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As it happenedended

Trump news: President limits rally to 21 minutes after crowds kept out by Covid restrictions

Follow the latest updates 

Joe Sommerlad,Gino Spocchia,Justin Vallejo
Friday 30 October 2020 23:56 GMT
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How will polling day work in the 2020 US election?

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In an unexpected turn of events, Donald Trump delivered one of his all-time shortest speech after his campaign rally in Minnesota was limited to 250 people.

Trump lashed out at governor Tim Walz for placing the restrictions. But that didn't stop the president visiting supporters waiting outside as he made a detour to press the flesh of devotees, which included adherents of the QAnon conspiracy.

Trump seemed focused on Minnesota earlier in the day while campaign in Michigan, using his rally to say Ilhan Omar doesn't love the US and would help deliver the election, while comparing George Floyd protests in Minneapolis to Berlin at the height of World War Two.

By the time he got to speak, however, the president had only 21-minutes for the small crowd which was dwarfed by the thousands being drawn to campaign events in other swing states.

Across town, Joe Biden lashed out at Minnesotans disrupting his campaign rally, saying the “ugly folks” were not polite for interrupting his speech criticizing Donald Trump over the Covid-19 pandemic.

The majority of Americans, meanwhile, believe Trump has harmed the standing of the US in the world, according to an exclusive poll for The Independent.

Whether or not that's a strong enough rebuke to lose Trump the presidency, Trump will find out from the privacy of the White House rather than the election night party in his Washington, DC hotel.

For more on the race for the White House, follow our dedicated US election polling liveblog

Biden says Philadelphia ‘is key’ 

Here’s Joe Biden on Friday morning, making a brief appearance  on a video call with Philadelphia Democrats.

According to the New York Times’ Nick Corasaniti, the Democratic presidential nominee told party officials that Philadelphia “really is” the key, with four days until the election. 

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Biden said there was "no excuse whatsoever" for recent violence seen in Pennsylvania’s largest city, amid protest at the fatal police shooting of a black man earlier this week.  

He currently leads Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in the state, according to a Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday.

Gino Spocchia30 October 2020 14:59

Can Latino’s win Florida for Trump?

Figures suggest while Trump received around 29 per cent of the Latino vote in 2016, this year that number could increase. 

One of the reasons, say experts, is that the loud, swaggering president has grown in popularity among a subset of Latino voters; young men.

Andrew Buncombe has the report: 

Is 'macho man' Trump too tough to beat? Inside the battle for the latino vote

Major gender gap between Latino men and women in support for president 

Gino Spocchia30 October 2020 15:23

Hardline Trump adviser Stephen Miller sees an even tougher travel ban in a possible second term 

Oh lovely.

John T Bennett has the latest on the architect of many of the president’s anti-immigrant policies.

Hardline Trump adviser Stephen Miller sees an even tougher travel ban in a possible second term

Supreme Court backed revised Trump travel ban in 5-4 vote that broke on ideological lines – and now Amy Coney Barrett would be a sixth vote for a tougher entry policy

Joe Sommerlad30 October 2020 15:50

50 Americans in 50 states reveal who they’re voting for and why

My colleague Chris Riotta here completes his magnum opus, having interviewed one voter from every single state in the union (plus DC and Puerto Rico) over the course of the last year to explore their reasons for voting red or blue.

It’s quite an achievement and an extremely enlightening read.

You can also check out Chris discussing the Polarized project below… 

…at an Independent Premium Event recorded last week.

50 Americans in 50 different states say who they’re voting for and why

For a year, The Independent has featured unfiltered, unbiased conversations with voters from all walks of life in every state, plus DC and Puerto Rico. Here’s what they had to say

Joe Sommerlad30 October 2020 16:10

Eric Trump confirms father’s Election Night bash being moved to White House

“No, we’re thinking about moving it, actually, over to the White House for - we’re looking at that right now, and it’s going to be a great night. It’s going to be a really, really beautiful night,” the president’s son told Fox & Friends this morning.

He also said this, which is a hard statement to square with the administration that brought you the border wall, child separation and the Muslim travel ban. 

Joe Sommerlad30 October 2020 16:25

Majority of Americans say Trump has damaged US standing in the world, Independent poll reveals

The majority of Americans believe that Donald Trump has harmed the standing of the US in the world, according to an exclusive new poll commissioned by the Independent.

Fifty one per cent of respondents felt that the president had harmed the reputation of the country, and 36 per cent felt that he had improved it.

Mr Trump has been attacked by his critics for withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement — something Joe Biden said he would reverse on his first day in office — and for fostering tense relations with traditional allies such as Canada, France and Germany.  

His critics further accuse him of cosying up to dictators, mocking him for telling a press conference that he believed Vladimir Putin’s word over that of his own intelligence agencies, and worrying that his actions in Syria — where he rapidly withdrew US troops and left the Kurds stranded, at the request of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan — have concerned America’s military allies.

The Independent’s Harriet Alexander reports.

Majority of Americans say Trump has ruined US standing in world, Independent poll reveals

Exclusive poll: A new survey for the Independent found US voters had a poor view of Trump’s handling of international affairs and found it had made the US less safe

Justin Vallejo30 October 2020 17:11

Trump begins speaking at Michigan campaign rally

“I’m watching these Biden rallies it’s like, there’s nobody,” Trump says to begin his own rally in Michigan.

“At least he’s doing a rally, he got out of the basement so that’s good.”

Justin Vallejo30 October 2020 17:36

Trump rally crowd chants ‘lock her up’ as president mentions Governor Gretchen Whitmer Covid restrictions

“Not me, not me you see” Trump says as the crowd chanted “lock her up”.

“They blame me every time that happens. Every time I mention her name, Crooked Hillary’s name, Joe Biden’s name, frankly, and where’s Hunter? Where’s Hunter? Hunter’s done very well for an unemployed person. For years unemployed and then he hit paydirt, his father became vice president,” Trump says.

Justin Vallejo30 October 2020 17:42

Trump says he hates using the ‘D word’

“[Biden] will send your state into a very deep recession. I think it’s worse, I think it’s depression, I just hate to use the ‘D’ word,” Trump says.

Justin Vallejo30 October 2020 17:45

Trump says Fox News hots Laura Ingraham being ‘politically correct’ for wearing a mask

“Where is Laura, I can’t recognize you, is that a mask? No way are you wearing a mask? I’ve never seen her in a mask, look at you, oh she’s being very politically correct. Woah I’ve never seen Laura Ingraham she’s fantastic,” Trump says.

Justin Vallejo30 October 2020 17:48

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