DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Besieged by his handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump visited Iowa on Wednesday on a mission to bolster his support on the battlefield , says he won in 2016 but stands to lose to Democrat Joe Biden just three weeks before election
Trump, a Republican who follows Biden in national opinion polls and in some key states, held a rally at the airport in Des Moines, Iowa
« Twenty days from today we will win this state, » Trump said on a blustery night in Des Moines, many in the crowd not wearing masks to guard against the new coronavirus that has killed nearly 216,000 Americans
Trump’s Iowa shutdown is part of tour through critical states to decide who will win the Nov 3 election
On Thursday he will be in North Carolina and Florida, Friday he will campaign in Florida and Georgia and on Saturday he will speak in Michigan and Wisconsin These are all states he won in 2016 but which risk going to Biden this year, potentially denying Trump a second term
He should spend Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, then embark on a western swing
Trump on Wednesday tied a statistical tie with Biden in key battleground Florida at 47% versus 49% with a four-point credibility gap, a Reuters / Ipsos opinion poll showed, although the Biden’s lead widened in Arizona and he had a 10 percentage point advantage nationwide among likely voters
On Thursday, Trump and Biden, who were due to hold a second presidential debate, will instead participate in televised town hall duels NBC News said Trump’s event in Miami would be held outdoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
The fact that Trump, who fell ill with the virus earlier this month, travels to Iowa so close to election day suggests his campaign is concerned about voter support there for his re-election Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state by almost 10 percentage points in 2016, but opinion polls showed Iowa was competitive
Nearly 15 million Americans voted, setting a record pace at the start, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida Many are looking to avoid the expected crowds on Election Day
In the last presidential election, 14 million Americans voted as early as October 16, 2016
About two dozen people showed up more than two hours before polling stations opened in Memphis, Tennessee, to claim spots online, local media reported, as polling opened in Kansas, Rhode Island and Tennessee
In Georgia, where long lines slipped out of polling stations and onto sidewalks in the first two days of early voting this week, Gwinnett County election officials reported waiting until three hours before voting on Wednesday
Trump appears to spend much of the week galvanizing his white, conservative base rather than seeking to appeal directly to undecided voters, many of whom live in the country’s suburbs
On Thursday, he travels to Greenville in rural North Carolina, a tightly fought state where early voting will begin that day, and then to rural Georgia and central Florida on next day
A Reuters / Ipsos poll released this week showed Biden widening his lead in major states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – states Trump won in 2016
Iowa has seen spike in COVID-19 cases, with hospitalizations at record high Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has resisted all statewide containment measures such as the tenure of wear masks and urged Trump supporters on social media to run for president en masse
Trump’s coronavirus fight has put end of campaign emphasis on his response to the pandemic, with Biden repeatedly criticizing Trump’s handling of the virus
In Florida on Tuesday, Biden told seniors at a community center that Trump recklessly ignored the threat the virus posed to their at-risk population Trump praised his handling of the crisis
The Trump campaign has said it will conduct temperature checks and distribute masks at its rallies, but will not require attendees to wear them
Writing by Steve Holland and James Oliphant; Edited by Noeleen Walder, Peter Cooney, Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman, Ross Colvin
All quotes have been delayed by at least 15 minutes See here for a full list of exchanges and delays
Donald Trump, Iowa, Des Moines, Coronavirus
World News – GB – Trump seeks to boost support in Iowa, other states flirting with Biden
