Trump and Biden hold dueling events in battleground states
President Trump made another trip to the battleground state of Wisconsin Thursday night, as he hopes to clinch a state he won in 2016. Mr. Trump continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden in the Badger State.
Mr. Trump's rally was held just hours after Biden held a CNN Town Hall-style event in another battleground state, Pennsylvania. Biden slammed Mr. Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying "you lost your freedom because he didn't act." Saying a crisis of this magnitude usually requires a president to step up, Biden said Mr. Trump should "step down."
Mr. Trump insisted his administration is doing a great job on COVID-19, even as polling suggests voters generally disapprove of his handling of the virus.
"We're doing a great job. But if you really see a great job," Mr. Trump said. "Take New York and some of these other Democrat run states out of it. You'll see numbers that are unbelievable. Because New York had a very, very hard time. A lot of bad things happened. But if you take a few states out and you'll really see numbers."
Mr. Trump is now calling his rallies "peaceful protests," given states' restrictions on rallies.
"We call them friendly protests. So these are protest so it's totally allowed. This is a protest. Remember when you walk outside what do you consider this, did you enjoy the rally? No, I really - this is a protest. I'm sorry," Mr. Trump said Thursday night.
The latest CBS News polling shows Biden leading the president, 52% to 47%. Of Wisconsin voters who see protests as a major factor in their choice, 48% say they'll vote for Mr. Trump and 45% say they'll vote for Biden. The city of Kenosha continues to recover from the protests and violence that broke out upon the shooting of Jacob Blake. Mr. Trump visited Kenosha earlier this month.
The president has already visited the Badger State multiple times, and Vice President Mike Pence was there on Monday.