Since getting tested for the novel coronavirus, Melania Trump has maintained a low profile and had cancelled all her public appearances. However, she made her first appearance since recovery on Wednesday during the final presidential debate.

Melania Trump was spotted supporting her husband and the&nbsp;current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;as he debated his&nbsp;Democratic rival and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;few days before the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.

The First Lady had stayed back in the White House after her diagnose, while the President had shifted to the army hospital. Her condition, reports claim, had been more stable than the President's — a reason for which&nbsp;could be her younger age, the President had joked in an address.

The debate hall also saw the presence of Donald Trump's children&nbsp;Ivanka, Tiffany and Eric who were, in a rare moment, spotted wearing face masks this time at&nbsp;the debate hall in the Belmont University in Nashville.
<img alt="Trump family spotted at the Presidential debate" data-align="right" data-caption="Donald Trump's children Ivanka, Tiffany and Eric spotted at the presidential debate." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4060fb07-bf4b-4949-96eb-6c09daed5bb5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump%20family%20in%20Presidential%20debate.jpg" />
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Jill Biden, Joe Biden's wife, was also spotted in the room who came out to support her husband. Jill, too, was wearing a face mask, like last time.&nbsp;
<img alt="Jill Biden in Presidential debate" data-align="right" data-caption="Jill Biden in Presidential debate" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8bc932c1-a3c2-45e3-834e-5e1181adb7c2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Jill%20Biden%20in%20Presidential%20debate.jpg" />
Many believe that the only reason the Trump family was wearing masks this time, unlike last time, was because the&nbsp;Belmont University had made it mandatory for all attendees to cover their mouths and noses. Anyone who was found without a mask would have been asked to leave the room, as per local media.

However, the Trump children, who had opted for surgical masks, were seen removing their masks as soon as they were seated in the hall. Melania Trump, who matched her mask with her black dress, also left her mask on her seat when she rose to join her husband on the stage after the debate ended. She did, however, take her mask along later. Jill Biden, however, flaunted her mask all through the debate, and also on the stage while she hugged and congratulated her husband for the last presidential debate.

Since getting tested for the novel coronavirus, Melania Trump has maintained a low profile and had cancelled all her public appearances. However, she made her first appearance since recovery on Wednesday during the final presidential debate.

Since getting tested for the novel coronavirus, Melania Trump has maintained a low profile and had cancelled all her public appearances. However, she made her first appearance since recovery on Wednesday during the final presidential debate. Melania Trump was spotted supporting her husband and the current US President Donald Trump as he debated his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden few days before the US elections. The First Lady had stayed back in the White House after her diagnose, while the President had shifted to the army hospital. Her condition, reports claim, had been more stable than the President's — a reason for which could be her younger age, the President had joked in an address. The debate hall also saw the presence of Donald Trump's children Ivanka, Tiffany and Eric who were, in a rare moment, spotted wearing face masks this time at the debate hall in the Belmont University in Nashville. Jill Biden, Joe Biden's wife, was also spotted in the room who came out to support her husband. Jill, too, was wearing a face mask, like last time. Many believe that the only reason the Trump family was wearing masks this time, unlike last time, was because the Belmont University had made it mandatory for all attendees to cover their mouths and noses. Anyone who was found without a mask would have been asked to leave the room, as per local media. However, the Trump children, who had opted for surgical masks, were seen removing their masks as soon as they were seated in the hall. Melania Trump, who matched her mask with her black dress, also left her mask on her seat when she rose to join her husband on the stage after the debate ended. She did, however, take her mask along later. Jill Biden, however, flaunted her mask all through the debate, and also on the stage while she hugged and congratulated her husband for the last presidential debate.

US Election 2020: Melania Trump makes first public appearance since COVID-19 recovery

During the final presidential debate of the US election 2020, President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and his Democratic rival and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;talked about the novel coronavirus which has affected more than 7 million Americans.

Trump, for the first one, said he does not guarantee that the coronavirus vaccine will be available "soon".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-elections-2020-i-think-hes-a-democrat-but-thats-ok-says-trump-on-fauci-337286">Also read|&nbsp;US Elections 2020: I think he's a Democrat, but that's OK, says Trump on Fauci</a>

Talking about how the coronavirus has taken more than 100,000 lives in the country, Trump said he has seen the effects of the said vaccine on himself and he is happy about it.

At first, Trump said his administration will be available within a few weeks. However, when the moderator asked if he can guarantee it, Trump backtracked and said he cannot guarantee but he hopes it will be available within a few weeks.

When asked if his timeline is realistic as the medical experts have stated that the medicine will be available only till 2021 later, and people need to use masks till then to stay safe,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;slammed his experts saying he has the support of army and he understands the power of it more than his medical experts.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-presidential-debate-india-is-filthy-says-trump-337317">Also read|&nbsp;US Presidential Debate: India is 'filthy', says Trump</a>

Biden,&nbsp;however, said that President who has been responsible for so many deaths&nbsp;'should not remain as president'.

Trump's&nbsp;plan to fight coronavirus is mainly to wait for the vaccine, which he hopes will be available within few and the military can help in distribution.&nbsp;Biden,&nbsp;however, says he will urge people to wear masks and stay indoors as long as possible. He also guaranteed that he will not be shutting down the economy, but will come up with a thorough plan of reopening schools and business rather than rushing to reopen the institutions.

During the final presidential debate of the US election 2020, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden talked about the novel coronavirus which has affected more than 7 million Americans.

During the final presidential debate of the US election 2020, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden talked about the novel coronavirus which has affected more than 7 million Americans. Trump, for the first one, said he does not guarantee that the coronavirus vaccine will be available "soon". Also read| US Elections 2020: I think he's a Democrat, but that's OK, says Trump on Fauci Talking about how the coronavirus has taken more than 100,000 lives in the country, Trump said he has seen the effects of the said vaccine on himself and he is happy about it. At first, Trump said his administration will be available within a few weeks. However, when the moderator asked if he can guarantee it, Trump backtracked and said he cannot guarantee but he hopes it will be available within a few weeks. When asked if his timeline is realistic as the medical experts have stated that the medicine will be available only till 2021 later, and people need to use masks till then to stay safe, Trump slammed his experts saying he has the support of army and he understands the power of it more than his medical experts. Also read| US Presidential Debate: India is 'filthy', says Trump Biden, however, said that President who has been responsible for so many deaths 'should not remain as president'. Trump's plan to fight coronavirus is mainly to wait for the vaccine, which he hopes will be available within few and the military can help in distribution. Biden, however, says he will urge people to wear masks and stay indoors as long as possible. He also guaranteed that he will not be shutting down the economy, but will come up with a thorough plan of reopening schools and business rather than rushing to reopen the institutions.

'I cannot guarantee': Donald Trump backtracks on COVID-19 vaccine; Joe Biden slams his approach

A few hours ago, the FBI confirmed that according to their intel, Russia and Iran were trying to interfere in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a> 2020 process.

Talking about the same, the&nbsp;former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said that if any other country interferes in the US election or the administration work, other countries "will pay a price" if he is elected as the President of the United States.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-joe-biden-calls-donald-trumps-immigration-policies-criminal-337306">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal'</a>

"I made it clear that any country, no matter who it is if it interferes with American elections will pay a price. They will pay a price," Biden said.

However,&nbsp;the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;slammed&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;by talking about the controversy surrounding&nbsp;Biden's&nbsp;son Hunter Biden and alleging that&nbsp;Biden took money from Russia.

"You are getting a lot of money from Russia. You owe an explanation to the American people, you have to clean it up," Trump said to Biden.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-elections-2020-i-think-hes-a-democrat-but-thats-ok-says-trump-on-fauci-337286">Also read|&nbsp;US Elections 2020: I think he's a Democrat, but that's OK, says Trump on Fauci</a>

The former VP, however, denied these allegations stating, "I haven't taken a single penny from any foreign country." Howeveer,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;stood still on his point and even assured the public that "Joe got three and a half million dollars from Russia."

Biden, however, says Russia does not want him elected, while&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;says "nobody is tougher on Russia than me."

A few hours ago, the FBI confirmed that according to their intel, Russia and Iran were trying to interfere in the US election 2020 process. Talking about the same, the former Vice President Joe Biden said that if any other country interferes in the US election or the administration work, other countries "will pay a price" if he is elected as the President of the United States.

A few hours ago, the FBI confirmed that according to their intel, Russia and Iran were trying to interfere in the US election 2020 process. Talking about the same, the former Vice President Joe Biden said that if any other country interferes in the US election or the administration work, other countries "will pay a price" if he is elected as the President of the United States. Also read| US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal' "I made it clear that any country, no matter who it is if it interferes with American elections will pay a price. They will pay a price," Biden said. However, the current US President Donald Trump slammed Biden by talking about the controversy surrounding Biden's son Hunter Biden and alleging that Biden took money from Russia. "You are getting a lot of money from Russia. You owe an explanation to the American people, you have to clean it up," Trump said to Biden. Also read| US Elections 2020: I think he's a Democrat, but that's OK, says Trump on Fauci The former VP, however, denied these allegations stating, "I haven't taken a single penny from any foreign country." Howeveer, Trump stood still on his point and even assured the public that "Joe got three and a half million dollars from Russia." Biden, however, says Russia does not want him elected, while Trump says "nobody is tougher on Russia than me."

Other countries 'will pay a price': Joe Biden and Donald Trump talk about Russian interference

During the final presidential debate of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a>&nbsp;2020,&nbsp;the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was asked about his new and revised immigration policies which have separated children from their immigrant parents.

The Democratic nominee and the&nbsp;former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;slammed the&nbsp;Trump administration's "criminal" family separations on US border.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/parents-of-545-children-separated-at-the-border-cannot-be-found-337209">Also read:&nbsp;Parents of 545 children separated at the border cannot be found</a>

When asked about these policies and the children who have been separated, Trump said,&nbsp;"Yes, we are going to unite them."

However, Biden was not convinced with the answer and calling these policies "criminal", Biden slammed Trump administration's actions and said,&nbsp;"People were ripped from their arms and separated and those children have nowhere to go and it's criminal."

When the moderator asked "Do you understand why black parent's give their children 'the talk?",&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;stressed about how "Nobody's done more for black Americans than Donald Trump."

"We now have as strong of a border as we've ever had," Trump boasted, with&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;still in disagreement about the tough and inhumane immigration policies.&nbsp;

During the final presidential debate of the US election 2020, the current US President Donald Trump was asked about his new and revised immigration policies which have separated children from their immigrant parents.

During the final presidential debate of the US election 2020, the current US President Donald Trump was asked about his new and revised immigration policies which have separated children from their immigrant parents. The Democratic nominee and the former Vice President Joe Biden slammed the Trump administration's "criminal" family separations on US border. Also read: Parents of 545 children separated at the border cannot be found When asked about these policies and the children who have been separated, Trump said, "Yes, we are going to unite them." However, Biden was not convinced with the answer and calling these policies "criminal", Biden slammed Trump administration's actions and said, "People were ripped from their arms and separated and those children have nowhere to go and it's criminal." When the moderator asked "Do you understand why black parent's give their children 'the talk?", Trump stressed about how "Nobody's done more for black Americans than Donald Trump." "We now have as strong of a border as we've ever had," Trump boasted, with Biden still in disagreement about the tough and inhumane immigration policies.

US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal'

U.S. Election Dialogues with WION's Palki Sharma.

U.S. Election Dialogues: Anti-China sentiment = Trump's gain?

Only 11 days are left for the presidential election in the United States and President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump </a>and Democratic nominee <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> will give one of the final and major pushes to the presidency bid when they will clash for the last presidential debate late on Thursday.

The 90-minute US election final debate will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Let's take a look at what all can be expected in this final US presidential debate.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/barack-obama-enters-the-field-blasts-donald-trump-in-first-us-election-rally-for-joe-biden-337016">Barack Obama enters the field, blasts Donald Trump in first US election rally for Joe Biden</a>

<h2>Mute button</h2>

After many interruptions in the first US election debate, the final debate will feature the mute button, in which one candidate will be muted when the other one is speaking in the allotted two-minute period when questions will be asked by the moderator.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-russia-obtained-voter-registration-information-says-us-intelligence-director-john-ratcliffe-337000">Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe</a> 
&nbsp;

<h2>Pressure on host?</h2>

After the first presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace came under a lot of criticism for unable to control the debate, with interruptions happening during the entire debate. This time's moderator Kristen Welker is already being attacked by Trump for being "terrible" and "unfair". How will Welker handle both the candidates, only time will tell.

<h2>Trump's attack and Biden's patience</h2>

In the first face-off, Trump constantly pushed and interrupted Biden, which forced the latter calling the US president "shut up". It has to be seen whether Trump will again follow a similar approach to get under the skin of Biden and if Biden can able to counter him or not.&nbsp;

Only 11 days are left for the presidential election in the United States and President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will give one of the final and major pushes to the presidency bid when they will clash for the last presidential debate late on Thursday.

Only 11 days are left for the presidential election in the United States and President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will give one of the final and major pushes to the presidency bid when they will clash for the last presidential debate late on Thursday. The 90-minute US election final debate will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Let's take a look at what all can be expected in this final US presidential debate. Also read | Barack Obama enters the field, blasts Donald Trump in first US election rally for Joe Biden Mute button After many interruptions in the first US election debate, the final debate will feature the mute button, in which one candidate will be muted when the other one is speaking in the allotted two-minute period when questions will be asked by the moderator. Also read | Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe Pressure on host? After the first presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace came under a lot of criticism for unable to control the debate, with interruptions happening during the entire debate. This time's moderator Kristen Welker is already being attacked by Trump for being "terrible" and "unfair". How will Welker handle both the candidates, only time will tell. Trump's attack and Biden's patience In the first face-off, Trump constantly pushed and interrupted Biden, which forced the latter calling the US president "shut up". It has to be seen whether Trump will again follow a similar approach to get under the skin of Biden and if Biden can able to counter him or not.

US election 2020: What to expect as Donald Trump, Joe Biden gear up for final debate

Donald Trump has said that he will "do plenty" with China if he is re-elected for a second term, as the US president once again went on the offensive against Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/europe-wonders-if-it-can-rely-on-us-again-whoever-wins-337232">Also read | Europe wonders if it can rely on US again, whoever wins</a> 
 
"Well, we're going to do plenty with China. What they did to us is a disgrace," Trump said during a media appearance published by the Sinclair Broadcast Group on Wednesday evening.

"You're sitting there with that mask because of China, OK? It's disgraceful. It's a total disgrace, but you will find out," Trump told the interviewer.

Trump has time and again called COVID-19 the "China Virus", and his administration has urged the World Health Organization and other international bodies to take strong action after China became the first epicentre of the disease at the end of the past year.

Meanwhile, In a fresh step in its confrontation with China, the US has designated operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions. Such a designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the fresh step was taken to resist communist propaganda. Pompeo also said that the US is going to start a dialogue with the European Union on China.

The United States also said last month it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds.

The incumbent president is set to face off against Democrat candidate Joe Biden on November 3.

(With inputs from agencies)

Donald Trump has said that he will "do plenty" with China if he is re-elected for a second term, as the US president once again went on the offensive against Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Donald Trump has said that he will "do plenty" with China if he is re-elected for a second term, as the US president once again went on the offensive against Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic. Also read | Europe wonders if it can rely on US again, whoever wins "Well, we're going to do plenty with China. What they did to us is a disgrace," Trump said during a media appearance published by the Sinclair Broadcast Group on Wednesday evening. "You're sitting there with that mask because of China, OK? It's disgraceful. It's a total disgrace, but you will find out," Trump told the interviewer. Trump has time and again called COVID-19 the "China Virus", and his administration has urged the World Health Organization and other international bodies to take strong action after China became the first epicentre of the disease at the end of the past year. Meanwhile, In a fresh step in its confrontation with China, the US has designated operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions. Such a designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the fresh step was taken to resist communist propaganda. Pompeo also said that the US is going to start a dialogue with the European Union on China. The United States also said last month it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. The incumbent president is set to face off against Democrat candidate Joe Biden on November 3. (With inputs from agencies)

US election 2020: Trump warns of action against China if he is re-elected

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-not-give-up-cartoons-teens-charged-over-teachers-beheading-in-france-336999">'Will not give up cartoons': Teens charged over teacher's beheading in France</a>

<img alt="Beheading in France" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74907e09-8d92-4b49-ad4f-6dff1f584839" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Behead.jpg" />

According to the prosecutor, the killer had offered students in school around $350 to $415 to identify the teacher.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/barack-obama-blasts-donald-trump-in-first-us-elections-rally-for-joe-biden-337016">Barack Obama blasts Donald Trump in first US elections rally for Joe Biden</a>

<img alt="Barack Obama" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f69ec48b-f472-45a3-a2db-5507f715ade4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Barack.jpg" />

Obama, who governed for two terms and remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, blasted Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-backs-civil-union-laws-for-same-sex-couples-337010">Pope Francis backs civil union laws for same-sex couples</a>

<img alt="Pope" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e5abf8bb-1b33-46bf-abbf-5c4cab4c86b5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pope1.jpg" />

According to reports, Francis, when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, had opposed legislation to approve same-sex marriages but had supported legal protection for the rights of gay couples.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-russia-obtained-voter-registration-information-says-us-intelligence-director-john-ratcliffe-337000">Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe</a>

<img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cb9b3b35-198f-4aff-89e5-3a2c9915bc15" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/TrumpP.jpg" />

FBI Director Christopher Wray who was present with Ratcliffe asserted that US election systems was&nbsp;"safe" and "resilient".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-were-9-south-koreans-killed-by-a-flu-vaccine-shot-336997">Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Were 9 South Koreans killed by a flu vaccine shot?</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-were-9-south-koreans-killed-by-a-flu-vaccine-shot-336997/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

'Will not give up cartoons': Teens charged over teacher's beheading in France According to the prosecutor, the killer had offered students in school around $350 to $415 to identify the teacher.

'Will not give up cartoons': Teens charged over teacher's beheading in France According to the prosecutor, the killer had offered students in school around $350 to $415 to identify the teacher. Barack Obama blasts Donald Trump in first US elections rally for Joe Biden Obama, who governed for two terms and remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, blasted Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic Pope Francis backs civil union laws for same-sex couples According to reports, Francis, when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, had opposed legislation to approve same-sex marriages but had supported legal protection for the rights of gay couples. Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe FBI Director Christopher Wray who was present with Ratcliffe asserted that US election systems was "safe" and "resilient". Watch: Gravitas: Were 9 South Koreans killed by a flu vaccine shot?

Morning news brief: Teens charged in France beheading case, Pope Francis on same-sex couples & more

The big guns are out! We are less than two weeks ahead of US Presidential Elections 2020 and the race is heating up. Big political stars from both sides are coming out. On Wednesday it was the time for Democratic Party to finally bring their ace general to the field. Former US President Barack Obama blasted Donald Trump as he took to stage for his former colleague and now Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden.

"This is not a reality show. This is reality," Obama said in a nod to Trump's past as a reality TV host. "And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”

Obama was speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia.

Barack Obama and Donald Trump are not just two political figures at the opposite ends of US political spectrum. They have not been observed to&nbsp;share good vibes when&nbsp;they were&nbsp;around each other. It has even been evident in their body language. The photograph of the frosty handshake between the two when Trump called on President Obama after getting elected has been stuff of legends.

"With Joe and Kamala at the helm, you’re not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day," Obama said at Philadelphia rally.&nbsp;

<img alt="Barack Obama at Philadelphia rally" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d7dc8b63-38b2-4496-9252-9eff51b830e9" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8TK9T4.jpg" />

"And that’s worth a lot. You’re not going to have to argue about them every day. It just won’t be so exhausting,” he added.

Obama, who governed for two terms and remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, blasted Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the president himself had fallen victim to the virus.

"Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us," he said. "He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself."

"This is not a reality show. This is reality," Obama said in a nod to Trump's past as a reality TV host. "And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”

Obama's appearance filled a gap left by Biden, who has stayed at home in Delaware since Monday for meetings and preparation ahead of his Thursday debate with Trump in Nashville, Tennessee.

<img alt="Barack Obama at Philadelphia rally" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc1c3ac-745a-472e-910d-7fa688d64665" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8TK9RW.jpg" />

The drive-in rally was held in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park, the baseball stadium in Philadelphia, the city's skyline visible in the distance. With nearly 280 vehicles spread throughout the lot, it was the largest event of its kind that the Biden campaign has staged during the pandemic.

Edge

With a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing Biden with just a 4-percentage-point edge in Pennsylvania, Obama warned Democrats against complacency.

"We've got to turn out like never before," he said. "We cannot leave any doubt in this election."

Americans are voting early at a record pace this year, with more than 42 million ballots cast both via mail and in person ahead of Nov. 3 Election Day on concerns about the coronavirus and to make sure their votes are counted.

<img alt="Barack Obama at Philadelphia rally" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e14aa609-1ac2-442b-a249-8f72484fca5a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8TK9TA.jpg" />

The early vote so far represents about 30% of the total ballots cast in 2016, according to the University of Florida's U.S. Elections Project.

Four years ago, Obama participated in a rally in Philadelphia with then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the day before the election, only to see Trump narrowly take the state. The Biden campaign considers winning there a top priority.

In remarks at an evening rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, Trump briefly mentioned Obama, noting that he had supported Clinton in her losing effort. "It was nobody who campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary than Obama, right?"

North Carolina is another battleground state where opinion polls show a tight race. Harris was also in the state on Wednesday to mobilize voters in Asheville and Charlotte.

US election 2020: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-barack-obama-be-elected-as-joe-bidens-vice-president-336947">Can Barack Obama be elected as Joe Biden's Vice President?</a>

Obama won North Carolina in 2008, but lost it in his 2012 campaign. Trump won it in 2016.

Trump argued that coronavirus-related restrictions were harming the state's economy and complained that Democrats and the news media were overly pre-occupied with the pandemic.

"All you hear is covid, covid," the president said. "That's all they put on because they want to scare the hell out of everyone."

Top&nbsp;ally

Even though Wednesday marked Obama's 2020 campaign debut, his support has been essential for Biden. He has appeared at joint fundraisers with Biden and Harris, and his network of well-connected former aides has been instrumental in helping the campaign outpace Trump in bringing in donations.

Biden's team said Obama would campaign in Miami on Saturday for the Democratic ticket.

The last days of campaigning are taking place during a surge in cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in battleground states, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania but also Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan.

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Pennsylvania has averaged 1,500 new cases a day over the past week, a level it has not seen since April, according to a Reuters analysis. North Carolina is averaging 2,000 new cases a day over the past week, its highest level yet. The virus has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States.

Polling shows a majority of voters are disappointed in the way Trump has handled the pandemic, which he has repeatedly said would disappear on its own.

Biden and Trump are scheduled to meet in their second and final debate on Thursday night, giving the Republican an opportunity to change the trajectory of a race that Biden is leading in national opinion polls.

(With Reuters input)

The big guns are out! We are less than two weeks ahead of US Presidential Elections 2020 and the race is heating up. Big political stars from both sides are coming out.

The big guns are out! We are less than two weeks ahead of US Presidential Elections 2020 and the race is heating up. Big political stars from both sides are coming out. On Wednesday it was the time for Democratic Party to finally bring their ace general to the field. Former US President Barack Obama blasted Donald Trump as he took to stage for his former colleague and now Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden. "This is not a reality show. This is reality," Obama said in a nod to Trump's past as a reality TV host. "And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.” Obama was speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia. Barack Obama and Donald Trump are not just two political figures at the opposite ends of US political spectrum. They have not been observed to share good vibes when they were around each other. It has even been evident in their body language. The photograph of the frosty handshake between the two when Trump called on President Obama after getting elected has been stuff of legends. "With Joe and Kamala at the helm, you’re not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day," Obama said at Philadelphia rally. "And that’s worth a lot. You’re not going to have to argue about them every day. It just won’t be so exhausting,” he added. Obama, who governed for two terms and remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, blasted Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the president himself had fallen victim to the virus. "Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us," he said. "He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself." "This is not a reality show. This is reality," Obama said in a nod to Trump's past as a reality TV host. "And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.” Obama's appearance filled a gap left by Biden, who has stayed at home in Delaware since Monday for meetings and preparation ahead of his Thursday debate with Trump in Nashville, Tennessee. The drive-in rally was held in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park, the baseball stadium in Philadelphia, the city's skyline visible in the distance. With nearly 280 vehicles spread throughout the lot, it was the largest event of its kind that the Biden campaign has staged during the pandemic. Edge With a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing Biden with just a 4-percentage-point edge in Pennsylvania, Obama warned Democrats against complacency. "We've got to turn out like never before," he said. "We cannot leave any doubt in this election." Americans are voting early at a record pace this year, with more than 42 million ballots cast both via mail and in person ahead of Nov. 3 Election Day on concerns about the coronavirus and to make sure their votes are counted. The early vote so far represents about 30% of the total ballots cast in 2016, according to the University of Florida's U.S. Elections Project. Four years ago, Obama participated in a rally in Philadelphia with then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the day before the election, only to see Trump narrowly take the state. The Biden campaign considers winning there a top priority. In remarks at an evening rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, Trump briefly mentioned Obama, noting that he had supported Clinton in her losing effort. "It was nobody who campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary than Obama, right?" North Carolina is another battleground state where opinion polls show a tight race. Harris was also in the state on Wednesday to mobilize voters in Asheville and Charlotte. US election 2020: Can Barack Obama be elected as Joe Biden's Vice President? Obama won North Carolina in 2008, but lost it in his 2012 campaign. Trump won it in 2016. Trump argued that coronavirus-related restrictions were harming the state's economy and complained that Democrats and the news media were overly pre-occupied with the pandemic. "All you hear is covid, covid," the president said. "That's all they put on because they want to scare the hell out of everyone." Top ally Even though Wednesday marked Obama's 2020 campaign debut, his support has been essential for Biden. He has appeared at joint fundraisers with Biden and Harris, and his network of well-connected former aides has been instrumental in helping the campaign outpace Trump in bringing in donations. Biden's team said Obama would campaign in Miami on Saturday for the Democratic ticket. The last days of campaigning are taking place during a surge in cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in battleground states, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania but also Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan. × Pennsylvania has averaged 1,500 new cases a day over the past week, a level it has not seen since April, according to a Reuters analysis. North Carolina is averaging 2,000 new cases a day over the past week, its highest level yet. The virus has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States. Polling shows a majority of voters are disappointed in the way Trump has handled the pandemic, which he has repeatedly said would disappear on its own. Biden and Trump are scheduled to meet in their second and final debate on Thursday night, giving the Republican an opportunity to change the trajectory of a race that Biden is leading in national opinion polls. (With Reuters input)

Barack Obama enters the field, blasts Donald Trump in first US election rally for Joe Biden

Treated with contempt by President Donald Trump, who considers them rivals and deadbeats instead of allies, many European leaders look forward to the possibility of a Biden presidency. But they are painfully aware that four years of Trump have changed the world — and the United States — in ways that will not be easily reversed.

Even if civility can be restored, a fundamental trust has been broken, and many European diplomats and experts believe that US&nbsp;foreign policy is no longer bipartisan, so is no longer reliable. “The shining city on the hill is not as shining as it used to be,” Reinhard Bütikofer, a prominent German member of the European Parliament, put it bluntly.

For the first time, said Ivan Krastev, director of the Center for Liberal Strategies, “Europeans are afraid that there is no longer a foreign-policy consensus in the United States. Every new administration can mean a totally new policy, and for them, this is a nightmare.”

The ideological divide will be on display Thursday when Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to hold their final presidential debate.

There will be what most consider low-hanging fruit for a Biden administration that will please Europeans. The crop includes an extension to New START, the nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, and returns to the Paris climate accord, the World Health Organization, and even the Iran nuclear accord. There will be feel-good meetings and statements about multilateralism, less confrontation about trade, renewed efforts to reform the World Trade Organization, and a less combative atmosphere at summits of the Group of 7 and NATO.

But Trump’s complaints are shared by many Americans, and given the polarization in America, President Emmanuel Macron of France has pushed Europe to step up in an altered world, where China is rising and the Trump administration is only a symptom of a US&nbsp;retreat from global leadership, not the cause.

The idea of European “strategic autonomy” — of a Europe less dependent on Washington and with its own strong voice in the world — has been gaining ground, even if it is more aspiration than reality.

Some, like Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs, and François Heisbourg, a French security analyst, fear that a Biden presidency could short-circuit European autonomy and let Europeans continue, as Tocci said, “sticking our heads in the sand.”

Trump's re-election, of course, might accelerate the trend toward autonomy, even if few believe that Trump would be able to pull out of NATO, as one of his former national security advisers, John Bolton, suggested he might.

US&nbsp;foreign policy was traditionally bipartisan — the old phrase that “politics stops at the water’s edge” had merit, especially during the Cold War. But the collapse of the Soviet Union meant that foreign policy, too, was subject to deepening political polarization in the United States.

“There is an incredible decay in Europe of the sense of the United States as a leader,” accelerated and symbolized by mishandling of the coronavirus, said Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“Biden doesn’t solve their America problem,” he said. “He’s not going to be president forever, and Democrats won’t always be in power, and people have learned that the US&nbsp;can’t be trusted on foreign policy because the next administration will come in and wipe it away.”

The inconsistency of US&nbsp;foreign policy has undermined US&nbsp;credibility, some warned.

There is “an American decline in geopolitical weight,” said Francis Fukuyama of Stanford University.

“The single fact that shapes the US&nbsp;role in global politics is polarization, and this polarization will not disappear if Joe Biden is elected,” he said. “Americans simply don’t agree with one another on basic premises, even on how much America should be involved in global affairs and NATO.”

William J. Burns, a former senior US&nbsp;diplomat who now runs the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, thinks the damage is lasting, no matter who wins the election.

“One of the more insidious effects of polarization is to make foreign policy a tool of partisan politics,” he said. “It’s done enduring damage to America’s reputation in the world for being able to keep its word.”

While Europeans would see a Biden presidency “as a return to civilization,” as Heisbourg called it, a new partnership would come with demands for new obligations and commitments, especially in China.

After Trump, however, there would also be a new wariness and unwillingness to take big risks on the part of America’s allies, said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “If you know that whatever you’re doing will at most last until the next election, you look at everything in a more contingent way,” he said.

Europeans see US&nbsp;confrontation with China as one of the few bipartisan issues that are driving US&nbsp;foreign policy, and Europeans are reluctant to be made a pawn or a playing card in that rivalry, given that China is Europe’s second-largest trading partner behind the United States.

Opinion polls show that most Europeans do not want to take sides in some battle between Washington and Beijing. “We don’t see the China challenge the same way and we’re not the peer competitor,” said Rem Korteweg of the Clingendael Institute.

There will also be continued pressure from Washington on Europeans to spend more on defense — one bipartisan demand that has not fractured.

Trump successfully goaded the Europeans to spend more. But Europeans were also reacting to a vacuum in trans-Atlantic leadership, doubts about Trump’s commitment to collective security, and his view of Europe as a burden and a competitor.

“I see European partners more assertive in saying that we disagree with US&nbsp;policies — that’s the healthier legacy left by Trump,” said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, director of the German Marshall Fund in Paris.

Before Trump, those disagreements were rarely fundamental. “We had differences, but there was never a basic mistrust about having common views of the world,” said Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former prime minister of Norway, who has dealt with numerous American presidents of both parties.

But over the past four years, she said, several European leaders “no longer take for granted that they can trust the US, even on basic things.”

Confidence in Washington will not return quickly, she said. “While most European leaders think it best for the global system to build on a close US-Europe relationship,” she said, “to have such a polarized situation between the two main parties in the US&nbsp;is scary, and you wonder where that goes.”

For Burns of the Carnegie Endowment, US&nbsp;global hegemony is over. He sees little US&nbsp;appetite “for grand foreign-policy crusades” and says: “We cannot return to 1949 or 1992 — or even 2016. The world has changed, and the trans-Atlantic relationship must change with it.”

A Biden administration would first concentrate on domestic renewal in a country clobbered by the coronavirus, he said. It would seek a more collaborative partnership with Europe, supporting “a European security identity that doesn’t come at the expense of NATO.”

The Europeans have “their own skepticism, given the drift they’ve seen in a more inward-looking America,” Burns said. But workable coalitions are possible on China, 5G, Russia, Africa, and climate change.

But Europeans must commit, too, Burns said. “Both sides must step up to invest in a new relationship, which they haven’t always done in the past.”

Treated with contempt by President Donald Trump, who considers them rivals and deadbeats instead of allies, many European leaders look forward to the possibility of a Biden presidency.

Treated with contempt by President Donald Trump, who considers them rivals and deadbeats instead of allies, many European leaders look forward to the possibility of a Biden presidency. But they are painfully aware that four years of Trump have changed the world — and the United States — in ways that will not be easily reversed. Even if civility can be restored, a fundamental trust has been broken, and many European diplomats and experts believe that US foreign policy is no longer bipartisan, so is no longer reliable. “The shining city on the hill is not as shining as it used to be,” Reinhard Bütikofer, a prominent German member of the European Parliament, put it bluntly. For the first time, said Ivan Krastev, director of the Center for Liberal Strategies, “Europeans are afraid that there is no longer a foreign-policy consensus in the United States. Every new administration can mean a totally new policy, and for them, this is a nightmare.” The ideological divide will be on display Thursday when Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to hold their final presidential debate. There will be what most consider low-hanging fruit for a Biden administration that will please Europeans. The crop includes an extension to New START, the nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, and returns to the Paris climate accord, the World Health Organization, and even the Iran nuclear accord. There will be feel-good meetings and statements about multilateralism, less confrontation about trade, renewed efforts to reform the World Trade Organization, and a less combative atmosphere at summits of the Group of 7 and NATO. But Trump’s complaints are shared by many Americans, and given the polarization in America, President Emmanuel Macron of France has pushed Europe to step up in an altered world, where China is rising and the Trump administration is only a symptom of a US retreat from global leadership, not the cause. The idea of European “strategic autonomy” — of a Europe less dependent on Washington and with its own strong voice in the world — has been gaining ground, even if it is more aspiration than reality. Some, like Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs, and François Heisbourg, a French security analyst, fear that a Biden presidency could short-circuit European autonomy and let Europeans continue, as Tocci said, “sticking our heads in the sand.” Trump's re-election, of course, might accelerate the trend toward autonomy, even if few believe that Trump would be able to pull out of NATO, as one of his former national security advisers, John Bolton, suggested he might. US foreign policy was traditionally bipartisan — the old phrase that “politics stops at the water’s edge” had merit, especially during the Cold War. But the collapse of the Soviet Union meant that foreign policy, too, was subject to deepening political polarization in the United States. “There is an incredible decay in Europe of the sense of the United States as a leader,” accelerated and symbolized by mishandling of the coronavirus, said Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Biden doesn’t solve their America problem,” he said. “He’s not going to be president forever, and Democrats won’t always be in power, and people have learned that the US can’t be trusted on foreign policy because the next administration will come in and wipe it away.” The inconsistency of US foreign policy has undermined US credibility, some warned. There is “an American decline in geopolitical weight,” said Francis Fukuyama of Stanford University. “The single fact that shapes the US role in global politics is polarization, and this polarization will not disappear if Joe Biden is elected,” he said. “Americans simply don’t agree with one another on basic premises, even on how much America should be involved in global affairs and NATO.” William J. Burns, a former senior US diplomat who now runs the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, thinks the damage is lasting, no matter who wins the election. “One of the more insidious effects of polarization is to make foreign policy a tool of partisan politics,” he said. “It’s done enduring damage to America’s reputation in the world for being able to keep its word.” While Europeans would see a Biden presidency “as a return to civilization,” as Heisbourg called it, a new partnership would come with demands for new obligations and commitments, especially in China. After Trump, however, there would also be a new wariness and unwillingness to take big risks on the part of America’s allies, said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “If you know that whatever you’re doing will at most last until the next election, you look at everything in a more contingent way,” he said. Europeans see US confrontation with China as one of the few bipartisan issues that are driving US foreign policy, and Europeans are reluctant to be made a pawn or a playing card in that rivalry, given that China is Europe’s second-largest trading partner behind the United States. Opinion polls show that most Europeans do not want to take sides in some battle between Washington and Beijing. “We don’t see the China challenge the same way and we’re not the peer competitor,” said Rem Korteweg of the Clingendael Institute. There will also be continued pressure from Washington on Europeans to spend more on defense — one bipartisan demand that has not fractured. Trump successfully goaded the Europeans to spend more. But Europeans were also reacting to a vacuum in trans-Atlantic leadership, doubts about Trump’s commitment to collective security, and his view of Europe as a burden and a competitor. “I see European partners more assertive in saying that we disagree with US policies — that’s the healthier legacy left by Trump,” said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, director of the German Marshall Fund in Paris. Before Trump, those disagreements were rarely fundamental. “We had differences, but there was never a basic mistrust about having common views of the world,” said Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former prime minister of Norway, who has dealt with numerous American presidents of both parties. But over the past four years, she said, several European leaders “no longer take for granted that they can trust the US, even on basic things.” Confidence in Washington will not return quickly, she said. “While most European leaders think it best for the global system to build on a close US-Europe relationship,” she said, “to have such a polarized situation between the two main parties in the US is scary, and you wonder where that goes.” For Burns of the Carnegie Endowment, US global hegemony is over. He sees little US appetite “for grand foreign-policy crusades” and says: “We cannot return to 1949 or 1992 — or even 2016. The world has changed, and the trans-Atlantic relationship must change with it.” A Biden administration would first concentrate on domestic renewal in a country clobbered by the coronavirus, he said. It would seek a more collaborative partnership with Europe, supporting “a European security identity that doesn’t come at the expense of NATO.” The Europeans have “their own skepticism, given the drift they’ve seen in a more inward-looking America,” Burns said. But workable coalitions are possible on China, 5G, Russia, Africa, and climate change. But Europeans must commit, too, Burns said. “Both sides must step up to invest in a new relationship, which they haven’t always done in the past.”

Europe wonders if it can rely on US again, whoever wins

US election 2020: Who is Kristen Welker, moderator of last presidential debate?

US election 2020: Preparations get finalised for final presidential debate

Both Russia and Iran on Thursday denied&nbsp;US allegations of having taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the November 3 US presidential election.

According to the US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Russia&nbsp;and Iran have obtained the US voter information and taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the US election 2020.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-russia-obtained-voter-registration-information-says-us-intelligence-director-john-ratcliffe-337000">Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe</a>

"Accusations are raining down every day. All of them are absolutely groundless, they are not based on anything," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after the allegations made by the US director of national intelligence.

US authorities "have put forward a baseless claim on the verge of the country's election so that they would advance their undemocratic and predefined scenario through shifting the blame," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement, after summoning the Swiss ambassador.

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Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi, called the allegations "another scenario to undermine voter confidence" in the US and said the world had seen Washington's attempts to "question the outcome of its own elections at the highest level".

The US announcement came after registered Democratic voters reported receiving personally addressed emails in the name of the Proud Boys militia, and from the internet, a domain linked to the Proud Boys.

A number of voters in Florida and other key battleground states said they had gotten the messages.

"You will vote for Trump on election day or we will come after you," the emails said.

"Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for," they said.

"I would take this seriously if I were you," the message ends, adding the voter's address. "Good luck.

Ratcliffe, with FBI Director Christopher Wray beside him, did not explain how the Russians and Iranians had obtained the voter information, or how the Russians might be using it.

US intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Russia, Iran, and China to a lesser extent had taken part in social media disinformation efforts aimed at influencing US voters.

In 2016, US officials say, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw hacking and social media operations aimed at helping Trump to election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Iran's alleged use of the Proud Boys name in emails came after Trump refused to distance himself, and appeared to encourage, the group, which has appeared at political rallies heavily armed, and menacing others.

Both Russia and Iran on Thursday denied US allegations of having taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the November 3 US presidential election. According to the US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Russia and Iran have obtained the US voter information and taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the US election 2020.

Both Russia and Iran on Thursday denied US allegations of having taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the November 3 US presidential election. According to the US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Russia and Iran have obtained the US voter information and taken actions to influence public opinion ahead of the US election 2020. Also read: Iran, Russia obtained voter registration information, says US intelligence director John Ratcliffe "Accusations are raining down every day. All of them are absolutely groundless, they are not based on anything," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after the allegations made by the US director of national intelligence. US authorities "have put forward a baseless claim on the verge of the country's election so that they would advance their undemocratic and predefined scenario through shifting the blame," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement, after summoning the Swiss ambassador. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi, called the allegations "another scenario to undermine voter confidence" in the US and said the world had seen Washington's attempts to "question the outcome of its own elections at the highest level". The US announcement came after registered Democratic voters reported receiving personally addressed emails in the name of the Proud Boys militia, and from the internet, a domain linked to the Proud Boys. A number of voters in Florida and other key battleground states said they had gotten the messages. "You will vote for Trump on election day or we will come after you," the emails said. "Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for," they said. "I would take this seriously if I were you," the message ends, adding the voter's address. "Good luck. Ratcliffe, with FBI Director Christopher Wray beside him, did not explain how the Russians and Iranians had obtained the voter information, or how the Russians might be using it. US intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Russia, Iran, and China to a lesser extent had taken part in social media disinformation efforts aimed at influencing US voters. In 2016, US officials say, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw hacking and social media operations aimed at helping Trump to election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Iran's alleged use of the Proud Boys name in emails came after Trump refused to distance himself, and appeared to encourage, the group, which has appeared at political rallies heavily armed, and menacing others.

US election 2020: Russia and Iran call meddling claims 'groundless'

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise.

He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade. He restrained himself on Twitter in the final weeks while portraying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, as hostile to the economically disenfranchised blue-collar voters flocking to his rallies. His campaign worked systematically to drive up margins of white voters in battleground states that Democrats had largely taken for granted.

Trump’s obstacles are considerably higher this time. He is an unpopular incumbent in the midst of a pandemic and an economic decline. He is facing a much different opponent, Joe Biden, who has carefully studied Clinton’s mistakes.

Yet with two weeks until Election Day, Trump retains a narrow path to victory, in the view of many analysts, that would require him to draw on his most effective tactics from 2016 and make fundamental changes in his campaign style to expand his appeal beyond his political base. He also needs Biden to make a mistake.

The clearest road for Trump is to hold one of the three states he snatched from Democrats in 2016 — Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin — as well as the rest of his winning electoral map, including Arizona and Florida, where Biden is now competitive. Polls indicate that is a daunting task but not an impossible one, particularly if he succeeds again in driving up support among working-class voters, including in rural areas he dominated in 2016, while holding down Biden’s support among nonwhite voters.

Still, interviews with 21 Republican and Democratic strategists, many of whom have worked for other presidential campaigns over the past 30 years, suggest that Trump will need some eleventh-hour disruptions in the race. That might include a bad stumble by Biden in the debate Thursday or on the trail, court rulings or Republican tactics that suppress the Democratic vote, and a GOP ground game that turns out voters who may not have been counted by pollsters.

And Trump will need to bring discipline to the campaign trail that has so far eluded him, the strategists say. That will mean presenting a forceful and uncluttered appeal that he is better able than Biden to rebuild the economy, while trying yet again to draw a contrast between himself and an opponent he has sought to portray as ideologically too far to the left to run the nation.

In the end, most strategists said the single best hope for Trump was for Biden to do something to worry or alienate swing voters whom Trump has already driven into the Democratic camp. And counting on your opponent to make a fatal mistake in the final days is rarely a good strategy.

Expand the Electorate

Republicans have shown success in registering new voters in states like Florida and Pennsylvania. That could be important in building on a key part of the president’s 2016 strategy: turning out working-class white Americans who have not voted before.

“There are few days left to change the trajectory of the race,” said Sara Fagen, who was the White House political director for President George W. Bush. “Trump’s best chance at this point would be to dramatically boost turnout among noncollege-educated white voters in the industrial Midwest.”

Even optimistic Democrats say this is a cause for concern.

“The Republicans have been laser-focused on growing the electorate this time,” said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 campaign for president. “The Republicans have a better operation on the ground than anything we’ve seen since 2004.”

And isn’t only white working-class voters. Polling suggests that Trump is doing as well or slightly better with Black and Latino voters in some states than he was in 2016 against Clinton.

Focus on the Map

Biden is competitive in several states that Trump won in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Some polls also show Biden with a significant lead in Florida, which has long been the Lucy-and-the-football state for Democratic presidential candidates.

But any road to reelection for Trump leads through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He is unlikely to win without at least one of those three 2016 upset states (and ideally two), though which ones offer him the best opportunity changes by the day.

Some analysts have suggested he pour resources into Wisconsin, which began in-person early voting Tuesday. “It’s quite a challenge for him,” said Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It seems like Biden is really holding his own here.”

From there, he can turn to cobbling together the electoral votes he needs to reach 270 — by holding Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and potentially grabbing Nevada, Minnesota or New Hampshire from the Democrats. More than anything, Trump cannot lose Florida.

Biden enjoys big leads in many national polls, but the race is tighter in many of these states. That may prove significant if some state polls are off, as they were in 2016, though pollsters say that is not likely. “Go back and look at October 2016,” said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. “This was the time of the panic over the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, when everyone&nbsp;knew&nbsp;that Trump was dead. I always said he was going to win.”

COVID-19

Trump could limit the continuing political damage from his management of the pandemic, analysts said, if he stopped offering chipper assessments of the coronavirus and ceased presenting himself as evidence that a disease that has killed more than 220,000 people is not a big threat. Then he could turn to issues that would expand his appeal, particularly to women and older voters.

“He should take coronavirus seriously,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns. “He should start chairing COVID meetings. Do some joint appearances with Anthony Fauci. Show some empathy for people whose lives have been lost. Stop talking about himself.”

Karl Rove, the senior strategist for Bush, said that Trump could seek to blunt Biden’s attacks on the White House’s management of the pandemic by pointing to Biden’s own response during the winter.

“There’s a lot of information out there that a disciplined campaign could use to say to Biden, ‘What you and your advisers were saying and doing then shows you didn’t have it right and all this criticism is Monday morning quarterbacking,’ ” Rove said.

Showing More Discipline

One of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that he began exhibiting more discipline in the final weeks of his campaign: less tweeting and trolling.

If he were to reprise that, perhaps he could get weary Americans to give him one last look.

“Trump must turn to the disciplined teleprompter demeanor he used during the last two weeks of 2016,” said Charlie Black, a veteran of many Republican presidential contests. “He must talk about two issues only: the economy and the Democrats’ plan to pack the Supreme Court.”

But in 2016, Trump was not dealing with a pandemic. He was out-hustling Clinton on the campaign trail every day, and she was dealing with a daily influx of bad news.

And if there is anything the political world has learned over these past four years, it is that Trump does not pivot. If he is getting take-the-high-road advice from his strategists, there is no sign that he is following it, as despondent Republicans were reminded this week when he started attacking Fauci.

A Biden Stumble

Trump has always counted on Biden having a mental lapse that would underscore the president’s contention that the former vice president has lost something on his fastball. Biden has provided plenty of missteps over the years to encourage that kind of hope. But that did not happen at the first debate, and Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to exploit Biden’s stumbles on the campaign trail.

There is one more debate and two more weeks of campaigning that will give Trump an opportunity to maintain pressure on his opponent — with attacks on the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden, for instance — in hopes of forcing a mistake that could bring back some swing voters whom Trump has lost.

Suppression and Challenges

Republicans have been trying, with legislation and court battles, to restrict absentee balloting, which could make the difference in a close election.

“Surround the counters; find friendly governors and commissioners who won’t certify the vote,” said Susan Estrich, who managed the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. Stuart Stevens, a Republican consultant who is now a critic of the president, said that Trump’s “only realistic hope is voter suppression through every means possible.”

Trump has surprised the world before. But even accounting for his loyal base and his tenacity as a campaigner, Republicans and Democrats say Trump’s political future may now be out of his hands.

“It’s been locked in for months and is now moving away from him even further post-debate,” said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. “I suppose some unforeseen catastrophe or huge Biden mistake might reverse the trend, but it seems pretty clear that a majority of voters want to get Trump the hell out of there before he screws up even more.”

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise. He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade.

President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is remembered for defying polls and stunning Democrats. But in many ways, it was not a surprise. He prevailed with a piercing outsider message on jobs, immigration, China and trade. He restrained himself on Twitter in the final weeks while portraying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, as hostile to the economically disenfranchised blue-collar voters flocking to his rallies. His campaign worked systematically to drive up margins of white voters in battleground states that Democrats had largely taken for granted. Trump’s obstacles are considerably higher this time. He is an unpopular incumbent in the midst of a pandemic and an economic decline. He is facing a much different opponent, Joe Biden, who has carefully studied Clinton’s mistakes. Yet with two weeks until Election Day, Trump retains a narrow path to victory, in the view of many analysts, that would require him to draw on his most effective tactics from 2016 and make fundamental changes in his campaign style to expand his appeal beyond his political base. He also needs Biden to make a mistake. The clearest road for Trump is to hold one of the three states he snatched from Democrats in 2016 — Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin — as well as the rest of his winning electoral map, including Arizona and Florida, where Biden is now competitive. Polls indicate that is a daunting task but not an impossible one, particularly if he succeeds again in driving up support among working-class voters, including in rural areas he dominated in 2016, while holding down Biden’s support among nonwhite voters. Still, interviews with 21 Republican and Democratic strategists, many of whom have worked for other presidential campaigns over the past 30 years, suggest that Trump will need some eleventh-hour disruptions in the race. That might include a bad stumble by Biden in the debate Thursday or on the trail, court rulings or Republican tactics that suppress the Democratic vote, and a GOP ground game that turns out voters who may not have been counted by pollsters. And Trump will need to bring discipline to the campaign trail that has so far eluded him, the strategists say. That will mean presenting a forceful and uncluttered appeal that he is better able than Biden to rebuild the economy, while trying yet again to draw a contrast between himself and an opponent he has sought to portray as ideologically too far to the left to run the nation. In the end, most strategists said the single best hope for Trump was for Biden to do something to worry or alienate swing voters whom Trump has already driven into the Democratic camp. And counting on your opponent to make a fatal mistake in the final days is rarely a good strategy. Expand the Electorate Republicans have shown success in registering new voters in states like Florida and Pennsylvania. That could be important in building on a key part of the president’s 2016 strategy: turning out working-class white Americans who have not voted before. “There are few days left to change the trajectory of the race,” said Sara Fagen, who was the White House political director for President George W. Bush. “Trump’s best chance at this point would be to dramatically boost turnout among noncollege-educated white voters in the industrial Midwest.” Even optimistic Democrats say this is a cause for concern. “The Republicans have been laser-focused on growing the electorate this time,” said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 campaign for president. “The Republicans have a better operation on the ground than anything we’ve seen since 2004.” And isn’t only white working-class voters. Polling suggests that Trump is doing as well or slightly better with Black and Latino voters in some states than he was in 2016 against Clinton. Focus on the Map Biden is competitive in several states that Trump won in 2016: Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Some polls also show Biden with a significant lead in Florida, which has long been the Lucy-and-the-football state for Democratic presidential candidates. But any road to reelection for Trump leads through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He is unlikely to win without at least one of those three 2016 upset states (and ideally two), though which ones offer him the best opportunity changes by the day. Some analysts have suggested he pour resources into Wisconsin, which began in-person early voting Tuesday. “It’s quite a challenge for him,” said Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It seems like Biden is really holding his own here.” From there, he can turn to cobbling together the electoral votes he needs to reach 270 — by holding Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and potentially grabbing Nevada, Minnesota or New Hampshire from the Democrats. More than anything, Trump cannot lose Florida. Biden enjoys big leads in many national polls, but the race is tighter in many of these states. That may prove significant if some state polls are off, as they were in 2016, though pollsters say that is not likely. “Go back and look at October 2016,” said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. “This was the time of the panic over the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, when everyone knew that Trump was dead. I always said he was going to win.” COVID-19 Trump could limit the continuing political damage from his management of the pandemic, analysts said, if he stopped offering chipper assessments of the coronavirus and ceased presenting himself as evidence that a disease that has killed more than 220,000 people is not a big threat. Then he could turn to issues that would expand his appeal, particularly to women and older voters. “He should take coronavirus seriously,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic consultant and veteran of presidential campaigns. “He should start chairing COVID meetings. Do some joint appearances with Anthony Fauci. Show some empathy for people whose lives have been lost. Stop talking about himself.” Karl Rove, the senior strategist for Bush, said that Trump could seek to blunt Biden’s attacks on the White House’s management of the pandemic by pointing to Biden’s own response during the winter. “There’s a lot of information out there that a disciplined campaign could use to say to Biden, ‘What you and your advisers were saying and doing then shows you didn’t have it right and all this criticism is Monday morning quarterbacking,’ ” Rove said. Showing More Discipline One of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that he began exhibiting more discipline in the final weeks of his campaign: less tweeting and trolling. If he were to reprise that, perhaps he could get weary Americans to give him one last look. “Trump must turn to the disciplined teleprompter demeanor he used during the last two weeks of 2016,” said Charlie Black, a veteran of many Republican presidential contests. “He must talk about two issues only: the economy and the Democrats’ plan to pack the Supreme Court.” But in 2016, Trump was not dealing with a pandemic. He was out-hustling Clinton on the campaign trail every day, and she was dealing with a daily influx of bad news. And if there is anything the political world has learned over these past four years, it is that Trump does not pivot. If he is getting take-the-high-road advice from his strategists, there is no sign that he is following it, as despondent Republicans were reminded this week when he started attacking Fauci. A Biden Stumble Trump has always counted on Biden having a mental lapse that would underscore the president’s contention that the former vice president has lost something on his fastball. Biden has provided plenty of missteps over the years to encourage that kind of hope. But that did not happen at the first debate, and Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to exploit Biden’s stumbles on the campaign trail. There is one more debate and two more weeks of campaigning that will give Trump an opportunity to maintain pressure on his opponent — with attacks on the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden, for instance — in hopes of forcing a mistake that could bring back some swing voters whom Trump has lost. Suppression and Challenges Republicans have been trying, with legislation and court battles, to restrict absentee balloting, which could make the difference in a close election. “Surround the counters; find friendly governors and commissioners who won’t certify the vote,” said Susan Estrich, who managed the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. Stuart Stevens, a Republican consultant who is now a critic of the president, said that Trump’s “only realistic hope is voter suppression through every means possible.” Trump has surprised the world before. But even accounting for his loyal base and his tenacity as a campaigner, Republicans and Democrats say Trump’s political future may now be out of his hands. “It’s been locked in for months and is now moving away from him even further post-debate,” said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. “I suppose some unforeseen catastrophe or huge Biden mistake might reverse the trend, but it seems pretty clear that a majority of voters want to get Trump the hell out of there before he screws up even more.”

Can Trump win? Yes. But the path is narrow and difficult.

How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios

The final presidential debate between US President Donald Trump & his democratic rival Joe Biden is all set to take place today.

US Election 2020: Trump, Biden to meet for final face-off today

Former US President Barack Obama return to the campaign trail launching a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than 2 weeks to before election day.

US Election 2020: Obama holds first full-fledged rally event for Biden

United States' Director of National intelligence, John Ratcliffe has said that Russia & Iran have both taken actions to trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

US intel agencies: Iran & Russia have tried to interfere in 2020 election

Former US President Barack Obama has slammed Donald Trump saying- democracy can not work if leaders lie everyday, this is not a reality show this is reality, speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia.

US Election 2020: Obama spoke at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia

Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris shook a leg in a Florida rally and the video of dancing immediately got viral with users commenting it "might be the best thing on internet today".

In the video that was shared by The Recount, Harris was seen dancing as she was in a stage, holding an umbrella amid a downpour. The video has been viewed over 2.2&nbsp;million times and has been liked by more than 12,000 people.

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Kamala Harris is dancing in the Florida rain. <a href="https://t.co/z2lxKMJ89e">pic.twitter.com/z2lxKMJ89e</a>
— The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1318303101296791552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Recently, President Donald Trump was also seen dancing during his campaigning and social media users are calling for competition between Trump and Harris.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-reacts-with-mynameis-after-senator-mispronounces-kamala-harris-name-336231">Twitter reacts with '#MyNameIs' after Senator mispronounces Kamala Harris' name</a>

Harris also shared an image of her address amid rains in Florida, the caption of which read: "Rain or shine, democracy waits for no one".

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Rain or shine, democracy waits for no one. <a href="https://t.co/DMimsHbmWO">pic.twitter.com/DMimsHbmWO</a>
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1318313362636288006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Here are some reactions to the Harris' dancing video.

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This video of <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> dancing in the rain might be the best thing you’ll see on the internet today <a href="https://t.co/435Jw99RUX">pic.twitter.com/435Jw99RUX</a>
— Mitali Modi (@mmodi93) <a href="https://twitter.com/mmodi93/status/1318320473768427520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I like candidates with rhythm... 
💃💃💃💃💃 <a href="https://t.co/6ggtj26O2c">pic.twitter.com/6ggtj26O2c</a>
— La Mosca de Pence 😷 🦟 👠💄 (@mmtexas) <a href="https://twitter.com/mmtexas/status/1318303993974710273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Your love of life is contagious. Thank you for this. I saw the video of you dancing and it made me forget about trump the whole time. I may have to run it on a loop for a couple weeks bc he is going all out to be as crazy as he can be. Biden/Harris 2020. I voted and tracked it!
— fiona (@gottabethisyear) <a href="https://twitter.com/gottabethisyear/status/1318321939832688641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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This is how you win Florida <a href="https://t.co/kJiTDym50P">pic.twitter.com/kJiTDym50P</a>
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/status/1318317963645227008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Harris asked voters in Orlando, Florida to cast their ballot early to put the US "back on the right track".

She also hit out at Trump, describing his handling of Covid-19 pandemic is "the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of America."

Harris, who earlier was in the race from Democrats for a presidential nomination, is the first African American woman who has been nominated for the vice presidency in the US.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris shook a leg in a Florida rally and the video of dancing immediately got viral with users commenting it "might be the best thing on internet today".

Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris shook a leg in a Florida rally and the video of dancing immediately got viral with users commenting it "might be the best thing on internet today". In the video that was shared by The Recount, Harris was seen dancing as she was in a stage, holding an umbrella amid a downpour. The video has been viewed over 2.2 million times and has been liked by more than 12,000 people. Kamala Harris is dancing in the Florida rain. pic.twitter.com/z2lxKMJ89e — The Recount (@therecount) October 19, 2020 × Recently, President Donald Trump was also seen dancing during his campaigning and social media users are calling for competition between Trump and Harris. Also read | Twitter reacts with '#MyNameIs' after Senator mispronounces Kamala Harris' name Harris also shared an image of her address amid rains in Florida, the caption of which read: "Rain or shine, democracy waits for no one". Rain or shine, democracy waits for no one. pic.twitter.com/DMimsHbmWO — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 19, 2020 × Here are some reactions to the Harris' dancing video. This video of @KamalaHarris dancing in the rain might be the best thing you’ll see on the internet today pic.twitter.com/435Jw99RUX — Mitali Modi (@mmodi93) October 19, 2020 × I like candidates with rhythm... 💃💃💃💃💃 pic.twitter.com/6ggtj26O2c — La Mosca de Pence 😷 🦟 👠💄 (@mmtexas) October 19, 2020 × Your love of life is contagious. Thank you for this. I saw the video of you dancing and it made me forget about trump the whole time. I may have to run it on a loop for a couple weeks bc he is going all out to be as crazy as he can be. Biden/Harris 2020. I voted and tracked it! — fiona (@gottabethisyear) October 19, 2020 × This is how you win Florida pic.twitter.com/kJiTDym50P — Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) October 19, 2020 × Meanwhile, Harris asked voters in Orlando, Florida to cast their ballot early to put the US "back on the right track". She also hit out at Trump, describing his handling of Covid-19 pandemic is "the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of America." Harris, who earlier was in the race from Democrats for a presidential nomination, is the first African American woman who has been nominated for the vice presidency in the US.

Watch | Netizens go gaga after Kamala Harris dances in rain in Florida rally

Less than 2 weeks to go for US Election 2020, the battle for the White House is only gaining in ferocity. Just a day before the final Presidential Debate, WION reports the opinion polls in key swing states.

Who leads in key states before debate?

One thing that has become crucial in the 2020 Election campaign is The State of Race relations in America. Susan Tehrani brings you a ground report on the deep racial division in America before Election Day.

A reckoning with racism & discrimination

After blaming Barack Obama for the failing economy to faulty air conditioning at the White House, Donald Trump steered clear of mentioning Obama in his Pennsylvania rally. Here is a round-up of trump's Pennsylvania rally.

Trump appeals to Pennsylvania voters

Joe Biden's not-so-secret weapon Barack Obama to make his debut at the campaign trail. The former Commander-in-chief will headline a drive-in rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Can Obama end trump's presidency?

Biden's former boss comes to the rescue

After casting doubts about Joe Biden's standing with China & cornering Hunter Biden, is now hit by another bombshell report. From trade war to constant barbs over the origin of Pandemic, was everything a cover up? WION reports on Trump's link with CHINA.

Donald Trump: China crusader or covert ally?

With less than two weeks to go for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a> 2020, both presidential candidates <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> and Joe Biden have been&nbsp;a source of intrigue and intrigue for the rulers of China's Communist Party.

The US presidential election, arguably the most consequential exercises in democracy on the planet, is closely observed by Beijing's government officials.

But with a spiralling pandemic, a shattered economic landscape and a deep political polarisation, America is heavily divided at the moment.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/is-the-trump-campaign-colluding-with-russia-again-336750" hreflang="en">Is the Trump campaign colluding with Russia again?</a>

Although relations are as icy as at any time since formal ties were established four decades ago, this appears as the ''perfect opportunity'' to China as Western democracy seems to be&nbsp;facing a legitimacy crisis.

Under his 'America First' banner, Trump has portrayed&nbsp;China&nbsp;as the greatest threat to the United States and global democracy.

He has launched a massive trade war that has cost&nbsp;China&nbsp;billions of dollars, harangued Chinese tech firms and lay all the blame for the pandemic with Beijing.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-big-role-that-big-donors-still-play-quietly-for-biden-336707" hreflang="en">The big role that big donors still play, quietly, for Biden</a>

But another Trump triumph in November may have its advantages for&nbsp;China&nbsp;as President Xi Jinping seeks to cement his nation's rise as a global superpower.

According to&nbsp;Professor Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Beijing's Tsinghua University,&nbsp;"If you ask me about where China's interests lie," he says, "the preference would be for Trump rather than Biden".

"Not because Trump will do less damage to China's interests than Biden, but because he definitely will damage the US more than Biden," he added.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-mute-button-for-the-last-us-presidential-debate-336763/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

China's leadership could be handed "the opportunity to boost its global standing as a champion for globalisation, multilateralism, and international cooperation," said Zhiqun Zhu, professor of political science and international relations, Bucknell University.

Trump has pulled America from a sprawling Asia-Pacific commercial deal and climate agreements imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese goods and withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization at the height of a global pandemic.

Where the US has retreated, Xi has stepped forward.

He has presented his country as the champion of free trade and a leader in the fight against climate change, as well as vowed to share any potential Covid-19 vaccine with poorer nations.

"A second Trump term could give&nbsp;China&nbsp;more time to rise as a great power on the world stage," Zhu said.&nbsp;

Philippe Le Corre, a&nbsp;China&nbsp;expert at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, agreed an extension of Trump's 'America First' policies would be of long-term benefit for Beijing.

"(It) partially cuts Washington off from its traditional allies," he added, and that gave&nbsp;China&nbsp;room to manoeuvre. &nbsp;

China's nationalists have openly cheered, or jeered, for Trump.

"You can make America eccentric and thus hateful for the world," Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a chest-beating nationalist paper, warned in a Tweet directed at the US president.&nbsp;

"You help promote unity in&nbsp;China."&nbsp;

Trump is also lampooned on&nbsp;China's heavily censored social media as 'Jianguo', meaning "help to build&nbsp;China".&nbsp;

Biden trouble

Trump has undoubtedly inflicted economic and political pain on&nbsp;China.

"China&nbsp;has lost out enormously in its plan for trade and technology," said Beijing-based political analyst Hua Po.

In January the US and&nbsp;China&nbsp;signed a deal bringing a partial truce in their trade war that obliged Beijing to import an additional $200 billion in American products over two years, ranging from cars to machinery and oil to farm products.

Washington has also turned its guns on Chinese tech firms it says poses security threats, throwing the future US operations of video-sharing app TikTok -- owned by Chinese parent company Bytedance -- into uncertainty.

Mobile giant Huawei is also on Trump's hitlist.

The enmity also extends into defence and human rights, with Taiwan, Hong Kong and the treatment of&nbsp;China's Muslim Uighur minority all making waves in the US.&nbsp;

But&nbsp;China&nbsp;may not win much relief in any of these areas if Trump loses to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Beijing worries that Biden is likely to renew American leadership on human rights, pressing&nbsp;China&nbsp;on issues of the Uighurs, Tibet and freedom in Hong Kong.

"Biden is likely to be tougher than Trump on human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet," said Zhu, of Bucknell University.

And on tech and trade -- crucial flashpoints in the US-China&nbsp;rivalry -- it is unclear just how much room a Biden White House would have to manoeuvre.&nbsp;

"Biden will inherit the tariffs, and I'm doubtful he would lift them unilaterally," said Bonnie Glaser, Director of the&nbsp;China&nbsp;Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Beijing will probably have to concede to other US demands if it wants the tariffs lifted."

China&nbsp;will also have to come up with convincing arguments on data security if it is to avoid more damaging bans on its tech firms.

Washington sees Huawei, the global leader on 5G internet, as a serious security threat.

According to Theresa Fallon, director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies in Brussels,&nbsp;"Politically, it will be almost impossible for Biden to reverse these policies."&nbsp;

"Huawei has been on the US radar as a security threat even before the Trump presidency," she added.

With less than two weeks to go for the US election 2020, both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been a source of intrigue and intrigue for the rulers of China's Communist Party.

With less than two weeks to go for the US election 2020, both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been a source of intrigue and intrigue for the rulers of China's Communist Party. The US presidential election, arguably the most consequential exercises in democracy on the planet, is closely observed by Beijing's government officials. But with a spiralling pandemic, a shattered economic landscape and a deep political polarisation, America is heavily divided at the moment. Also read: Is the Trump campaign colluding with Russia again? Although relations are as icy as at any time since formal ties were established four decades ago, this appears as the ''perfect opportunity'' to China as Western democracy seems to be facing a legitimacy crisis. Under his 'America First' banner, Trump has portrayed China as the greatest threat to the United States and global democracy. He has launched a massive trade war that has cost China billions of dollars, harangued Chinese tech firms and lay all the blame for the pandemic with Beijing. Also read: The big role that big donors still play, quietly, for Biden But another Trump triumph in November may have its advantages for China as President Xi Jinping seeks to cement his nation's rise as a global superpower. According to Professor Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Beijing's Tsinghua University, "If you ask me about where China's interests lie," he says, "the preference would be for Trump rather than Biden". "Not because Trump will do less damage to China's interests than Biden, but because he definitely will damage the US more than Biden," he added. China's leadership could be handed "the opportunity to boost its global standing as a champion for globalisation, multilateralism, and international cooperation," said Zhiqun Zhu, professor of political science and international relations, Bucknell University. Trump has pulled America from a sprawling Asia-Pacific commercial deal and climate agreements imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese goods and withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization at the height of a global pandemic. Where the US has retreated, Xi has stepped forward. He has presented his country as the champion of free trade and a leader in the fight against climate change, as well as vowed to share any potential Covid-19 vaccine with poorer nations. "A second Trump term could give China more time to rise as a great power on the world stage," Zhu said. Philippe Le Corre, a China expert at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, agreed an extension of Trump's 'America First' policies would be of long-term benefit for Beijing. "(It) partially cuts Washington off from its traditional allies," he added, and that gave China room to manoeuvre. China's nationalists have openly cheered, or jeered, for Trump. "You can make America eccentric and thus hateful for the world," Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a chest-beating nationalist paper, warned in a Tweet directed at the US president. "You help promote unity in China." Trump is also lampooned on China's heavily censored social media as 'Jianguo', meaning "help to build China". Biden trouble Trump has undoubtedly inflicted economic and political pain on China. "China has lost out enormously in its plan for trade and technology," said Beijing-based political analyst Hua Po. In January the US and China signed a deal bringing a partial truce in their trade war that obliged Beijing to import an additional $200 billion in American products over two years, ranging from cars to machinery and oil to farm products. Washington has also turned its guns on Chinese tech firms it says poses security threats, throwing the future US operations of video-sharing app TikTok -- owned by Chinese parent company Bytedance -- into uncertainty. Mobile giant Huawei is also on Trump's hitlist. The enmity also extends into defence and human rights, with Taiwan, Hong Kong and the treatment of China's Muslim Uighur minority all making waves in the US. But China may not win much relief in any of these areas if Trump loses to Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Beijing worries that Biden is likely to renew American leadership on human rights, pressing China on issues of the Uighurs, Tibet and freedom in Hong Kong. "Biden is likely to be tougher than Trump on human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet," said Zhu, of Bucknell University. And on tech and trade -- crucial flashpoints in the US-China rivalry -- it is unclear just how much room a Biden White House would have to manoeuvre. "Biden will inherit the tariffs, and I'm doubtful he would lift them unilaterally," said Bonnie Glaser, Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Beijing will probably have to concede to other US demands if it wants the tariffs lifted." China will also have to come up with convincing arguments on data security if it is to avoid more damaging bans on its tech firms. Washington sees Huawei, the global leader on 5G internet, as a serious security threat. According to Theresa Fallon, director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies in Brussels, "Politically, it will be almost impossible for Biden to reverse these policies." "Huawei has been on the US radar as a security threat even before the Trump presidency," she added.

US election 2020: Who does China really want to win the presidential race?

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a> are just a few days away and the US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;his Democratic rival and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;are gearing up for the last Presidential debate of the election year.

During the past few months, several political figures, Hollywood celebrities and other known faces have come out to support their choice of candidate. One such power couple who has openly supported the Republican candidate is the Obamas.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-are-votes-counted-in-the-presidential-election-335422">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election?</a>

Biden's&nbsp;former boss and the US' former President, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a> (along with his wife <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/michelle-obama">Michelle Obama</a>) has supported&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;for the next&nbsp;President&nbsp;of the United States.

While his supporters have appreciated the support, one question that has come up time and again during the past few months is whether&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;could have reversed the roles and chosen&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;as his running mate now.

Many believe that&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;has the support and love of the masses, and can help turn that&nbsp;strength and momentum into a winning ticket for&nbsp;Biden 2020 campaign.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;is&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;legally allowed to contest elections for the White House again?

The answer to this lies in the 22nd&nbsp;amendment of the US constitution. As per this amendment,&nbsp;"no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice".&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-the-states-vote-for-the-presidential-elections-335430">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections</a>

So, according to this,&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;cannot be elected for the White House again. The loophole in this amendment, however, is that unlike the old times, a Vice President is not 'elected' by the masses now. A Vice President, now usually referred to as the 'running mate', is picked by the President-elect and is on the same ticket as the Presidential candidate — an example of this is that if&nbsp;Joe Biden&nbsp;wins the elections this year, Kamala Harris&nbsp;will be sworn in as the Vice President, and&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;will not be given a choice to change his running mate unless there is some unexpected emergency situation.

As per this logic,&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;could have been assigned (or can in the future) the role&nbsp;of Vice President, as technically he would not be "elected".

However, this logic falls short of use when clubbed with the 12th amendment of the US constitution that states that&nbsp;"no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of the Vice President of the United States."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-indian-americans-overwhelmingly-support-joe-biden-new-poll-shows-335285">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Indian-Americans overwhelmingly support Joe Biden, new poll shows</a>

According to this amendment, Obama&nbsp;cannot take charge of the Vice President's office as he is now ineligible for the post of the&nbsp;President&nbsp;of the United States.

So, while a lot of Americans would love to see&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;back in the White House, he is legally not allowed to take control of the office again.

The fight this year will be between&nbsp;Donald Trump-Mike Pence&nbsp;and&nbsp;Joe Biden-Kamala Harris.&nbsp;With the next <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-elections-mics-to-be-muted-in-next-us-presidential-debate-between-trump-and-biden-to-stop-interruptions-336543">presidential debate</a> soon and the elections scheduled for November 03, the world will soon get to know who comes out as the winner this time.

The US elections are just a few days away and the US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden are gearing up for the last Presidential debate of the election year.

The US elections are just a few days away and the US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival and former Vice President Joe Biden are gearing up for the last Presidential debate of the election year. During the past few months, several political figures, Hollywood celebrities and other known faces have come out to support their choice of candidate. One such power couple who has openly supported the Republican candidate is the Obamas. Also read| US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election? Biden's former boss and the US' former President, Barack Obama (along with his wife Michelle Obama) has supported Biden for the next President of the United States. While his supporters have appreciated the support, one question that has come up time and again during the past few months is whether Biden could have reversed the roles and chosen Obama as his running mate now. Many believe that Obama has the support and love of the masses, and can help turn that strength and momentum into a winning ticket for Biden 2020 campaign. However, is Barack Obama legally allowed to contest elections for the White House again? The answer to this lies in the 22nd amendment of the US constitution. As per this amendment, "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice". Also read| US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections So, according to this, Obama cannot be elected for the White House again. The loophole in this amendment, however, is that unlike the old times, a Vice President is not 'elected' by the masses now. A Vice President, now usually referred to as the 'running mate', is picked by the President-elect and is on the same ticket as the Presidential candidate — an example of this is that if Joe Biden wins the elections this year, Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the Vice President, and Biden will not be given a choice to change his running mate unless there is some unexpected emergency situation. As per this logic, Barack Obama could have been assigned (or can in the future) the role of Vice President, as technically he would not be "elected". However, this logic falls short of use when clubbed with the 12th amendment of the US constitution that states that "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of the Vice President of the United States." Also read| US election 2020: Indian-Americans overwhelmingly support Joe Biden, new poll shows According to this amendment, Obama cannot take charge of the Vice President's office as he is now ineligible for the post of the President of the United States. So, while a lot of Americans would love to see Barack Obama back in the White House, he is legally not allowed to take control of the office again. The fight this year will be between Donald Trump-Mike Pence and Joe Biden-Kamala Harris. With the next presidential debate soon and the elections scheduled for November 03, the world will soon get to know who comes out as the winner this time.

US election 2020: Can Barack Obama be elected as Joe Biden's Vice President?

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically.

The president made the remark during an interview with “Fox &amp;amp; Friends,” after days of caustic criticism of Biden, the moderators of the presidential debates, the news media and, increasingly, Barr. He recently said the attorney general would go down in history “as a very sad, sad situation” if he did not indict Democrats like Biden and former President Barack Obama.

“We’ve got to get the attorney general to act,” Trump said Tuesday when asked whether he wants to see investigations into unverified information about Biden and his son Hunter that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, claims he recently obtained. Giuliani, who has made a range of outlandish and false assertions in an effort to damage the president’s rivals and critics, has refused to provide news outlets with the information he claims to have.

Trump called on Barr to appoint a special prosecutor or similar official, saying: “He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast.”

“This is major corruption, and this has to be known about before the election. And, by the way, we’re doing very well. We’re going to win the election.”

A spokesman for Biden declined to comment.

Critics have accused Barr on a number of occasions of intervening on issues to help Trump politically. But for the president to publicly call on him to take action against a political opponent was remarkable, especially two weeks before a presidential election. On Monday, Trump repeatedly called Biden “a criminal.”

“He is sounding desperate,” said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law professor who was solicitor general in the Reagan administration. “He’s been urging the attorney general in several ways to investigate his political opponents and to somehow validate his preposterous charges of criminality.”

“And even as loyal a henchman as Barr seems to have been able to draw the line somewhere — and it’s driving Trump crazy,” Fried added.

Trump’s comments come less than a year after he was impeached over another effort to compel an investigation of Biden and his son by the government of Ukraine in return for U.S. military aid. Asked after his February acquittal by the Republican Senate what lessons he had learned, Trump responded that Democrats were “crooked” and “vicious” and that he should not have been impeached.

The president’s comment about Barr came during an interview in which he criticized the Bidens, the news media and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, his answers replete with a number of falsehoods.

After spending Monday attacking Fauci, who remains popular in public opinion polls, Trump claimed Tuesday that he was “not at odds” with him, before renewing the attacks.

The president falsely described Fauci as a Democrat and claimed he was a “good friend” of the family of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York.

“He’s been there for a long time, I leave him there, and he’s been wrong,” Trump said of Fauci.

He then accused reporters of favoring Fauci “because they think he’s against me,” and maintained that the doctor was not always a “team player.”

Later in the day, before leaving for a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump abruptly ended an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl at the White House and then posted a short behind-the-scenes video of her at the taping, noting that she had not been wearing a mask.

Trump ended the interview after becoming irritated with Stahl’s lines of questioning, according to two people familiar with the circumstances of the taping.

The rally in Erie was another attempt to consolidate support in a state that was critical to the president’s success in 2016 but where he has struggled in polls against Biden.

Trump hammered his Democratic opponent’s energy policies, repeating a false claim that Biden supports a total ban on fracking, a major industry in the state.

In what Trump said was a first for one of his campaign rallies, he played on large video screens a montage of several clips in which Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, talked about phasing out fossil fuels to combat climate change.

“If Biden is elected, he will wipe out your energy industry,” the president said.

Trump also offered a litany of false claims about Biden’s position on the coronavirus, saying that his opponent would “delay therapies, postpone the vaccine, prolong the pandemic.” He insisted that the United State was “rounding the turn on the pandemic,” even though the virus is surging around the country, including in Pennsylvania, where new cases over the past week have run 42% higher than the average two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times database — a level the state has not seen since April.

Trump had one other warning for voters there: that Biden, whom he calls “Sleepy Joe,” would fail to entertain them as he has. “If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe,” he said. “And boredom.”

Seeming to acknowledge his electoral deficit, the president pined for the days before the coronavirus when his electoral prospects looked at least somewhat brighter. Before “the plague” arrived, he said, “I wasn’t going to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.” He added, “We had this thing won.”

Trump had been expected to be joined by first lady Melania Trump for her first public appearance since she contracted the coronavirus. But an aide to Melania Trump said Tuesday morning that she had a lingering cough and would not accompany her husband.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Attorney General William Barr to take action before Election Day against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, over his son’s foreign work, an extraordinary attempt to pressure the government’s chief law enforcement to help him politically. The president made the remark during an interview with “Fox &amp; Friends,” after days of caustic criticism of Biden, the moderators of the presidential debates, the news media and, increasingly, Barr. He recently said the attorney general would go down in history “as a very sad, sad situation” if he did not indict Democrats like Biden and former President Barack Obama. “We’ve got to get the attorney general to act,” Trump said Tuesday when asked whether he wants to see investigations into unverified information about Biden and his son Hunter that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, claims he recently obtained. Giuliani, who has made a range of outlandish and false assertions in an effort to damage the president’s rivals and critics, has refused to provide news outlets with the information he claims to have. Trump called on Barr to appoint a special prosecutor or similar official, saying: “He’s got to act. And he’s got to act fast.” “This is major corruption, and this has to be known about before the election. And, by the way, we’re doing very well. We’re going to win the election.” A spokesman for Biden declined to comment. Critics have accused Barr on a number of occasions of intervening on issues to help Trump politically. But for the president to publicly call on him to take action against a political opponent was remarkable, especially two weeks before a presidential election. On Monday, Trump repeatedly called Biden “a criminal.” “He is sounding desperate,” said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law professor who was solicitor general in the Reagan administration. “He’s been urging the attorney general in several ways to investigate his political opponents and to somehow validate his preposterous charges of criminality.” “And even as loyal a henchman as Barr seems to have been able to draw the line somewhere — and it’s driving Trump crazy,” Fried added. Trump’s comments come less than a year after he was impeached over another effort to compel an investigation of Biden and his son by the government of Ukraine in return for U.S. military aid. Asked after his February acquittal by the Republican Senate what lessons he had learned, Trump responded that Democrats were “crooked” and “vicious” and that he should not have been impeached. The president’s comment about Barr came during an interview in which he criticized the Bidens, the news media and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, his answers replete with a number of falsehoods. After spending Monday attacking Fauci, who remains popular in public opinion polls, Trump claimed Tuesday that he was “not at odds” with him, before renewing the attacks. The president falsely described Fauci as a Democrat and claimed he was a “good friend” of the family of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York. “He’s been there for a long time, I leave him there, and he’s been wrong,” Trump said of Fauci. He then accused reporters of favoring Fauci “because they think he’s against me,” and maintained that the doctor was not always a “team player.” Later in the day, before leaving for a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Trump abruptly ended an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl at the White House and then posted a short behind-the-scenes video of her at the taping, noting that she had not been wearing a mask. Trump ended the interview after becoming irritated with Stahl’s lines of questioning, according to two people familiar with the circumstances of the taping. The rally in Erie was another attempt to consolidate support in a state that was critical to the president’s success in 2016 but where he has struggled in polls against Biden. Trump hammered his Democratic opponent’s energy policies, repeating a false claim that Biden supports a total ban on fracking, a major industry in the state. In what Trump said was a first for one of his campaign rallies, he played on large video screens a montage of several clips in which Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, talked about phasing out fossil fuels to combat climate change. “If Biden is elected, he will wipe out your energy industry,” the president said. Trump also offered a litany of false claims about Biden’s position on the coronavirus, saying that his opponent would “delay therapies, postpone the vaccine, prolong the pandemic.” He insisted that the United State was “rounding the turn on the pandemic,” even though the virus is surging around the country, including in Pennsylvania, where new cases over the past week have run 42% higher than the average two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times database — a level the state has not seen since April. Trump had one other warning for voters there: that Biden, whom he calls “Sleepy Joe,” would fail to entertain them as he has. “If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe,” he said. “And boredom.” Seeming to acknowledge his electoral deficit, the president pined for the days before the coronavirus when his electoral prospects looked at least somewhat brighter. Before “the plague” arrived, he said, “I wasn’t going to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.” He added, “We had this thing won.” Trump had been expected to be joined by first lady Melania Trump for her first public appearance since she contracted the coronavirus. But an aide to Melania Trump said Tuesday morning that she had a lingering cough and would not accompany her husband.

Trump calls on Barr to ‘act’ against Biden before election

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania.

"Things are changing fast," Trump told the Fox &amp; Friends programme Tuesday, claiming that his own polling showed Biden is "imploding."

Notably, just over two weeks ago Trump was in hospital with Covid-19 and Biden had the field to himself, hammering home his central message that the Republican president has failed the country on managing the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden has, however, disappeared from the campaign trail, apparently to prepare for the debate.

Trump's current attack centres on a conspiracy theory about the Biden family's business activities. Crowds at Trump's rallies have even repurposed the old anti-Clinton chant of 2016 for Biden, shouting "lock him up."

According to Trump, Biden's personally troubled son Hunter sold access to his father in Ukraine and China when he was vice president to Barack Obama.

Trump Tuesday called Joe Biden "a criminal" and demanded on Fox News that the attorney general, Bill Barr, "act and act fast."

"This has to be known about before the election," Trump said.

While Biden continues to try and focus on Trump's handling of the pandemic -- depicting him as an irresponsible leader who panicked -- the president is milking frustration in places like Pennsylvania with the economic impact of shutdowns and social distancing.

"We will never shut down" again, Trump promised Tuesday -- a message he will likely repeat loudly at the rally.

According to a new poll from The New York Times/Siena College, Biden has a nine-point lead nationally.

Pennsylvania is one of the half dozen states that Trump more or less has to win to hold on to the presidency. Polls show Biden ahead, though a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed the gap narrowing slightly.

Trump is the first president to run for reelection after being impeached.

(with inputs)

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania.

United States President Donald Trump has called on the US attorney general to investigate his "criminal" Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Polls show Trump down or in a tight contest in most of the swing states that decide presidential races, but he believes his frenetic campaigning will give him new momentum for the November 3 presidential election as he heads Tuesday to a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania. "Things are changing fast," Trump told the Fox & Friends programme Tuesday, claiming that his own polling showed Biden is "imploding." Notably, just over two weeks ago Trump was in hospital with Covid-19 and Biden had the field to himself, hammering home his central message that the Republican president has failed the country on managing the coronavirus pandemic. Biden has, however, disappeared from the campaign trail, apparently to prepare for the debate. Trump's current attack centres on a conspiracy theory about the Biden family's business activities. Crowds at Trump's rallies have even repurposed the old anti-Clinton chant of 2016 for Biden, shouting "lock him up." According to Trump, Biden's personally troubled son Hunter sold access to his father in Ukraine and China when he was vice president to Barack Obama. Trump Tuesday called Joe Biden "a criminal" and demanded on Fox News that the attorney general, Bill Barr, "act and act fast." "This has to be known about before the election," Trump said. While Biden continues to try and focus on Trump's handling of the pandemic -- depicting him as an irresponsible leader who panicked -- the president is milking frustration in places like Pennsylvania with the economic impact of shutdowns and social distancing. "We will never shut down" again, Trump promised Tuesday -- a message he will likely repeat loudly at the rally. According to a new poll from The New York Times/Siena College, Biden has a nine-point lead nationally. Pennsylvania is one of the half dozen states that Trump more or less has to win to hold on to the presidency. Polls show Biden ahead, though a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed the gap narrowing slightly. Trump is the first president to run for reelection after being impeached. (with inputs)

Trump calls for investigation of Biden, heads to Pennsylvania

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia.

Known as "caganers" or "poopers" in English, the small statues offer a satirical take on the year`s biggest news stories and are traditionally hidden in nativity scenes for friends and family to find.

Masked health workers who have become emblematic of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also feature prominently in the 2020 Christmas lineup alongside the presidential hopefuls.

<img alt="Trump and Biden figurines" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f14d5155-80ba-4885-8f34-849027689c24" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump%20and%20Biden%20figurines%203.jpg" />

"In these four years Trump has been an excellent caganer, I mean excellent in terms of sales," said caganer artisan Marc Alos, 49, from his workshop in the small Mediterranean town of Toroella de Montgri.

Such was the popularity of the Trump figure in the run-up to the 2016 elections that Alos felt certain he would take the White House, despite polls pointing to a Hillary Clinton victory.

"We said that the day before the U.S. elections, and he won."

With another fraught vote looming, Biden appears to have the edge in pooper sales but Alos said it is still early to make any election night predictions: "We are at the very beginning and Joe Biden is working a little better for us, but I don`t know how this will evolve."

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia.

Caught with their pants down and wearing face masks, U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are the stars of a new range of defecating figurines that are a longstanding Christmas tradition in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Known as "caganers" or "poopers" in English, the small statues offer a satirical take on the year`s biggest news stories and are traditionally hidden in nativity scenes for friends and family to find. Masked health workers who have become emblematic of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also feature prominently in the 2020 Christmas lineup alongside the presidential hopefuls. "In these four years Trump has been an excellent caganer, I mean excellent in terms of sales," said caganer artisan Marc Alos, 49, from his workshop in the small Mediterranean town of Toroella de Montgri. Such was the popularity of the Trump figure in the run-up to the 2016 elections that Alos felt certain he would take the White House, despite polls pointing to a Hillary Clinton victory. "We said that the day before the U.S. elections, and he won." With another fraught vote looming, Biden appears to have the edge in pooper sales but Alos said it is still early to make any election night predictions: "We are at the very beginning and Joe Biden is working a little better for us, but I don`t know how this will evolve."

Trump and Biden 'pooper' figurines steal the show in Catalan nativity

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat.

Start with his reelection messaging, to the extent that you can discern such a thing. In 2016, Trump’s campaign was shambolic and punctuated by self-inflicted disasters, but his message against Hillary Clinton, like his message against the Republican establishment in the primaries, had a simplicity and consistency: She supported bad trade deals; she supported stupid wars; she sold the country out to special interests and foreign governments; vote for her and you get more closed factories, more soldiers dead or crippled, more illegal immigration, more power to Wall Street and Washington, D.C.

In 2020, on the other hand, the Trump campaign has been stuck toggling back and forth between two very different narratives. One seeks to replay the last campaign, portraying Joe Biden as the embodiment of a failed establishment (hence all the references to his 47 years in Washington) who will sell out American interests to China as soon as he’s back in power (hence the attempts to elevate Hunter Biden’s influence-peddling).

But the other narrative goes after Biden as though the Democrats had actually nominated Bernie Sanders, insisting that his advancing age makes him a decrepit vessel for the radical left, a stalking horse not just for Kamala Harris but also for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and antifa.

A truly brilliant campaigner might be able to weave these two narratives together, but on the lips of Donald Trump their contradictions are evident. The resulting incoherence just feeds his tendency to return to old grudges and very online grievances, as though he’s running for the presidency of talk radio or his own Twitter feed. Without Steve Bannon to keep him grounded or Clinton to keep him focused, he’s making a closing “argument” that’s indistinguishable from a sales pitch for a TV show or a newsletter — suggesting that even more than four years ago, the president assumes he’ll be in the media business as soon as the election returns come in.

But the messaging failure is just the surface; it’s on policy where Trump has really acted like a Black Sox ballplayer trying to throw the World Series. There are two major issues for voters in this election: the pandemic and the economy. Trump’s numbers on handling the virus are lousy, but his numbers on handling the economy are still pretty good, presumably thanks to both the memory of where the unemployment rate stood before the coronavirus hit and the fact that the flood of COVID-19 relief spending kept people’s disposable income up.

This context suggested an obvious fall campaign strategy: Push more relief money into the economy, try to ostentatiously take the pandemic seriously and promise the country that mask-wearing and relief dollars are a bridge to a vaccine and normalcy in 2021.

Instead Trump has ended up with the opposite approach. He mostly ignored the negotiations over relief money for months, engaging only at a point where he had become so politically weak that both Republican deficit hawks (or the born-again variety, at least) and Democratic free-spenders assume he’ll soon be gone. And meanwhile he’s let himself be drawn ever deeper — especially since his own encounter with the disease — into the libertarian style of COVID-19 contrarianism, which argues that we’re overtesting, overreacting and probably close to herd immunity anyway.

There is a mild contrarianism that makes important points: The lockdown approach wasn’t sustainable and can’t be reimposed, most elementary schools should be open because the risks of spread seem pretty low, the virus is less deadly than the initial worst-case projections suggested, and deaths as a share of cases are going down with better treatment.

But the strong version keeps being wrong. First, the past two months have made it clear that herd immunity is a moving target: You can achieve it provisionally under social-distancing conditions, but once people relax and start socializing again, the threshold changes, and suddenly you get a renewed spike. This is what happened across Europe, which crushed its case rates in the late spring, returned to more normal life in the summer — and then reaped an early-fall wave that’s now fully out of control, including in countries like Belgium that were hit intensely in the first go-round.

Meanwhile, just because tests reveal more mild cases doesn’t mean the virus has stopped killing people. Over and over again, case numbers spike and deaths lag and contrarians talk about how the virus is just a “casedemic” — and then a few weeks go by, and deaths follow cases up. It happened in the United States over the summer, it’s happened in Europe in the past month, and now it’s probably about to happen here again: Our cases have been rising since early September, our hospitalizations have been rising for several weeks, and while deaths are flat for now (at “only” 711 Americans a day), it’s likely they’ll be rising again by the time we hit November.

Which means that Trump has chosen to go to war with the idea of testing, with Dr. Anthony Fauci and with “experts” in general at precisely the moment when the fall wave they’ve been warning about seems to be showing up — which is also the moment when the two-thirds of Americans who describe themselves as “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus will be going to the polls.

Strictly as a policymaking matter, this is Trump’s worst behavior since his springtime push for the fastest-possible reopening. Europe’s renewed crisis shows that the Western failure to contain the virus is much more than just a Trump problem — but on the margins, in the thousands if not the hundreds of thousands, Trumpian denial can still get Americans unnecessarily killed.

As politics, meanwhile, even more than the mixed messaging on Biden and the missed opportunities on relief spending, the retreat to corona-minimizing is a case study in how the Trump of 2020 has ceded his biggest general-election advantage from 2016 — his relative distance from the ideological rigidities of the anti-government right — and locked himself into a small box with flatterers and cranks.

From these follies the God of surprises might yet deliver him. But every decision of his own lately has been a choice for political defeat.

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat.

Donald Trump can still win the 2020 presidential election; something that has a 10% or 15% chance of happening can certainly transpire. But even more than in 2016, if the president wins this time, we will have to attribute his victory to the workings of divine providence (don’t worry, I have that column pre-written), because what we’re watching is an incumbent doing everything in his power to run up his own margin of defeat. Start with his reelection messaging, to the extent that you can discern such a thing. In 2016, Trump’s campaign was shambolic and punctuated by self-inflicted disasters, but his message against Hillary Clinton, like his message against the Republican establishment in the primaries, had a simplicity and consistency: She supported bad trade deals; she supported stupid wars; she sold the country out to special interests and foreign governments; vote for her and you get more closed factories, more soldiers dead or crippled, more illegal immigration, more power to Wall Street and Washington, D.C. In 2020, on the other hand, the Trump campaign has been stuck toggling back and forth between two very different narratives. One seeks to replay the last campaign, portraying Joe Biden as the embodiment of a failed establishment (hence all the references to his 47 years in Washington) who will sell out American interests to China as soon as he’s back in power (hence the attempts to elevate Hunter Biden’s influence-peddling). But the other narrative goes after Biden as though the Democrats had actually nominated Bernie Sanders, insisting that his advancing age makes him a decrepit vessel for the radical left, a stalking horse not just for Kamala Harris but also for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and antifa. A truly brilliant campaigner might be able to weave these two narratives together, but on the lips of Donald Trump their contradictions are evident. The resulting incoherence just feeds his tendency to return to old grudges and very online grievances, as though he’s running for the presidency of talk radio or his own Twitter feed. Without Steve Bannon to keep him grounded or Clinton to keep him focused, he’s making a closing “argument” that’s indistinguishable from a sales pitch for a TV show or a newsletter — suggesting that even more than four years ago, the president assumes he’ll be in the media business as soon as the election returns come in. But the messaging failure is just the surface; it’s on policy where Trump has really acted like a Black Sox ballplayer trying to throw the World Series. There are two major issues for voters in this election: the pandemic and the economy. Trump’s numbers on handling the virus are lousy, but his numbers on handling the economy are still pretty good, presumably thanks to both the memory of where the unemployment rate stood before the coronavirus hit and the fact that the flood of COVID-19 relief spending kept people’s disposable income up. This context suggested an obvious fall campaign strategy: Push more relief money into the economy, try to ostentatiously take the pandemic seriously and promise the country that mask-wearing and relief dollars are a bridge to a vaccine and normalcy in 2021. Instead Trump has ended up with the opposite approach. He mostly ignored the negotiations over relief money for months, engaging only at a point where he had become so politically weak that both Republican deficit hawks (or the born-again variety, at least) and Democratic free-spenders assume he’ll soon be gone. And meanwhile he’s let himself be drawn ever deeper — especially since his own encounter with the disease — into the libertarian style of COVID-19 contrarianism, which argues that we’re overtesting, overreacting and probably close to herd immunity anyway. There is a mild contrarianism that makes important points: The lockdown approach wasn’t sustainable and can’t be reimposed, most elementary schools should be open because the risks of spread seem pretty low, the virus is less deadly than the initial worst-case projections suggested, and deaths as a share of cases are going down with better treatment. But the strong version keeps being wrong. First, the past two months have made it clear that herd immunity is a moving target: You can achieve it provisionally under social-distancing conditions, but once people relax and start socializing again, the threshold changes, and suddenly you get a renewed spike. This is what happened across Europe, which crushed its case rates in the late spring, returned to more normal life in the summer — and then reaped an early-fall wave that’s now fully out of control, including in countries like Belgium that were hit intensely in the first go-round. Meanwhile, just because tests reveal more mild cases doesn’t mean the virus has stopped killing people. Over and over again, case numbers spike and deaths lag and contrarians talk about how the virus is just a “casedemic” — and then a few weeks go by, and deaths follow cases up. It happened in the United States over the summer, it’s happened in Europe in the past month, and now it’s probably about to happen here again: Our cases have been rising since early September, our hospitalizations have been rising for several weeks, and while deaths are flat for now (at “only” 711 Americans a day), it’s likely they’ll be rising again by the time we hit November. Which means that Trump has chosen to go to war with the idea of testing, with Dr. Anthony Fauci and with “experts” in general at precisely the moment when the fall wave they’ve been warning about seems to be showing up — which is also the moment when the two-thirds of Americans who describe themselves as “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus will be going to the polls. Strictly as a policymaking matter, this is Trump’s worst behavior since his springtime push for the fastest-possible reopening. Europe’s renewed crisis shows that the Western failure to contain the virus is much more than just a Trump problem — but on the margins, in the thousands if not the hundreds of thousands, Trumpian denial can still get Americans unnecessarily killed. As politics, meanwhile, even more than the mixed messaging on Biden and the missed opportunities on relief spending, the retreat to corona-minimizing is a case study in how the Trump of 2020 has ceded his biggest general-election advantage from 2016 — his relative distance from the ideological rigidities of the anti-government right — and locked himself into a small box with flatterers and cranks. From these follies the God of surprises might yet deliver him. But every decision of his own lately has been a choice for political defeat.

Trump is giving up

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