Election Countdown: Trump heads to Pennsylvania as he and Biden prep for final debate

This post was originally published on this site

President Donald Trump is heading to the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday as Joe Biden’s polling lead there narrows, and both candidates prepare for their final debate.

With Biden this week planning to focus on getting ready for Thursday’s critical debate in Nashville, Trump is scheduled to hold an evening rally in Erie, Pa. Biden is leading Trump in polls of Pennsylvania voters by 3.8 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics’ average, down from 7.3 points a week ago. Trump’s razor-thin victory in Pennsylvania in 2016 helped propel him to the White House.

Trump’s visit to Pennsylvania follows two rallies in another battleground, Arizona, on Monday. Biden’s lead in top swing states is 3.9 points as of Tuesday, according to RealClearPolitics, while a week ago it was 5 points.

Data point
Polling avg. in top swing states Biden +3.9 as of Tuesday vs. Biden +5 a week ago
National polling avg. Biden +8.6 as of Tuesday vs. Biden +10 a week ago
Betting markets Biden 61.7%, Trump 38.7% as of Tuesday vs. Biden 66.0%, Trump 34.4% a week ago
S&P 500 +0.7% Tuesday, +4.1% in 1 month
CBOE Volatility Index +0.1% Tuesday, +8.7% in 1 month

Sources: RealClearPolitics, FactSet

Trump plans to attend Thursday’s debate despite rules changes and his criticism of the Commission on Presidential Debates. Speaking on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday morning, he said “there’s nothing fair about this debate,” after his campaign on Monday protested the scheduled topics.

Read:Thursday’s presidential debate looks like the last-chance saloon for Trump, analysts say.

The candidates will have their microphones cut off in the debate while their rival delivers their opening two-minute answer to each of the debate topics, as the Associated Press reports. Trump’s team is also telling him to not interrupt Biden, and try to be more likable, according to Axios.

See:Mics to be cut off at Thursday’s presidential debate to allow 2-minute answers.

U.S. stocks SPX, +0.29%   rose Tuesday as talks on a new round of fiscal stimulus made progress and the Trump administration and House Democrats were set to meet again. But gains were limited after news that the Justice Department was preparing to file a long-anticipated antitrust lawsuit against Google GOOG, -0.06% GOOGL, -0.10%.  

Add Comment