarks, said “I love going to churches” and that it was “a great honor” to attend the service. The president also claimed “we have a group on the other side that doesn’t agree with us,” and he urged people to “get out there on Nov. 3 or sooner” to vote. He dropped a wad of $ 20 bills in the collection plate before leaving.
The message was far different in both style and substance later in the day, when Mr. Biden attended a virtual discussion with African American faith leaders from around the country.
Mr. Biden held up a rosary, which he said he carries in his pocket every day, and described it as “what the Irish call a prisoner’s rosary” since it was small enough to be smuggled into prisons.
“I happen to be a Roman Catholic,” he said. “I don’t pray for God to protect me. I pray to God to give me strength to see what other people are dealing with.”
Earlier, Mr. Biden addressed supporters at a drive- in rally in Durham, N. C., where he focused heavily on promoting criminal justice changes to combat institutional racism and promised to help build wealth among African Americans.
Speaking from a stage in a parking lot with about 70 cars, the former vice president said North Carolina is crucial to his chance of victory.
“It’s going to make all the difference here in North Carolina,” said Mr. Biden, who removed his face mask when he spoke. “And the stakes couldn’t be higher.”