US election: Donald Trump and Joe Biden head south in crunch final days
US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden are concentrating their efforts in the key battle states of Florida and North Carolina today as 3 November draws closer.
Both candidates will hold rallies in the key swing state of Florida this afternoon within hours of each other.
Trump will then head to North Carolina, which he won in 2016, while Biden will stay in Florida for a second rally.
The latest polling has Biden slightly ahead in both states.
Florida has the equal third largest number of electoral college votes and is usually a reliable bellwether of who will win the election.
Barack Obama won the state in 2008 and 2012, before Trump turned it red in 2016.
Before the Open newsletter: Start your day with the City View podcast and key market data
More than 7m people have already submitted mail-in ballots in Florida, which is about half of all registered voters.
The two candidates’ Florida rallies today will be contrasting events.
Trump has continued to hold large-scale, non-socially distanced rallies akin to those of normal election years.
In Arizona yesterday, he praised people who have Covid-19 immunity and continued to play down the impact of the virus as cases continue to surge across the nation.
“We’re rounding the turn, regardless,” Trump said.
“Normal life will fully resume. That’s what we want, right? Normal life.”
Biden, meanwhile, is holding socially distanced rallies with very few people in attendance.
He blasted Trump’s “reckless” approach at a rally in Delaware yesterday.
“Even if I win, it’s going to take a lot of hard work to end this pandemic,” Biden said.
“I’m not running on the false promise of being able to end this pandemic by flipping a switch.”