Trump conducts election eve campaign marathon
RALEIGH, N.C. — Donald Trump said Monday that enthusiasm for him and
anger with the political establishment will deliver a victory that stuns
his critics, as the Republican presidential nominee traveled to five
states the day before Election Day.
"Our failed political
establishment has delivered nothing," Trump told supporters at a
fairgrounds arena in North Carolina, a state he needs to carry Tuesday.
"My only special interest is you."
Echoing themes he has used for
more than 16 months on the campaign trail, Trump said that "years of
betrayal" by government elites will end "the day we take office."
Trump told backers that if he doesn't prevail this week, "we've all wasted our time."
Appearing
earlier in another key state — Florida — Trump told a screaming crowd
in Sarasota that "this is it" for his presidential bid.
"We will
never have another opportunity," the insurgent Republican candidate told
his followers, urging them to turn out the vote: "Good luck! Get out
there!"
He said the election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class."
After
the Florida and North Carolina events, Trump headed to other states
that may be essential to his hopes of an Electoral College win:
Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan. He predicted success in each
place and claimed that "my poll numbers are going through the roof,"
though most surveys give Clinton the edge in the election overall.
The GOP nominee enters the final days amid news that the FBI, even after reviewing new material, has closed its investigation into Clinton's use of private email during her years in the State Department, a decision the Republican candidate is blasting.
Trump —
who had praised the FBI for announcing it would review the case late
last month — said Monday that "Hillary Clinton is being protected by a
totally rigged system, and now, it's up to the American people to
deliver justice at the ballot box tomorrow."
Arguing in Raleigh that Clinton "shouldn't be allowed to run" for president, Trump said "it's so sad what's going on."
'
Earlier,
during a post-midnight rally in Leesburg, Va., Trump said: "Hillary
Clinton is guilty — she knows it — the FBI knows it."
While polls nationally and in key battleground states give Clinton a slight lead, Trump
and aides say he has a "hidden vote" of people who won't acknowledge
their support to pollsters. He predicts an outcome similar to that of
the Brexit vote, referring to the United Kingdom's surprise decision to
leave the European Union.
"We are going to have one of the great
victories of all time — of all time," Trump said in Virginia. "This is
going to be Brexit times 50."
In addition to Republican-leaning states, Trump probably needs to win
a few that have gone Democratic in recent elections — hence the trips
to Pennsylvania and Michigan (as well as Minnesota on Sunday).
The Trump campaign also continued to raise money. A late fundraising email sent Monday read: "We are on the doorstep of a HUGE victory and new direction for our country ... but we must close strong, and I need EVERY supporter on board."
In
Florida Monday, Trump bantered with the crowd, one of whom handed him a
Halloween mask of his head, complete with orange bouffant.
"Look at this mask — wow, that's beautiful ... looks just like me," Trump said. "Nice head of hair, I'll say that."
The
flurry of last-minute stumping ends one of the most unique candidacies
in presidential history — and one of the most volatile.
Since
announcing his White House bid in June 2015, Trump has tapped into
strong anti-establishment, anti-government feelings, particularly among
conservative Republicans.
In speeches and on social media, Trump's caustic comments have
alienated women and Hispanic voters. Critics have cited Trump's call for
an anti-migration wall between the United States and Mexico and
allegations from at least a dozen women that he groped or
inappropriately touched them in making the case against his fitness to
be president. They also note that a number of racists and anti-Semites
seem attracted to Trump's campaign.
Meanwhile, Trump fired up his
base — and rolled to the Republican presidential nomination — with his
calls for a border wall, his support of at least a partial ban on Muslim
entry into the United States and his bracing attacks on
"Crooked Hillary Clinton." The New York businessman says the government
has betrayed American workers with "open borders" immigration policies
and trade deals he claims have shipped U.S. industrial jobs overseas.
"We're tired of being led by stupid people," Trump said in Sarasota. "They're stupid people."
Trump
supporters who gathered at the Raleigh fairgrounds Monday are
cautiously optimistic about Election Day, both in North Carolina and
across the country.
"He's going to do great things here, and I
think he'll do great nationally as well." said Kaylyn Foushee, 22, a
student from Sanford, N.C.
Danny and Bruce King, brothers and
loggers from Asheboro, N.C., said they like the fact that Trump is a
businessman, not a politician.
"He has a lot of common sense ideas about stuff," said Bruce King, 61.
Danny King, 62, said he is hopeful about Tuesday.
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