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Joe Biden thanked Democratic Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield for introducing him at his drive-in rally in Des Moines, Iowa.

“You have no idea how much you’re going to make my night when you win,” Biden told Greenfield. “You are, as they say back in Scranton, you’re the real deal, kid.”

Biden then launched into a lengthy attack on Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Iowa State fair was canceled for the first time since World War II — and Donald Trump has given up,” Biden said.

The Democrat also appeared optimistic about his chances of winning Iowa, as polls show him and Trump locked in a close race.

“We’re going to change the course the world, right here in Iowa,” Biden said, as cars honked their applause for him.

Joe Biden is now speaking at his drive-in rally in Des Moines, as polls show the Democratic nominee and the president locked in a close race in Iowa.

“Hello, Iowa! Hello, Polk county!” Biden said as he took the stage for his first campaign event in the state since the Democratic caucuses in February.

Biden was introduced by Democratic Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield, who is also running neck and neck with Republican incumbent Joni Ernst in their race.

Greenfield predicted her race against Ernst would be a “donnybrook” all the way until election day, as rally attendees “applauded” (honked) to show their support.

Donald Trump mocked Fox News host Laura Ingraham for wearing a mask at his Michigan rally.

“I believe Laura Ingraham is here someplace,” the president said, scanning the crowd.

When the president spotted Ingraham, he told her, “I can’t recognize you. Is that a mask? No way, are you wearing a mask? I’ve never seen her in a mask.”

Trump added, “She’s being very politically correct.”

As a reminder, evidence has shown wearing face masks can help mitigate the spread of coronavirus. The president has been seen wearing a mask only a handful of times in recent months.

At his Michigan rally, Donald Trump again criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer over her response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“You have to open up your states. We’ve got to get our governor to open up our state here, don’t we?” Trump said.

The president’s comments were met with chants of “Lock her up!” from the rally crowd.

The rally comes less than a month after the FBI announced 14 people had been charged in connection to a foiled plot to kidnap Whitmer.

The president denied responsibility for the crowd’s chant, even as he chose not to criticize attendees for targeting the Democratic governor.

“Not me, see?” Trump said. “They blame me every time that happens, every time I mention her name.”

Donald Trump has taken the stage for his campaign rally in Waterford Township, Michigan, his first of three rallies in the Midwest today.

The president opened his remarks by claiming a coronavirus vaccine would be approved within “a couple of weeks.”

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Robert Redfield, previously said a coronavirus vaccine would not be widely available to the American public until mid to late 2021.

The president also once again claimed the country is “rounding the corner” in its coronavirus crisis, one day after the US reported a record-high number of new cases.

Joe Biden has arrived in Iowa, where he will speak at a drive-in rally in Des Moines this afternoon.

This marks Biden’s first trip back to the Hawkeye state since he came in fourth in the Iowa Democratic caucuses in February.

What a difference nine months can make. Since Biden’s disappointing performance in the caucuses, the country has been struck by coronavirus and the former vice president has won the Democratic nomination.

Now, with just four days to go until election day, Biden and Donald Trump are running neck and neck in Iowa, which the president won by 9 points in 2016.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

• Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both campaigning in the Midwest today, with just four days to go until election day. Biden is holding events in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, while Trump is speaking at campaign rallies in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
• Texas surpassed its total 2016 vote count with early voting. As of today, Texans have already returned a record 9,009,850 ballots, according to the US Elections Project.
• Trump criticized the supreme court for upholding an absentee ballot extension in North Carolina. The president said it was “crazy” that the justices ruled to allow North Carolina election officials to count ballots as long as they are postmarked by election day.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Donald Trump lashed out against the supreme court for upholding an extension in North Carolina to count absentee ballots as long as they are postmarked by election day.

“This decision is CRAZY and so bad for our Country. Can you imagine what will happen during that nine day period. The Election should END on November 3rd,” Trump said in a tweet.

Again, the supreme court’s decision does not extend the election itself. It simply gives North Carolina election officials more time to count ballots as long as they are sent by election day.

Although the president has outlandishly demanded that the election be called on November 3, states actually have until December 8 (known as the “safe harbor” deadline) to finalize their vote tabulations.

Donald Trump’s final campaign rally before election day will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the president’s reelection campaign just announced.

Trump will hold five rallies across four battleground states — North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — on Monday.

The president’s final campaign rally in 2016 was also in Grand Rapids, and Trump went on to win by less than 1 point.

“We’re hours away from a once-in-a-lifetime change,” Trump said at that 2016 rally. “We’re going to have real change, not Obama change.”

Kamala Harris is headed back to Georgia on Sunday, just two days before election day.

“On Sunday, November 1, Kamala Harris will travel to Georgia, and Goldsboro and Fayetteville, North Carolina,” the Biden campaign said in a press release.

Both Harris and Joe Biden have already paid visits to Georgia, a traditionally conservative state that Donald Trump won by 5 points in 2016.

Recent polls of Georgia have shown Biden and Trump running neck and neck in the state, with Biden pulling ahead by an average of about 2 points, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Speaking to reporters before leaving for his campaign swing through the Midwest today, Donald Trump also promised Congress would pass a coronavirus relief bill after the election.

“We will have a tremendous stimulus package immediately after the election,” the president said.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed openness to a lame-duck deal on coronavirus relief, in order to clear the way for Joe Biden if he is elected on Tuesday.

Trump also once again predicted Republicans would take back the House, even as election experts predict the party would lose more seats in the chamber.

“Nobody has done what we’ve done, even close. I think we’re going to have a great election,” Trump said, citing the “big crowds” at his rallies.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump is trailing Biden in national polls by an average of about 9 points, and the president is also down in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Trump said he has not yet finalized his election night plans, as reports indicate the president may stay at the White House while results roll in on Tuesday.

“We have a hotel,” the president told reporters before leaving for his campaign swing through the Midwest.

The president was expected to spend election night at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, but he expressed concerns about DC Mayor Muriel Bowser having “shut down” the city.

“If that’s the case, we’ll probably stay here,” Trump said, referring to the White House.

The New York Times reported Trump was considering moving his election night party from his hotel to the White House, amid concerns about him using his office for financial benefit.

The president’s son, Eric Trump, confirmed the likely change of plans in a Fox News interview this morning.

“No, we’re thinking about moving it, actually, over to the White House for — we’re looking at that right now, and it’s going to be a great night. It’s going to be a really, really beautiful night,” the younger Trump said.

Hawaii has also surpassed its total 2016 voting turnout as of today, four days before election day.

According to the US Elections Project, Hawaii voters have already cast 457,294 ballots in the election, representing about 105% of the state’s 2016 turnout.

Hawaii is one of five states — as well as Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington — that automatically send mail-in ballots to all registered voters for every election.

In addition to Hawaii, Texas has already surpassed its total 2016 turnout as well, with Texas voters having already returned more than 9 million ballots.