Trump slams Democrats over coronavirus, claims he is not blaming Obama for outbreak
President holds first town hall of re-election in hometown of Joe Biden
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump came out swinging in his first re-election town hall, contending he does not blame former president Barack Obama for the coronavirus outbreak while also painting himself as a victim of baseless criticisms from Democrats.
Asked by a supporter about the combative nature of US politics, he vowed “if they hit us, we hit back.” His comment suggested anew that the general election could be the most bare-knuckled in modern American history.
“I don’t blame anybody. I want to get everybody to understand they made some decisions which were not good decisions,” Mr Trump said a day after he falsely claimed his predecessor shut down a White House pandemic team that he shuttered in May 2018.
“I’m not blaming anybody,” he claimed in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “It just seems ... some of the Democrats have said, ‘If we find a cure and everybody is better ay 9 o’clock, he’s done a terrible job.’”
“It’s just automatic. How’s the president doing? ‘Oh terrible, terrible,” he said.
The president was back in Pennsylvania, a state he needs to hold after narrowly winning it in 2016. He visited the Keystone State eight times in 2018, five times in 2019, and one previous time in 2020.
And, notably, he chose Scranton for his first town hall, the hometown of former Vice President Joe Biden, who once again is the Democratic frontrunner to face him in the general election.
Recent national polls conducted by Fox News and Yahoo give Vermont senator Bernie Sanders a seven-point and six-point lead, respectively, over the president. The same polls give Mr Biden an eight-point and nine-point advantage nationally over Mr Trump in a head-to-head race.
In key swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Mr Sanders leads the president by a few per centage points -- but within the margins of error. The same polls in the same states show the former VP tied with the 45th chief executive.
One Democratic strategist, however, said Mr Biden is attracting a mix of voters that likely would give him a better chance in the general election. “This is the winning coalition from 2018 and Obama years: African-American and suburban voters,” the strategist said.
Mr Trump is watching those polls carefully, and he’s mindful that he has to put his 2016 Electoral College map back together again -- a needle he must again thread. That includes Pennsylvania.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments