Trump makes campaign stops in Georgia and Florida, and holds White House event for seniors in Florida
President Trump made campaign stops on Friday in Florida and Georgia, and held an official White House event that might as well have been a rally. At his 90-minute rally in Macon, Georgia, Mr. Trump criticized NBC News after his contentious town hall with journalist Savannah Guthrie.
"Can you imagine if Joe Biden was treated like Guthrie treated us, not me, it's us," Mr. Trump said. "Can you imagine? He'd be freaked out, he'd probably be under the table. And she's easy compared to President Xi, Putin, Kim Jong Un, and plenty of others. And she's easy picking."
In addition to his attacks on the media, Mr. Trump also hit at Biden and his family.
At his rally in Ocala, Florida, the president suggested he wouldn't be president if former President Barack Obama and Biden hadn't been "lousy" at their jobs.
"They called me they said you know, Obama's gonna start campaigning," he said. "I said, is that good or bad because I think it's a good thing. Because he did a lousy job and I wouldn't be president of the United States if they did a good job. I wouldn't be — I probably wouldn't have run. And if I did I probably wouldn't have won. You know, so it's one of those things. They did a lousy job and that's why I'm your president."
Mr. Trump is trying to rally support among seniors, a group he easily won in 2016 but appears to be losing to Biden. Earlier this week, the president tweeted out a "Biden for resident" meme, showing Biden in a wheelchair with other seniors at a nursing home, a tweet many found perplexing at best when recent polls have indicated Biden has gained as much as a 20-point lead over Mr. Trump among seniors.
The president has especially struggled with older Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 218,000 Americans and disproportionally affected seniors. At a White House event in Fort Myers, Florida, for seniors earlier Friday, Mr. Trump said was "well aware" that "America's 54 million seniors have borne the heaviest burden of the China virus."
"My message to America's seniors today is one of optimism, confidence and hope. Your sacrifice has not been in vain. The light at the end of the tunnel is near," Mr. Trump said.
With the finish line less than three weeks away, the president is trying to rally his base, rather than reach out to any undecided voters in the fence, and has done nothing to change his tone to attract the suburban women he desperately needs.
