Trump emphasizes the “H” in Barack Obama’s name
President Trump emphasized the “H” in former President Barack Obama’s full name as he criticized him during a rally in Indianapolis.
“It’s no surprise that Joe Donnelly is holding a rally this weekend with Barack H. Obama. Barack Obama,” Trump said, prompting someone in the crowd to yell “He sucks!”
Trump, who before running for office had raised birther conspiracy theories about Obama, did not elaborate on his reference to his predecessor’s middle name.
He continued: “I watched him speak today. He had a very small crowd, they don’t talk about that. And they never talk about how big our crowds are.”
Watch the moment:
Trump continues his attack on Democrats at Indiana rally
President Trump attacked Democrats, pushed his immigration message, and touted a new jobs report at a rally in Indiana Friday.
Trump was in Indianapolis to campaign for Republican Mike Braun, who’s running against Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly.
During his speech, Trump attacked what he called “radical Democrats,” saying they would “take a giant wrecking ball to our economy and to our future.”
He also seized on his immigration message again, telling the crowd that “Democrats want to invite caravan after caravan.”
“A blue wave would equal a crime wave, very simple,” Trump said.
He added “a red wave” would mean jobs and prosperity.
Trump went on to hail the latest jobs report. (The US economy added 250,000 jobs in October, significantly exceeding expectations. The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, a 49-year low.)
“In the last month alone, we added 250,000 jobs and another 650,000 Americans returned to the workforce,” the President said, adding “We have now the hottest economy in the world. When did you hear that last? “
So, where’s Melania?
First lady Melania Trump has decided not to hit the campaign trail alongside her husband, President Trump, as he spends the last days before Tuesday’s midterm elections crisscrossing the country.
It’s not unusual that this particular first lady has opted out of rallies and appearances with candidates and incumbents — she was not a regular presence during campaign events during the presidential campaign either. But it is worth noting that other Trump family members and Cabinet officials are acting as surrogates for the President as heated election battles are waged across the country.
“Due to her schedule as a mother and as first lady, especially with the upcoming holidays and international travel, there are no plans for her to campaign,” Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN.
Her last major campaign appearance and speech was nearly two years ago, days before the November 2016 presidential election, when she made remarks in Pennsylvania.
Watch more:
Long lines in Atlanta on last day of early voting
There is a long line of people waiting to vote at the Ponce De Leon Library in Atlanta, Georgia, as Friday is the final day of early voting in the state.
Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp are vying to become the state’s next governor. The heated contest has drawn even more attention this past week, after Oprah Winfrey campaigned for Abrams on Thursday.
Georgia in particular has seen a surge in early voters in comparison to previous election years. Although seniors above 65 still make up the largest early voting bloc in the state, the percentage of young early voters has jumped up.
As of Friday morning, at least 23,391,086 votes have been cast early or by mail nationwide, according to data collected by Catalist.
Why election night could go into overtime
For those of you hoping the 2018 midterms will end on Election Day, I have some bad news: It’s possible that we go into overtime.
I’m not just talking recounts. I’m talking about runoff elections in Georgia and Mississippi.
For example, let’s look at Georgia.
Georgia state law requires that a candidate receives a majority of the vote in order to win. Right now, it’s not clear that either Democrat Stacey Abrams or Republican Brian Kemp will reach the magical 50%+ on November 6.
Why? That’s because Libertarian Ted Metz is also running.
When one averages all the polls taken in October and allocate the undecideds between Abrams and Kemp, Kemp leads with 49.3% to Abrams 48.3% to Metz’s 2.3%. In other words, if the polls were right on (and they probably won’t be), Kemp and Abrams would face each other in a runoff on December 4.
It would be tempting to assume that Kemp would be a favorite for that runoff. Not only would he have…
