On a day of vitriol and stunts, the President's base-stoking narrative of anger and personal persecution targeted Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes," the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Supreme Court and Dr. Anthony Fauci. At an evening rally in Pennsylvania, he even took a shot at "Crooked Hillary." He also intensified pressure on Attorney General William Barr to launch criminal probes into Biden.
But Trump's quest for distractions simply underscored how he is ignoring the true and most dangerous adversary facing America -- the pandemic that has buckled his false reelection narrative of a nation on the rebound and has left millions out of work. His frantic efforts to save his presidency lacked the focus of his populist, nationalist economic arguments in 2016 -- and an opponent in Hillary Clinton, who he was conveniently able to cast as a villain for his outsider message.
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This year's Democratic nominee, whose polling lead has survived all Trump's claims that he is corrupt and a Trojan horse for radical leftists, is a more elusive target. The former vice president spent another day huddled in his Delaware home prepping for Thursday's debate -- the last scheduled set-piece event of an often bizarre 2020 campaign.
Trump, in the middle of a grueling set of rallies after recovering from the virus, traveled to Erie, where he needs to outperform his strong 2016 showing to cut Biden's current lead in Pennsylvania, potentially the pivotal 2020 swing state.
"You guys aren't even open yet. What the hell is going on with your state?" Trump said at the rally, accusing Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf of keeping the commonwealth shut down for no reason. After reducing its case and death numbers from its initial bout with the virus early in the year, Pennsylvania is now seeing its cases of Covid-19 rise again, all across the state.
The pandemic's haunting presence in the final days of the campaign was underscored when first lady Melania Trump was forced to cancel her own plans to attend the rally, owing to the aftereffects of her Covid-19 infection.
And while Trump slams his opponent as soft on China, the latest New York Times report on his own tax records reveals that the President has extensive interests in the country and even maintains a bank account there.
The Chinese account, the newspaper said, is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management and it paid $188,561 in taxes in the country from 2013 to 2015. Earlier Times disclosures have shown how the President has paid almost no US federal tax on his fortune for years. Trump insists he has paid millions to the Treasury.
Trump creates a scene during '60 Minutes' interview
Trump had spent the day performing antics that might appeal to his most loyal voters and provide fodder for conservative media but threaten to further alienate more moderate voters he needs to attract.
The President sat for a CBS "60 Minutes" interview -- an age-old staple of
