Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump, Biden Frame Closing Appeals for Sprint to Election
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 23, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — Their final debate behind them, President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are packaging their divergent personal styles and policy prescriptions into closing messages for the final sprint to Election Day.

The coronavirus was a central topic for both candidates on Friday as Trump headed to Florida and Biden prepared to address the topic in Delaware.

The night before in Nashville, the pair squared off on the pandemic, the economy, climate change and race — and the nature of presidential leadership itself.

Trump pitched himself to voters as the same disruptive candidate they elected to the White House four years ago. Biden offered himself as a more sober leader fit for a nation in crisis.

Both campaigns predictably claimed a boost from the televised showdown that drew an audience of tens of millions. But with nearly 50 million ballots already cast, it remained unclear how much the faceoff would alter the course of the campaign.

Florida is a virtual must-win for Trump, and he planned a pair of rallies there Friday before casting an early ballot Saturday in his adopted home state. His campaign was seizing on comments from Biden in the debate that he would be willing to again impose virus-related lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans.

Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives with his sister Valerie Biden to board his campaign plane at Nashville International Airport Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn., en route to Wilmington, Del., after the final presidential debate against President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

‘People Are Learning to Die With It’

The rivals squared off Thursday night over Trump’s handling of the virus, which killed more than 1,000 Americans on that day alone. The president rosily predicting that it will “go away;” Biden countered that the nation was headed toward “a dark winter.”

“He says that we’re learning to live with it,” Biden said of Trump. “People are learning to die with it.”

The Democratic nominee planned to reinforce that criticism with remarks Friday in Delaware on his plans to help the nation and the economy through the pandemic. Even in the closing days of the campaign, Biden has maintained a limited campaign schedule due to the pandemic, while Trump is planning to hold more frequent and larger rallies in the runup to Election Day.

Trump’s campaign was also unleashing attacks on the former vice president’s pronouncement that he is in favor of a “transition” away from oil in the U.S. in favor of renewable energy. Trump made a direct appeal to voters in energy-producing states including Texas and the key battleground of Pennsylvania, spotlighting Biden’s remark as “a big statement.”

Perhaps sensing that the comment could soon appear in Trump campaign ads, Biden did a little clean-up before boarding his plane after the debate, declaring, “We’re not going to ban fossil fuels. We’ll get rid of the subsidies of fossil fuels but not going to get rid of fossil fuels for a long time.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Trump Warns Protests at Army Parade Will Be Met With Force

Wired Wednesday: Untangling Community Health’s Kickback Scheme

51 minutes ago

Italy Has No Indication of Imminent Israeli Attack on Iran

1 hour ago

Humanitarian Workers Killed in Gaza Ambush Blamed on Hamas, Internet Cut in Territory

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – At least eight Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation died in an ambush, ...

20 minutes ago

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters/Stringer)
20 minutes ago

Humanitarian Workers Killed in Gaza Ambush Blamed on Hamas, Internet Cut in Territory

22 minutes ago

Mexican Flags at LA Protests Are Dividing America

A Tesla vehicle next to an EVgo charging station in Mill Valley, Calif., April 7, 2025. President Donald Trump signed joint resolutions of Congress on Thursday, June 12, that block California’s effort to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles, his latest attempt to reduce the power of the nation’s most populous state. (Rachel Bujalski/The New York Times)
30 minutes ago

Trump Blocks California EV Rules in Latest Move to Rein In the State

51 minutes ago

Wired Wednesday: Untangling Community Health’s Kickback Scheme

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media with Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (not pictured) after their bilateral meeting at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
1 hour ago

Italy Has No Indication of Imminent Israeli Attack on Iran

1 hour ago

Fresno Scientist Says He Can Treat Raw Milk, Keep Its Benefits. He Just Got FDA Approval

Britain's Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds walks, on the day of a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo
1 hour ago

Britain Ready to Implement US Tariff Deal, Trade Minister Says

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/ File Photo
2 hours ago

UN Says Full Internet Blackout in Gaza, Paralyzing Aid Operations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend