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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump rallied late Monday in a final hour bid to prove the polls wrong and retain the White House, while his challenger Joe Biden predicted victory and told America to “take back” democracy.
On the eve of Election Day in the tensest race in recent memory, Trump flew to five rallies in four swing states, hammering home the dark message that his Democratic opponent will bring anarchy and that attempts are being made to rig the result against him.
Trump visited Kenosha, the Wisconsin city at the center of racial protests, for his penultimate rally underlined his push to make right-wing anger over nationwide anti-racism protests a keystone of his campaign. It was here in August during a botched arrest that police shot a Black man at close range while his children looked on, sparking riots and inflaming widespread anger.
For the finale of a three-day marathon that saw 14 rallies, he was then to fly for a late-night speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Trump also wrapped up his campaign in 2016 in Grand Rapids on the eve of defeating Hillary Clinton in an upset which Trump says he can repeat on Tuesday.
This time much has changed, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken some 231,000 American lives and badly damaged the economy that had been Trump’s biggest selling point.
Despite a quiet campaign, Biden finds himself riding ahead in almost every poll that counts on election eve, buoyed by his consistent message that America in crisis needs new more responsible leadership.
He made his own closing argument on Monday with events in Cleveland, Ohio, and then Pittsburgh in the ultimate swing state of Pennsylvania, where he was joined by pop superstar Lady Gaga for a drive-in rally.
“I have a feeling we’re coming together for a big win tomorrow,” he said. “It’s time to stand up and take back our democracy.”
Biden has stuck socially distanced gatherings with small crowds or people segregated in their cars right up to the last moment in stunning contrast to Trump’s constant, large rallies where few supporters so much as bother with masks.
The Democrat clearly feels that his calmer approach and strict attention to pandemic protocol is what Americans want after four tempestuous years.
“It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home,” Biden told supporters in Cleveland. “We’re done with the chaos! We’re done with the tweets, the anger, the hate, the failure, the irresponsibility.”
Tuesday is formally Election Day but in reality it marks the culmination of a drawn-out election month. With a huge increase in mail-in voting, nearly 100 million people have already cast ballots, highlighting the passion in what is turning into a referendum on Trump’s first term.
Many of the early votes are believed to have been cast by Democrats encouraged by Biden to take advantage of the opportunity, Trump’s side is hoping for a massive wave of Republican supporters voting in person on Tuesday.
Trump himself is planning to visit his campaign headquarters in Virginia, while Biden will travel to his birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania where Trump also visited on Monday.
For weeks, Trump has made unprecedented claims that the election will be rigged against him. He has ramped up these warnings in the final days, focusing especially on Pennsylvania’s rule allowing absentee ballots received within three days after Tuesday to be counted.
