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As it happenedended

Trump news: Fears of new White House super-spreader debacle as president invites guests to public event

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Joe Sommerlad,Gino Spocchia,Justin Vallejo
Monday 12 October 2020 13:05 BST
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Trump coughs during Fox News interview

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After likely contracting Covid-19 from a "super-spreader" event at the White House, Donald Trump will mark his first public engagement on Saturday by holding… another event at the White House.

It comes after the president returned to the virtual campaign trail on Friday with a two-hour online rally with radio host Rush Limbaugh, ahead of a planned "televised evaluation" on Tucker Carlson's evening Fox News broadcast.

The two-hour love-fest with Limbaugh saw the president drop the F-bomb, call his experimental Covid treatment a "cure", and claim Nancy Pelosi was trying to oust Joe Biden with a 25th amendment play.

Trump's theory on Pelosi ousting Biden came after the House speaker announced a bill to create a new oversight commission, which would use the 25th amendment to remove the commander in chief form office if determined to be lacking the physical or mental capacity.

While it wouldn't apply to Trump before the election, it would apply to whoever wins the next term.

Trump believes he is at full capacity after his doctors gave the all-clear to return from Covid treatment from Saturday - giving him 24 days on the campaign trail until the election.

The president was set to give an in-person interview and undergo a “televised medical evaluation” on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show on Friday night, with a larger in-person rally to be held in Florida on Monday.

The second presidential debate, meanwhile, was officially cancelled after the format was changed to a virtual townhall. In a late radio interview, Trump said the debate commission was a "crooked" deal and that the moderator was a "never Trumper".

He was referencing C-SPAN's Steve Scully, who had faced allegations of bias for interning with Joe Biden decades ago and posing with him in friendly photos while socializing in 2016, when he also tweeted "No, not Trump, not ever" when sharing a news article.

CSPAN said on Friday that Scully’s Twitter was hacked when a tweet was sent from his account to anti-Trump activist and former White House staffer, Anthony "The Mooch" Scaramucci.

Biden and Harris campaign on economy as battleground shifts to Democratic support

The opposition were also visiting Arizona yesterday, with Biden and Harris making their first campaign appearance together since first teaming up.

The pair were joined by Cindy McCain, widow of the longtime local Republican senator and Trump enemy John McCain, as they argued the president had failed to protect the people he was elected to serve.

Their campaign in America’s southwest followed Biden’s tour through Pennsylvania, as the former vice president returned to in-person campaigning to take aim at the economic toll – and warn of impending doom to the future of American healthcare – following the coronavirus pandemic and administration’s failures.

"You’re facing real challenges right now, and the last thing you need is a president who exacerbates them, who ignores you,” he told a group of supporters in Phoenix.

Senator Harris, speaking the day after her debate with Pence, told supporters that “this election more than any other in our lifetime will affect every part of our lives with consequences that will affect generations.”

Alex Woodward was observing their progress.

Biden and Harris campaign on economy in Arizona as battleground shifts to Democratic support

‘How many more dreams have to be extinguished because this president has thrown in the towel?’

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 11:55

Fox axes commentator who called Kamala Harris a ‘lying b****'

The right-wing network says it has no intention of booking pundit Harlan Hill again after this odious tweet about the Democratic running mate during Wednesday night’s debate.

Amazing that career-ender hasn’t been deleted.

Fox ought to consider ditching evangelist Darrell Scott too, who took part in a panel on The Ingraham Angle and, arguably even more shockingly, referred to Harris as “Hillary in blackface”.

Josh Marcus has this on Hill.

Fox axes commentator who called Kamala Harris a ‘lying b****'

Harlan Hill, a Republican commentator who contributes to the network, fired off the insult amid the vice presidential debate on Wednesday night

 

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 12:15

Embattled Republican senator accidentally posts ‘generic’ Pence congratulation after debate

Kelly Loefller is having a rough time on social media at the moment, having already been widely panned for tweeting a wrestling GIF cheering the president’s alleged recovery from coronavirus with 213,000 Americans dead (7,125 in her own state of Georgia).

Then came this:

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 12:35

Why on earth was Trump raving about ‘certain little tiny fish’ jeopardising California’s water supply on Fox last night?

There was actually some basis for this baffling segment, as Gino Spocchia is here to explain.

The president was actually referring to the endangered delta smelt, a silvery blue, three-inch fish that smells like cucumbers and can only be found in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Trump warns California will have to ration water because it dumps so much in the sea to help 'certain little tiny fish'

‘They have farms here and they don’t get water. It is so ridiculous they’re taking the water and shoving it out to sea’

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 12:55

Trump falsely claims Virginia’s governor ‘executed a baby’

Another noteworthy moment from the president’s latest Hannity nuisance call was his grotesque lie about Democratic governor Ralph Northam, issued as he seeks to shore up the evangelical pro-life vote ahead of Election Day.

Trump continued that attack on Twitter last night, by the way:

Matt Mathers has the full story.

Trump falsely claims Virginia governor ‘executed a baby’

Commander-in-chief discusses abortion ahead of election 

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 13:15

President says 2020 will be 'one of greatest, most fraudulent elections ever'

In a final recap from last night, here’s Gino Spocchia again on Trump’s latest effort to lay the groundwork for challenging the election result in the event that he loses.

Trump says 2020 will be 'one of greatest, most fraudulent elections ever'

More than six million Americans have already voted, with 25 days to go until election 

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 13:35

‘The president realises he’s losing and he’s panicking about it’

For Indy Voices, John T Bennett examines the president’s madcap interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox yesterday and says it betrays his very real fear fear of defeat.

The Fox intervew proved it — Trump knows he’s losing

‘Biden’s not lasting two months as president,' Trump ranted down the phone, in a vague and ominous way

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 13:55

‘Trump knows gender violence and white supremacy go hand in hand’

Also for Voices, Danielle Campoamor has this on the president’s hostility towards Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, his ugly track record and his fairly blatant endorsement of dangerous fringe groups.

Opinion: Trump knows gender violence and white supremacy go hand in hand

The president’s ability to demonize women with impunity means the kind of threats experienced by Gretchen Whitmer are inevitable

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 14:15

President to undergo ‘televised medical evaluation’ and host Florida rally on campaign return

Now that Trump has been given the all-clear to return to campaigning by his doctors after apparently recovering from the coronavirus, he will kick things off with an in-person interview and “televised medical evaluation” (?!) on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show this evening, followed by a rally in Florida on Saturday night.

Is this a good idea?

Dr Michael Saag, interviewed by CNN, says no.

"He's really pushing this, and he's putting people at risk if he goes out any time before Sunday."

Kayleigh McEnany has, of course, been on Fox and Friends to insist everything is fine, despite having contracted Covid herself earlier this week.

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 14:35

Don Jr ‘wouldn’t stand a chance’ if he ran for New York mayor, says Trump

Well, you can’t fault him for brutal honesty there.

Matt Mathers has this report on a quickly-quashed rumour about the president’s eldest son’s future prospects.

Trump pours could water on suggestion Don Jr could run for NYC mayor

Current mayor Bill de Blasio will be replaced next year

Joe Sommerlad9 October 2020 14:55

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