Buoyed by opinion polls that favour him, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has started quoting them again at rallies – a practice he had abandoned when his chances appeared dimming. “We are coming to the end of en incredible journey. Next Tuesday, we will turn power back to the American people,” he said, asking supporters in this crucial state to mobilise and vote.
Mr. Trump, who is doing six campaign events on Thursday, will also have his wife Melania and children fanning out to battleground States in the remaining five days until the election day. His opponent in the Republican primary Senator Ted Cruz will also campaign for Mr. Trump for the first time on Thursday. On the Democratic side, the entire topline of the party will be in the field through the next few days. President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders and Chelsea Clinton will reach out to voters directly in at least eight States on Thursday.
Wikileaks boost for him
Mr. Trump’s claim that he is the change that America needs has been emboldened in the last week of campaigning, against the convenient backdrop of continuing Wikileaks revelations about the functioning of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s inner circles and a new FBI probe. Mr. Trump’s challenge, as he told himself on a Florida stage, is to stay focused. “We’ve got to be nice and cool, nice and calm. All right, stay on point Donald, stay on point,” he said to himself, as people laughed. “No sidetracks, Donald. Nice and easy.”
So what is the point? “Hillary is a candidate of yesterday. We are a movement of the future,” he said, as an aircraft circled over the crowd with a huge banner that said ‘Chinese Americans for Trump.’ “She says she will do this, do that. Why did she not do it in the last 30 years,” he asked and promised to start sweeping changes the day he takes over as President. “We will take back our country from foreign agents and special interests,” he said and the crowd chanted “drain that swamp,” the newest of the slogans that fire up his supporters. Mr. Trump had introduced this slogan into the campaign two weeks ago while releasing a five-point ethics reforms plan that will restrict retired public officials from taking up lobbying jobs for special interests. “It is time for a new leadership,” Mr. Trump said.
For changing the “rigged system”
The message in the foreground is about changing what he calls the “rigged system,” but a black pastor who said prayers at the beginning was hardly subtle when he lambasted “Barack Hussein Obama,” emphasising the President’s middle name all the three times he said it. “The blacks, the whites and Hispanics, all of us will be united finally. When Donald Trump is President, we will not be defensive about praying to the one god, the creator,” he said, before the prayer. A white female pastor vouched for Mr. Trump’s character. “Trump will mean terror to terrorists. He will mean safety to the unborn child,” she said. Mr. Trump reminded his listeners that Orlando was the target of a terrorist attack by an “Islamic terrorist.” “President Obama is spending all his time campaigning for crooked Hillary, instead of fighting IS. Four years of Clinton rule will mean four more years of ISIS,” he said.
