Donald Trump and Joe Biden updates ahead of polling day
Verity Bowman
·15-min read
2020 us election live news donald trump joe biden updates - REUTERS
More than 90 million Americans have cast ballots in the US presidential election, according to a tally on Saturday from the US Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century.
The record-breaking pace, about 65 per cent of the total turnout in 2016, reflects intense interest in the vote, in which incumbent Donald Trump, a Republican, is up against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, a former vice president.
Huge numbers of people have voted by mail or at early in-person polling sites amid concerns about exposure to the coronavirus at busy Election Day voting places.
Mr Trump trails Mr Biden in national opinion polls amid criticism of the Trump administration's handling of Covid-19, which has killed nearly 229,000 people in the United States, with numbers of new infections once again breaking daily records as Election Day nears on Tuesday.
Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of postal ballots, which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and unfounded attacks by Mr Trump, who says the system is prone to widespread fraud.
Follow the latest updates below.
05:57 PM
The key states that will determine the election
The key for either party to win the presidential election is to target specific swing states, also known as battleground or purple states.
These battleground states are areas which have unclear party loyalties, and have historically swung between voting for Republican and Democrat candidates in past elections.
They hold the key to winning the US 2020 election. Watch the video above to learn which states you should be watching in this election.
05:29 PM
'Nation is at a crossroads' as election looms, says President Trump
President Trump said the nation is at a crossroads as Election Day approaches during a rally in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
"Three days from now this is the state that will save the American dream," he told cheering supporters as he urged them to scrutinise the election in Philadelphia. Mr Trump predicted victory in the state.
The presidential limousine is seen as Donald Trump arrives to hold a campaign event in Newtown, Pennsylvania - REUTERS
An overflow crowd waiting to catch a glimpse of Mr Trump gathered near the event site.
The US president, who narrowly won Pennsylvania in 2016, is set to hold four rallies in Pennsylvania today, including Newtown, Reading, Butler, and Montoursville.
Without the state, his path to 270 electoral votes grows much more challenging.
Mr Trump narrowly lost Bucks County in the Philadelphia exurbs in 2016. He hopes to at least keep down Democrat Joe Biden's margins in that part of the state while running up the score in more rural areas.
05:07 PM
Biden and Obama make a final appeal to Michigan's black voters
Joe Biden enters the final weekend of the presidential campaign with an intense focus on appealing to Black voters, whose support will be critical in his bid to defeat Donald Trump.
The Democratic nominee was to team up Saturday with his former boss, Barack Obama, for a swing through Michigan. They will hold drive-in rallies in Flint and Detroit, predominantly black cities where strong turnout will be essential to return this longtime Democratic state to Mr Biden's column after Mr Trump won here in 2016.
The memories of Mr Trump's upset win in Michigan and the rest of the upper Midwest are still searing in the minds of many Democrats during this closing stretch. That leaves Mr Biden in the position of holding a consistent lead in the national polls and an advantage in most battlegrounds, including Michigan, yet still facing anxiety that it could all slip away.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, made an aggressive play for nearby Pennsylvania, focusing largely on his white, working-class base. The president had four stops scheduled Saturday in the state, stretching from the far eastern corner close to Philadelphia to the western edge north of Pittsburgh.
Republicans are betting that Mr Trump can win a second term by driving up turnout among his strongest supporters - white, non-college-educated men and rural voters - while limiting Mr Biden's advantage with Blacks and Latinos.
Democrats in several swing states worry that voters of color may not be excited enough about Mr Biden to show up in the numbers they need.
04:40 PM
2020 Senate election rages on
All eyes are focused on Donald Trump as he pursues another term in the White House, but another important race rages on.
The battle for the United States Senate, culminating on November 3, is also hugely significant for the future of the country.
The race between the Democrats and Republicans is tight this year - and the result could have great implications for whoever wins the presidency.
The party that controls the Senate will have power over the next president’s legislative agenda, cabinet officials and judicial appointments.
If Democratic nominee Joe Biden unseats Mr Trump, but fails to gain the Senate, he could be left unable to pass legislation important to his presidency - on issues such as healthcare, climate change and immigration.
Likewise for Mr Trump, a Democrat-controlled Senate could stall some of his more conservative policies.
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03:53 PM
Will high turnout swing the election?
Republicans argue that predicted record turnout will not matter much in battleground states.
When all the votes are counted, the Trump campaign predicts that the turnout rate in battleground states in 2020 will be similar to in 2016.
"It is pretty predictable what they've brought into the electorate," Nick Trainer, the Trump campaign's director of battleground strategy said of Democrats. "We will bring our own new voters into the electorate ourselves, and it will all come out in the washing machine."
This is a sharp break from several election experts, who see signs in both the early vote numbers and polls of voter enthusiasm in battlegrounds.
John Couvillon, a Republican pollster who tracks the early vote, said the Trump campaign is being too dismissive.
"I heard the same kind of attitude in 2008, when Republicans were in denial about the impressive early vote turnout Obama was generating," Mr Couvillon said.
Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who runs the site ElectProject.org and carefully tracks the early vote, noted there's no way to know until Election Day.
However, he noted that, if turnout is low, that is not necessarily good news for Mr Trump given the big early vote lead that Democrats have banked. It would mean the president's campaign would need to win Election Day by an even larger margin.
In scenes completely contrasted to Donald Trump's packed rallies, Joe Biden has abided to social distancing guidelines with his last minute campaign push.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden departs after speaking at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport - Getty Images North America Attendees wave flags during a get out the vote campaign event with Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Edinburg, Texas - Bloomberg With a socially distanced audience of supporters and journalists, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden delivers remarks at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport - Getty Images North America An attendee wears a "Biden Harris 2020" protective mask during a get out the vote campaign event with Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Edinburg, Texas - Bloomberg Supporters listen as US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa - AFP Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds - Getty Images North America
03:02 PM
Early voting spikes with record turnout predicted
As of Friday afternoon, 86.8 million people had voted in the presidential election.
This is 63 per cent of the total who cast ballots in the 2016 race.
Most election experts think the United States will see 150 million to 160 million ballots cast in 2020, which would mean that we are likely more than halfway through voting.
In one state, Texas, more votes have already been cast than in all of 2016.
Democrats have a big lead in the early vote over the GOP - 47 per cent to 33 per cent - according to the AP analysis of data from the political data firm L2.
That does not mean Democrats are going to win with certainty. But it does increase the pressure on Republicans to have a similar advantage, or higher, on election day.
02:39 PM
Round-up: what's happening Saturday
Here is what is happening Saturday in Election 2020, three days until Election Day:
Donald Trump is set to hold four rallies across Pennsylvania. He won the state by fewer than 45,000 votes in 2016 and the state is the least likely of those in the Rust Belt to lean towards the Democrats this time around.
Melania Trump will also be hosting an event in the swing state.
Joe Biden, with help from his old boss Barack Obama, is focusing on Black voters in Michigan as the Democrat looks to head off a repeat of 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton's epic collapse in the state.
Mr Biden and Mr Obama will hold a pair of drive-in rallies Saturday in Flint and Detroit, predominantly Black cities whose turnout will play a large factor in whether Biden turns the state back to the Democrats' column.
02:21 PM
How Donald Trump's relationship with social media turned sour
Donald Trump rose to power on the back of social media. He uses Twitter to tell the world what he is doing and thinking at all times.
Ahead of the elections, Mr Trump’s tweets have been causing controversy; from claims on mail-in voting being vulnerable to fraud to posts glorifying violence.
01:50 PM
Why is Texas so important?
Of all the battlegrounds set to determine this year’s election, Texas might just be in the most politically intriguing.
The state has been reliably red for the last three decades - since Jimmy Carter won in 1976 - and it has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988 or governor since 1990.
But now Texas is undergoing changes threatening to break that dominance, trends that have only snowballed during the Trump presidency, making the competition tighter than ever.
This matters because Texas is the second biggest state in the country. It has 38 electoral votes, second only to California, which means the way it swings has a significant impact on the election result.
A poor performance by Donald Trump compared to previous Republican candidates could alter the state's political landscape for the next decade.
Joe Biden will have a little extra help Saturday when he tries to get Michigan voters to sign, seal and deliver their ballots - from R&B icon Stevie Wonder.
Mr Wonder will perform at Mr Biden's drive-in rally in Detroit, where the Democrat is slated to appear alongside former President Barack Obama as part of a two-event day to get out the vote in Michigan.
Earlier Saturday, Mr Biden and Mr Obama will campaign in Flint. The trip will mark their first day of the campaign campaigning together.
Mr Wonder is a perennial performer at Democratic campaign functions _ he performed at a number of Obama events in 2008 and 2012, including the 2008 Democratic Convention, and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" became an anthem of sorts for the Obama campaign that year. He also performed for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
12:50 PM
In pictures: Trump's supporters rally in final days
A supporter waits for President Donald Trump to arrive and speak at a campaign rally Friday - AP Supporters photograph President Donald Trump as he speaks - AP Supporters wait outside the airport before President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally - AP A supporter of US President Donald Trump in a mask and boxing gloves waits for the start of a Make America Great Again campaign rally at the Rochester International Airport - AFP Supporters cheer as US President Donald Trump arrives to a campaign rally at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin - AFP
12:25 PM
Melania Trump set to make solo appearance today
Melania Trump plans to make solo campaign appearances for the president on Saturday in the battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The first lady will head to West Bend, Wisconsin, in the southeastern part of the state, followed by a stop in the northeastern Pennsylvania town of Wapwallopen.
President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are campaigning hard to win both states, where Mr Trump scored narrow victories in 2016.
Both Mr Trump and Mr Biden have appeared multiple times in both states, and both are campaigning in Wisconsin on Friday.
Mrs Trump made her first solo appearance of the 2020 campaign earlier this week in Pennsylvania.
She also warmed up the crowd at a Trump rally in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.
11:53 AM
Experts answer Telegraph readers' questions
To unpack the real state of play, The Telegraph brought together a panel of experts.
Watch below to see former UK Ambassador to the US, Sir Peter Westmacott, polling expert and Director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, and President of the Progressive Policy Institute, Will Marshall, who joined the paper's US Editor, Ben Riley-Smith, and answered readers' questions.
11:37 AM
Retailers reveal plans to board stores amid fears of civil unrest
Retailers including Nordstrom, Tiffany and Saks Fifth Avenue say they are planning to board up windows or add extra security personnel in some locations ahead of the presidential election.
Retailers are trying to protect themselves against any civil unrest in a year that has seen widespread protests over social justice.
More than 600 locations, particularly in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., have put in work orders to board up windows or add related security measures in advance of the election, according to ServiceChannel.
The National Retail Federation, the retail industry's largest retail trade group, said it has sent advisories to its members and created forums for them to discuss security strategies. But the trade group's general counsel, Stephanie Martz, says stores are straddling a fine line.
Martz says, "If you board up early, does that increase the likelihood there is going to be violence in that area, or does that discourage it?" In balance, she says she thinks it discourages it.
11:03 AM
Joe Biden: I've learned from Clinton campaign errors
Joe Biden said he has learned from the mistakes that Hillary Clinton's campaign made four years ago in the Midwest.
At an event Friday in Milwaukee, Mr Biden recounted campaigning for Ms Clinton in 2016 and added, "For a whole lot of reasons _ not all of which were her fault _ ended up not taking it as seriously. We thought it was different."
Ms Clinton was criticised for not campaigning enough in Midwestern states like Wisconsin and Michigan. After her stunning loss to Donald Trump in 2016, many Democrats criticised her campaign as overconfident and too complacent.
Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Delivers Remarks In Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Getty Images North America
In contrast, Mr Biden often insists he's taking no vote for granted and said Friday night in Wisconsin, "I've been here a lot." The event marked his third visit to the state as the Democratic nominee.
Mr Biden spoke to about two dozen supporters socially distanced outside in an airplane hangar at Milwaukee International Airport.
10:37 AM
Behind the scenes: Will Trump's rally blitz win him the election?
It is voters like Angel Fraijo that give Donald Trump hope.
The 36-year-old marketer did not back the US president at the last election. In fact he has never backed any politician, staying away from the ballot box out of disillusionment.
Until now. “Trump has made promises, Trump has kept promises,” he said, explaining that the president’s record in office has turned his head.
So are the thousands of cheering supporters proof the president’s strategy is working? Or, by underscoring his coronavirus failings, are the rallies just nailing shut his political coffin?
10:01 AM
US faces record surge of coronavirus cases as election day looms
A record surge of coronavirus cases in the United States pushed hospitals closer to the brink of capacity just four days before the election.
The United States also documented its 9 millionth case to date on Friday, representing nearly 3 per cent of the population, with almost 229,000 dead since the outbreak of the pandemic early this year, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.
With the country facing the final stretch of a tumultuous presidential campaign dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities on Friday also confirmed that 100,233 more people had tested positive for Covid-19 over the past 24 hours.
Friday's tally set a new single-day record in US cases for the fifth time in the past 10 days, surpassing the previous peak of 91,248 new infections posted a day earlier.
It also represented the world's highest national daily toll during the pandemic, exceeding India's 24-hour record of 97,894 set in September.
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