Trump deploys his family in his campaign rally in Pennsylvania

Two U.S. presidential candidates are scrambling to win Pennsylvania with the state emerging as one of the key battleground states worth 20 electoral votes. President Donald Trump and his family held a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday to claim victory once again in the battleground state he had managed a comeback win in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who was born in Pennsylvania, is also putting in all efforts in the state by traveling there for more than 10 times.

Hundreds of Trump’s supporters showed up at the John Murtha Johnstown Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, a small town in Pennsylvania, Tuesday morning. They waited in line for almost half a day to listen to President Trump’s speech held at 7 p.m. that day. President Trump, who recovered from COVID-19, arrived in Pennsylvania on Air Force One on Tuesday after finishing his campaign rally in Florida the previous day.

Speaking to his supporters, Trump said he “felt like Superman” after COVID-19 treatment and “vaccines are coming soon” to combat the coronavirus. Trump’s speech, which lasted for an hour, was as lengthy as usual and, judging from his voice, he seemed to have regained his strength.

President Trump has deployed practically all members of his family in his campaign rally. Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law and campaign adviser, hosted a “Trump Pride” event in Newtown Square near Philadelphia on Tuesday, and is set to host “MAGA (Make America Great Again)” event in Wilmington, a two-hour drive from Newtown Square, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Trump’s youngest son, Eric, will speak to Hispanic supporters in Philadelphia on Oct. 16, and Vice President Mike Pence will host an event at Reading Regional Airport on Oct. 17.

It remains to be seen whether President Trump will secure Pennsylvania’s votes as he did in 2016. Back then, the Democratic Party suffered a shocking defeat in Pennsylvania, which had been a blue state for 20 years since 1992, because Trump’s strategy of listening to low-educate, white, blue-collars workers in the state proved successful. Unlike then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who had a strong urban elite image, Biden is emphasizing that he comes from a working class Pennsylvania family.

Biden’s lead over Trump in nationwide election polls is growing. According to an opinion poll conducted by Guardian, Biden had a 57-40 percent lead over Trump, widening the gap by 17 percentage points.


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com