US President Donald Trump will speak at a stunning ten election rallies in the last 36 hours before polls open on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile Democratic Party challenger Joe Biden will spend most of Sunday trying to shore up support in his home state of Pennsylvania, a key battleground that Trump snatched in 2016 and seen as a must-win for the 78-year-old former vice-president.
“Let me ask you, is there a better place to be anytime, anywhere than a Trump rally?” Trump asked a huge crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday - to roars of approval.
Trump's Final Push Before Election Day
The president will kick off his whistle-stop tour of seven states in Macomb County, Michigan at 4pm on Sunday afternoon, followed by appearances in Dubuque, Iowa; Hickory, North Carolina; Rome, Georgia at 1.30 am and Opa-locka, Florida at 4 am on Monday.
He will start again on Monday afternoon in Fayetteville North Carolina, before heading to Biden's home town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, then on to Traverse City, Michigan; Kenosha, Wisconsin at midnight and finally Grand Rapids, Michigan at 3.30 am on election day itself.
Trump shot out a series of tweets on Sunday morning ahead of his grand tour, insisting Republican canvassing data had him on course for re-election.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020
And he listed various reasons for black voters, factory workers and Supreme Court judges to vote for him:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020
Republicans have a huge advantage in organisation, according to Party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. On Friday she boasted the Trump campaign had already canvassed 160 million people - more than were even registered to vote in the 2016 election.
Has Joe Biden Secured Victory in Pennsylvania?
Most opinion polls continued to give Biden an overwhelming lead both nationally and in swing states - just as they did for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But that was belied by the former vice-president's heavy focus on Pennsylvania in the closing weeks of the campaign.
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) November 1, 2020
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) November 1, 2020
Democrat insiders were sounding concerns at the weekend over Biden's ability to get out the black vote in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's metropolis, as successfully as former president Barack Obama, under whom he served.
"Most Black voters in Philly have been sceptical of mail-in voting," said local lobbyist Joe Hill. "A lot of us have gotten our ballots already," he said, but "Election Day has always been everything in Philadelphia."
"He’s got a real base, but there’s just no evidence that he’s done anything to reach anybody who didn’t already like him in 2016," Mikus said. "He’s lost people who weren’t sure about him but were willing to take the gamble. ... It’s not just about Philadelphia."
But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper endorsed Trump on Sunday, the first time it had come out for a Republican in almost 50 years.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (@PittsburghPG) November 1, 2020
"No one ever asked the American people, or the people in 'flyover' country, if they wanted to send their jobs abroad — until Mr Trump," the editorial said. "He has moved the debate, in both parties, from free trade, totally unfettered, to managed, or fair, trade. He has put America first, just as he said he would."
