Debates over, Trump and Biden enter campaign’s 11-day homestretch
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - President Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden began a sprint through the final 11 days of the U.S. presidential race yesterday, a day after battling over the Covid-19 pandemic and personal integrity in their second and final debate.
Trump, 74, will hold two rallies in the battleground state of Florida, where opinion polls show a tight race. Biden, 77, will deliver a speech in his home state of Delaware on his plans for leading a recovery from the pandemic.
More than 47 million Americans already have cast ballots in person or through the mail - roughly eight times the number of early votes cast at about the same point in 2016 - giving Trump, who is trailing in national opinion polls, fewer opportunities to change minds before voting ends on November 3.
The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes.
In their debate on Thursday night, Biden renewed his frequent campaign-trail attacks on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than
221 ,000 people in the United States and cost millions their jobs.
“Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” Biden said.
Biden said Trump was too slow to warn the public about the severity of the pandemic and too quick to dismiss its threat, and had failed to develop a plan for recovery. Trump defended his handling of the health crisis, asserting the worst was over.
Covid-19 has emerged as the top issue in the race, and polls show Americans trust Biden more than Trump to handle the health crisis, further complicating the president’s re-election bid.
During the debate, Trump also repeated his accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in unethical practices in China and Ukraine. No evidence has been verified to support the allegations, which Biden called false.