US election 2016: Battlegrounds targeted as polls tighten
Mrs Clinton - who has seen her national opinion poll lead shrink
in recent days - targeted her Republican rival's temperament and attitude to
women.
Mr Trump said she would be followed into the White House by
criminal investigations.
He has gained ground on Mrs Clinton in some swing states, polls
suggest.
Thursday's campaigning included a rare appearance by Mr Trump's
wife Melania.
Will Arizona vote for Clinton
or Trump?
Trump targets Clinton territory
What happens if Donald Trump
loses?
Daily dig: Melania's anti-bully
crusade
In her first speech since July's Republican convention, the
former model spoke about being an immigrant and a mother and said her husband
would "make America fair".
She also vowed, in a speech in the Philadelphia suburbs, to lead
a campaign against cyber-bullying if she becomes first lady, and to combat a
culture that has "gotten too mean and too rough".
She made no reference to her husband's record of name-calling on
social media.
Mr Trump
has gained ground on Mrs Clinton in a number of swing states, including Florida
and North Carolina, according to polls. Some national tracker polls are now
suggesting the two candidates are neck-and-neck.
The Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project estimates Mrs Clinton's odds of
winning the necessary 270 Electoral College votes on Tuesday at about 90%, down
from 95% last week.
The momentum appears to be with Mr Trump, who has joked about
having to stay on message, as the final weekend of campaigning approaches.
He has capitalised on a new FBI investigation into a Clinton
aide's emails.
"Here
we go again with the Clintons - you remember the impeachment and the
problems," Mr Trump said at a rally in Jacksonville, Florida, his fourth
appearance in the state.
"That's not what we need in our country, folks. We need
someone who is ready to go to work."
Later, at a night-time rally in North Carolina, he delivered a
speech on defence in which he said he could not imagine Mrs Clinton as
commander-in-chief.
Mrs Clinton continued to focus on Mr Trump's character, telling
a rally in North Carolina: "He has spent this entire campaign offering a
dog whistle to his most hateful supporters.
"This has never happened to a nominee of a major
party."
She
added: "If Donald Trump were to win this election we would have a
commander-in-chief who is completely out of his depth and whose ideas are
incredibly dangerous."
President Barack Obama has been working almost as hard as Mrs
Clinton, as he attempts to rally support among young voters and African
Americans.
Analysis of early voting returns suggests black voters may not
be turning out in the kinds of numbers they did for Obama in 2012.
Alluding to Mr Trump's past as a reality TV show host, Mr Obama
told students at Florida International University in Miami: "This isn't a
joke. This isn't Survivor. This isn't The Bachelorette. This counts."
Mrs
Clinton also got a boost from her one-time rival for the Democratic nomination,
Bernie Sanders. He appeared alongside her at a rally in North Carolina on
Thursday evening, praising her commitment to increasing the minimum wage and
tackling inequality.
Music star Pharrell Williams was also at the event, hailing Mrs
Clinton's record on women's rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment