Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hammered one another at simultaneous rallies in battleground states this afternoon, sending the presidential race into overdrive for the final 62-day stretch to Election Day.
Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump — who face off in less than three weeks at what’s expected to be the most-watched presidential debate of all time — took the stage at competing events shortly after 2:15 Eastern today.
Both made the case that the other would be a disaster as commander in chief and must be stopped at all costs.
Mrs. Clinton, whose run-out-the-clock strategy leading up to Labor Day drew criticism amid tightening polls, dismissed Mr. Trump’s “dire, dark, divisive and dangerous” description of a nation in turmoil.
She accused Mr. Trump of “demeaning and defaming” Mexican immigrants, people with disabilities and Muslims, and again cast her rival as erratic, dangerous and unfit to lead the nation.
“This is the countdown to one of the most important elections in our lifetimes,” said Mrs. Clinton, who for a second day in a row took questions from reporters traveling on her plane. “No matter your age, this will determine so much about your futures and the futures of your children and grandchildren. The stakes could not be higher. … We have 62 days to make the case, and I can’t do it without you.”
Mr. Trump fired back from Virginia, a swing state that looked out of reach for him only one month ago. But two recent polls show it back in play, with the GOP nominee within 1 or 2 points of Mrs. Clinton there.
Mr. Trump warned that his Democratic rival would open U.S. borders to displaced refugees and potential terrorists, and he blamed her policies for creating turmoil in the Middle East.
He also painted her as a weak leader who would diminish U.S. standing in the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “looks at her and laughs,” Mr. Trump said.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, but on Nov. 8, we’ll cure this problem,” he added.
Polls show the contest getting closer. A CNN-ORC survey released today showed Mr. Trump leading 45 percent to 43 percent among likely voters after he trailed by 8 points in the same survey from August.
It is the first major national poll to show Mr. Trump in the lead since July, though the results are within the survey’s margin of error.
After opening-up a 6.5-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average last month, Mrs. Clinton’s lead has been reduced to only 2.4 points, giving Mr. Trump some of his swagger back.
Here Is Proof
“CNN came out with a big poll today that Trump is winning; it’s good psychology, you know,” Mr. Trump said this afternoon. “I know that for a fact because people that didn’t call me yesterday are calling me today. That’s how it works.”
An NBC News-Survey Monkey poll of registered voters found Mrs. Clinton maintaining a 6-point lead in the week-over-week survey.
It’s possible the difference in the polls could be explained by those surveyed. Likely voters could favor a Republican, as Democratic constituencies are sometimes less likely to vote.
Mrs. Clinton appears to have a far more likely path to the necessary 270 electoral votes, holding the edge in nearly all of the battleground states that will determine the outcome of the election.
A Washington Post-SurveyMonkey online poll released today found Mrs. Clinton holding a lead of 4 points or more in states that add up to 244 electoral votes. The states where Mr. Trump holds the same advantage only amount to 126 electoral votes.
Still, the Democratic nominee has ceded ground to Mr. Trump in recent weeks as controversy has exploded over Clinton Foundation’s ties to the State Dept.
The steady drip of developments surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email for State Dept. business continues, most recently with Friday’s release of FBI documents pertaining to its investigation into her email setup.
Those issues have dragged Mrs. Clinton’s already-dismal approval rating to new lows and have kept her from slamming the door shut on Mr. Trump.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mr. Trump said today, accusing Mrs. Clinton of an “acid wash” of sensitive material meant to shield herself from scrutiny.
Rather than running ads meant to improve Mrs. Clinton’s image, the Democrat and her allies are committed to tearing down Mr. Trump as reckless and a danger to U.S. security.
This story originally appeared at www.thehill.com
