President Donald Trump is set to criss-cross the country on Saturday, appearing in four battleground states that are key to his hopes of winning 10 days out from Election Day.
Trump is scheduled to start the day of whirlwind campaigning by casting his ballot early in his adopted state of Florida before making swings through North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, where he’s expected to draw large crowds of supporters at rallies in each state.
“Big day. Three of them. In 24 hours you press a button and you’re home,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night after a rally in Florida, seemingly upbeat following Thursday’s debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“Take a look at all how returns coming in. We’re supposed to be behind until the wave, right. We’re not way behind. We’re way ahead,” Trump told reporters. “We’re way ahead of where we were four years ago. And the wave is going to be much bigger than it was and there’s more enthusiasm now than we ever had four years ago. Four years ago it was amazing.”
More than 52 million votes have been cast so far in the election, with Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin seeing record turnout that largely has favored Democrats.
Trump’s day of campaigning comes as the president faces headwinds not only in each state’s polling, but also in rising coronavirus cases. All four states in Saturday’s stops are grappling with rising coronavirus case counts as the U.S. reported more than 80,000 infections on Friday, the highest number of daily cases since the onset of the pandemic that has upended the 2020 campaign.
The president’s campaign rallies, including Friday’s in The Villages, Fla., home to one of the nation’s largest clusters of retirees, have featured little social distancing or mask-wearing.
Trump also hinted that it was possible he could up to five rallies each day as the campaign clock ticks down to November 3rd.
“I don’t know. How can you do five a day? Who else can do five a day? Do you think Joe Biden can do five a day? I don’t think so,” he said Friday night.
Biden is slated to hit the trail Saturday with three drive-in rallies — including one with rocker Jon Bon Jovi — in Pennsylvania as he seeks to move the integral battleground state back into the Democrats’ column.
Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to make two stops in Florida, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, fresh off a Friday visit to Atlanta, will travel to Cleveland a week after canceling her original visit due to a staff member testing positive for coronavirus.
Asked whether first lady Melania Trump, who has been notably absent from the campaign trail, will join the president on Saturday, Trump said it was a possibility.
"Yeah, she’ll be around. I think she’s going to come to some," Trump said Friday.
Read more: politico.com
