Trump tells supporters in battleground Wisconsin Biden would let ‘rioters’ run the federal government

‘We win this state, it’s over,' president says as former GOP governor says his campaign is right to feel a 2016 repeat win there is possible

Donald Trump contended if Democratic nominee Joe Biden becomes president next week he will hand control of the federal government to “rioters” who are intent that “no community will be safe.”

“If Biden wins, the rioters in the streets, they’ll be running your federal government,” he told rally-goers on a cold day in the key swing state. “No city, no family and no community will be safe.”

The president hit all his usual targets in the home of the NFL’s Packers, railing against “Crooked Hillary” Clinton and the “fake news” media after warning voters about the “Biden crime family.”

“I’m all up here alone. The Democrats impeached me for making a phone call,” he said of his call with Ukraine’s president in which he asked his counterpart to announce a probe the Bidens’ activities there. “Now, we’ve got ‘big tech.’”

Where most politicians list off policy achievements they have helped bring about, saying those things helped a particular state’s residents, Mr Trump takes a more direct approach.

"We win this state, it's over,” he said as the big crowd roared its approval. “I've treated Wisconsin very well."

The president was back in Wisconsin as polls show he is closing in on Democratic nominee Joe Biden there and in other battleground states.

Mr Trump trailed in an average of polls in the key swing states by nearly 5 percentage points earlier this month, a deficit he has closed to 3.2 per cent as of Friday, according to RealClearPolitics.

In the Badger State, he trails by 6.4 points – and has been losing ground. He trailed Mr Biden by 5.5 points three days ago, according to the RealClear average.

Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections puts the state in the “lean Democratic” column, predicting Mr Biden will secure its 10 Electoral College votes.

Polls showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democrats’ nominee in 2016, leading Mr Trump by around 6 points with four days to go.

The similar numbers are a big reason why the president and his top campaign aides feel confident, former Wisconsin GOP Governor Scott Walker told Fox News just before Mr Trump hit the stage in Green Bay.  

“I could be three up, I could be three down,” Mr Trump told his loyalists. “But I know one thing, I’m not 17 down,” he added, slamming a recent Washington Post poll that found he is that far down there.

“They’re phony polls,” he said before dropping this applause line: “We’re going to win the state. … We have tremendous dishonesty in polling.”

A senior White House official earlier on Friday said a big part of the president’s closing argument will be on the economy, adding Mr Trump will argue Mr Biden’s track record is one of lost US jobs and slow growth.

“At every turn Biden betrayed American workers,” Mr Trump said at his second of three Rust Belt rallies, “and twisted the knife into the backs of Wisconsin workers.”

He is due in Minnesota to wrap his Friday campaigning blitz.

He wanted to have up to 25,000 people in Rochester, but state officials ordered his campaign to comply with a statewide order to limit such gatherings to 250 people amid the spreading-again coronavirus.

“They’re scamming us,” he said during his first stop of the day before thousands of loyalists in Waterford Township, Michigan. “Maybe that will give us the final victory.”

Mr Trump does trail by 4.7 percentage points in Minnesota, but he has closed by 2 points in just a few weeks. Mr Biden led there by 6.6 points earlier this month.