Donald Trump in Nevada, his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in North Carolina: the two US presidential candidates went to key election states on Sunday before a crucial campaign week, marked by a resurgence of ‘aggressiveness.
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As in 2016, Donald Trump is leading a frantic field campaign with several trips per day. Arriving Saturday night in Las Vegas, he mingled with hundreds of worshipers Sunday at an evangelical church in the city. Little practicing, the billionaire deposited several $ 20 bills in the donation basket. He was then to speak to his supporters in Carson City, capital of Nevada, state where he is five points ahead of the former vice-president.
After attending Mass in Wilmington as well and praying at the grave of his son Beau, Joe Biden traveled to Durham, North Carolina. He called on his supporters not to wait until November 3 to vote, especially the African-American electorate on whom he counts to win in this state where he is 2.7 points ahead of his opponent.
“This nation is strong enough to honestly face systemic racism and offer safe streets to families and small businesses which are too often the most affected by looting and fires,” he said, paying particular tribute to George Floyd, an African American killed by a white policeman in late May in Minneapolis.
His death had sparked riots in the city and a historic wave of anger against racism.
A veteran of politics, Joe Biden leads by nine percentage points in the national poll average. But above all, with a narrower margin, in states that can switch from one party to another in each election.
While the two candidates are to meet Thursday in Nashville for the last presidential debate, the Trump camp has intensified its attacks against Mr. Biden in recent days.
“Joe Biden is a corrupt politician, and everyone knows it,” the billionaire said on Twitter on Sunday.
Meeting Saturday in Michigan, another crucial state for the election, he called Joe Biden a “criminal” who represented “a risk to national security.”
He also attacked the Democratic state governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who imposed severe restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as the crowd chanted: “Put her in jail.”
“Irresponsible”
Mme Whitmer was targeted by a far-right group who planned to kidnap her and try her for “treason”. The individuals were arrested last week before they could complete their project.
“It’s incredibly disturbing” that the president “inspires, encourages and incites this kind of domestic terrorism,” Gretchen Whitmer commented on NBC Sunday.
“People are frustrated with this governor and it has nothing to do with this attempted attack against her,” Laura Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, said on CNN, assuring that he was doing “absolutely nothing. to encourage people to threaten »Mme Whitmer, but that he was “having fun”.
“The president must realize that the words of a president of the United States carry weight,” Democratic leader in Congress Nancy Pelosi replied on ABC.
“Injecting intimidation tactics into our political dialogue, especially about a woman governor and her family, is so irresponsible,” she said.
The former vice-president also denounced, Sunday, the much criticized management of the pandemic by the White House, while, according to him, “the situation is worsening” in the United States, with more than 8 million positive cases and nearly 220,000 dead.
“The president knew as early as January how dangerous the virus was and he hid it in the country,” he said in Durham, after the revelations of a journalist that Mr. Trump had been warned at the end of January , the danger of a pandemic.
Earlier, he blasted in a press release a president who “continues to minimize COVID-19”.
Donald Trump, who has always been reluctant to wear a mask, was hospitalized three nights after contracting the virus in early October. He has since resumed his campaign at a run, claiming to be immune.
On Sunday, he defended his widespread testing program. “The more you test, the more positive cases you find. Very simple!” he said on Twitter.