Election 2020 updates: Trump ends long day rushing through final rally in Minnesota
Trump and Biden both campaigned in three Midwestern states Friday.
With four days until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, more than 82 million Americans have already cast their ballots -- an early voting record.
Friday brings both Trump and Biden to Minnesota and Wisconsin, revealing how crucial the states are to both campaigns, with the contest overshadowed by coronavirus cases rising there and in nearly every battleground state.
The president's aggressive, defensive strategy -- visiting states he won in 2016 including a first stop in Michigan this afternoon -- comes as polls show him trailing nationally and in swing states key to his reelection hopes. Vice President Mike Pence returns to Arizona for a pair of rallies in Flagstaff and Tucson.
Biden will see his busiest travel day to date of the general election. With a stop in Iowa, too, it's the first time the former vice president has made plans to campaign in three states in one day for the 2020 cycle. Running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris is in Texas as Democrats play offense and sense an opportunity to snatch the GOP-stronghold for the first time in more than four decades.
Top headlines:
- Trump speaks for just 21 minutes at final rally of the night in Minnesota
- Biden battles noisy Trump supporters during Minnesota rally
- Trump mocks COVID-19 public health precautions at Minnesota rally
- Biden argues Trump’s presidency has hurt jobs in Iowa
- 5 coronavirus cases linked to Trump campaign events in Wisconsin, one case linked to Biden rally
Biden battles noisy Trump supporters during Minnesota rally
At his stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, former Vice President Joe Biden battled with noise from Trump supporters as he took aim at the president.
Talking over a constant stream of air horns and beeps, the Democratic nominee responded to President Donald Trump's claim at a rally earlier Friday that doctors inflate the number of deaths from COVID-19 to get more money.
"The president of the United States is accusing the medical profession of making up COVID deaths so they make more money," Biden said. "Doctors and nurses go to work every day to save lives. They do their jobs. Donald Trump should stop attacking them and do his job."
Biden addressed the noise three times during his remarks. At one point, he referred to those "ugly folks" blasting horns and attempting to interrupt the event.
"Dr. [Anthony] Fauci called for a mask mandate last week. This isn't a political statement like those ugly folks over there beeping the horns," Biden said. "This is a patriotic duty, for God's sake. Look, in his own words, as I said, the president knew back in January how extremely dangerous and communicable this disease was."
Biden pleaded with voters to keep themselves engaged in the final four days of the race -- once again taking a jab at the loud protesters as he did so.
"Right here in Minnesota, with all of you, in the final days, keep that sense of empowerment. Keep that -- empowerment with you, that sense of optimism, of what we can overcome," he said. "Now look, there's a reason they don't want to hear me, because they know the president doesn't say anything. So they're not used to not hearing anything."
Toward the end of his remarks, Biden pointed to a recent appellate court ruling that absentee ballots received after Election Day cannot be counted, and urged everyone to hand-deliver their ballot rather than mail it.
"So if you want your voice to be heard, drop off your ballot. Don't put it in the mail. Or vote safely in person any day up through Election Day," he said. "But you've got to get it done. And make sure everyone you know votes as well, so they'll not be able to stop us."
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
From Wisconsin, where COVID-19 metrics are trending up, Trump says country is 'rounding the turn'
At his second rally of the day, President Donald Trump spoke to supporters on a chilly day in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
As he has at every rally recently, the president attempted to downplay the threat of COVID-19 and said the U.S. is "rounding the turn" on the pandemic, despite the country facing a third wave of cases and hospitalizations surging around the country.
Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are particularly on the rise in Wisconsin. On Friday, the state reported more than 5,000 new cases, and almost every county is experiencing "very high disease activity," including Brown County, where Green Bay sits, state health department data shows.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has called the surge an "urgent crisis" and has asked people to stay home.
While in Wisconsin, Trump made it very clear that if "we win this state ... it's over."
He also continued to blast this week's ABC News/Washington Post poll, which found him down 17 points to Biden among likely voters in Wisconsin.
"I said, wait a minute, I just left a crowd of 25,000 people or more," said Trump, referring to a rally earlier this week in West Salem. "They were going crazy. That wasn't a second-place crowd. You know, we know a second-place crowd. That was not a second-place crowd."
-ABC News' Terrence Smith, Elizabeth Thomas and Will Steakin
In Arizona, crowd chants 'lock her up' after Pence says Pelosi 'has got to go'
At his first of two stops in Arizona on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence threw his support behind congressional candidates and told Arizonans to elect them so House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., can be removed from her post.
"So right after you reelect President Donald Trump for four more years and right after you reelect Sen. Martha McSally to the United States Senate, we all need you to send Paul Gosar, Congressman Markwayne Mullin and Tiffany Shedd to a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, and retire Nancy Pelosi once and for all. Out! She has got to go," Pence said at the outdoor rally in Flagstaff.
That caused some supporters to chant "lock her up!"
Mullin, it should be noted, is not on the ballot in Arizona, but represents Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District.
McSally, who is competing in one of the most-watched Senate campaigns this cycle, introduced Pence. The vice president said it was "an honor" to share the stage with her, and that she has "emerged as one of the greatest champions" for Republicans.
On the coronavirus, Pence said that a vaccine is "just a short time away." He acknowledged that COVID-19 cases are increasing in the state, which reported 1,565 new cases Friday.
"And as we see cases rise, particularly across the heartland and even somewhat here in Arizona," he told of the crowd of about 500, the majority of whom were not wearing masks or social distancing. "I want to assure you, we're going to continue to move heaven and earth to make sure that our doctors and nurses, and here in Arizona and everywhere in America, that every family has access to the health care that we'd want any member of our family to have."
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
ABC's race ratings update: Texas is now a toss-up in campaign's final days
With only four days until Nov. 3, Texas has moved this week in Biden's favor -- shifting from lean Republican to a toss-up, according to ABC's race ratings.
Here's where the race to 270 currently stands: Biden - 290; Trump - 125; Toss-up -123.
Click here for ABC's interactive electoral map, which is updated weekly.
-ABC News' Kendall Karson
Pence calls Biden 'Trojan horse' for progressive Democrats at last stop in Arizona
Vice President Mike Pence wrapped up his day in Arizona with a rally in Tucson, where he told a crowd of roughly 500 gathered on the tarmac of Tucson International Airport that in "four more days, it's going to be four more years" of a Trump presidency.
In addition to his standard stump speech, Pence mentioned recent reporting from Politico that Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are interested in joining Joe Biden's cabinet, using it to further his argument that Biden would only be a "Trojan horse" for progressive Democrats.
"Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left," he said. "I mean, they're already talking about cabinet appointments. Maybe you read about that. I'm hearing that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are looking to be on the cabinet, and drive America's policies to the left."
Pence also criticized Sen. Kamala Harris for her vote against President Donald Trump's USMCA trade deal, accusing his opponent of putting her "radical environmental agenda" first.
"Kamala Harris was one of only 10 members of the Senate to vote against the USMCA. She said it didn't go far enough on climate change. I mean, Arizona, you deserve to know Joe Biden's running mate put her radical environmental agenda ahead of Arizona jobs and ahead of American workers," he said.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez