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Election 2020 updates: Trump delivers shorter speech in chilly Pennsylvania

Trump holds a rally in Pennsylvania while Biden is prepping for their debate.

Last Updated: October 21, 2020, 9:09 AM EDT

With 14 days to go until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, voters are turning out in record numbers to cast their ballots early.

Roughly 35 million Americans have already voted in the 2020 election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation and interest despite unprecedented barriers brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In the final weeks of campaigning, the president remains on defense as his approval rating drags. He's hosting rallies this week mostly in states he won in 2016 including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Biden, maintaining a nationwide lead in polls -- his largest lead of the election, according to FiveThirtyEight's average -- has no public events on his schedule this week so far ahead of Thursday's final presidential debate with Trump. Staying off the trail ahead of debates is a pattern for the former vice president.

Polls indicate a huge pre-Election-Day edge for Biden and a sizable Trump advantage among those who plan to vote on Nov. 3 itself. Trump has sowed doubt in the mail-in ballot process -- and imminent election results -- for months.

The rhetoric between candidates is expected to heat up ahead of their second and final showdown in Nashville.

All 50 states plus Washington, D.C., currently have some form of early voting underway. Check out FiveThirtyEight’s guide to voting during the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Oct 20, 2020, 12:16 PM EDT

Harris' connection to Caribbean voters could make difference in Florida

When Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., took part in an interview on a South Florida radio show called "Caribbean Riddims," she sprinkled the Jamaican phrase "ya mon" throughout the interview with a heavy hand.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris speaks to supporters at a campaign event, Oct. 19, 2020, in Orlando, Fla.
John Raoux/AP

The Democratic vice presidential nominee is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants and playing up her Jamaican heritage is a huge part of the Biden-Harris campaign's outreach to Afro-Caribbean voters in the Sunshine State.

The voting bloc is significant in Florida, especially in South Florida and along the critical I-4 corridor, a bellwether in this battleground state. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 41% of the nation's 4.4 million Caribbean immigrants live in Florida, and Miami-Dade County has the highest number of Caribbean immigrants in the U.S. with 862,000 Caribbean immigrants calling it home. If the campaign's outreach to this community is successful, it could help turn the state into an electoral victory for Biden and Harris.

-ABC News’ Averi Harper

Oct 20, 2020, 11:38 AM EDT

Obama to hold drive-in rally for Biden in Philadelphia Wednesday

Former President Barack Obama is hitting the campaign trail for Biden with his first in-person event -- a drive-in car rally in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama speaks in Kissimmee, Fla., Nov. 6, 2016. Obama will make his first appearance on the campaign trail for his former vice president Joe Biden on Oct. 21, 2020.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

While Obama has participated in several fundraisers on behalf of Biden's campaign and gave a prime time speech during the Democratic National Convention in August -- in which he excoriated Trump over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and extolled Biden's leadership -- his trip to Philadelphia marks a new phase of his advocacy for the Democratic ticket.

In choosing Pennsylvania, Biden's team is also signaling how critical it thinks the Keystone State will be to unseating Trump, who carried it by just under 45,000 votes in 2016.

-ABC News' Johnny Verhovek

Oct 20, 2020, 11:25 AM EDT

Biden campaign launches 6 new Spanish and bilingual ads in key battleground states

The Biden campaign is continuing to target Hispanic and Latino voters in the final two weeks until Election Day, launching four new television ads in several states and two new digital Spanish and bilingual ads in an effort to combat attacks the Trump campaign is launching against him.

Targeting Latino populations in key battleground states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin, the campaign will hit on several different issues in the four TV ads including Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

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-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Oct 20, 2020, 10:05 AM EDT

Trump slams debate changes ahead of Thursday showdown

Reacting to the Commission on Presidential Debates saying it would mute the candidates’ microphones during their opponent’s initial responses at Thursday’s debate, Trump said "the whole thing is crazy" and went on to criticize the moderator, Kristen Welker.

In a wide-ranging interview with "Fox and Friends" this morning, Trump explained what he sees as the advantage in interrupting Biden constantly versus letting him talk.

"When somebody stands there and he lies, lies, lies, I like to challenge it at the time, because you don't have time to go back," Trump said. But, he added, he had heard from others it could be good to let Biden speak. "They said if you let him talk, he'll lose his chain of thought because he's gonzo." 

President Donald Trump gestures at the end of a rally at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 19, 2020.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

On the topics chosen, Trump echoed his campaign manager's insistence that the debate should be about foreign policy, even though the Commission on Presidential Debates and the candidates had agreed months ago the topics would be left up to the moderator.

"This was supposed to be a foreign policy debate, and now all of a sudden we're talking about things that are not foreign policy. And, frankly, it was a change that they made that was far bigger than the mute button, I mean, frankly. But they made a change, and it shouldn't have happened," Trump said.

Asked if he was nervous about the debate, Trump said, "No, I'm not nervous." 

Trump headlines a Sinclair Town Hall event in the Rose Garden this afternoon before departing with the first lady for a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, this evening. He's said his exchanges with reporters will serve as his debate prep.

Biden, meanwhile, has hunkered down in Wilmington, Delaware, for debate prep ahead of Thursday, similar to what he's done before previous debates.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson