Joseph R. Biden closed out his 2020 presidential campaign Monday in Pennsylvania, saying that if elected he will seek to “heal” a nation that is reeling from the “chaos,” “failures” and “irresponsibility” that have defined President Trump’s first term.
Mr. Biden and his wife Jill Biden were joined by pop music star Lady Gaga at a drive-in rally in Pittsburgh. His running mate Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff headlined a separate event with singer-songwriter John Legend in Philadelphia.
“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new day!” Mr. Biden said at his final stop. “Tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has left hard-working Americans out in the cold!”
“Tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that divided this nation and fanned the flames of hate!” he said. “Tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has failed to protect this nation!”
Mr. Biden started the day with a stop in Cleveland and ended with a pair of events in Pittsburgh, where the former vice president said Mr. Trump and the GOP are trying to suppress the vote.
“I don’t care how hard Donald Trump tries; there’s nothing, nothing that’s going to stop the people of this nation from voting,” he said. “It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home!”
Mr. Biden vowed to protect people’s health care, stick up for labor unions, and fight for a $15-per-hour minimum wage.
He accused Mr. Trump of peddling lies, dismissing the Republican’s claim that he wants to ban fracking.
“If you elect me as your president, I’m going to heal this country and we are going to act, we are going to act to get COVID under control beginning on Day One,” he said.
The stops marked the culmination of a candidacy that began over 18 months ago when Mr. Biden announced he could no longer sit on the sidelines after watching the violent 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville and Mr. Trump’s response to it.
Mr. Biden’s late-in-the-game focus on Pennsylvania reflects the widespread belief that the state, which Mr. Trump carried by 44,000 votes in 2016, could make or break the election for both candidates.
Mr. Trump held a number of rallies in the state over the last 48 hours of the contest.
Mr. Biden’s path to victory in the state hinges on driving up his margins of victory in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas and performing better than Hillary Clinton did four years ago in the more rural areas of the state.
“We all know that this thing may come down to Pennsylvania,” said Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
“Now is your chance to vote against Donald Trump, a man who believes his fame gives him the right to grab one of your daughters, or sisters or mothers or wives by any part of their bodies,” she said. “Vote for Joe, he’s a good person.”
At his first stop, Mr. Biden put an emphasis on winning over black voters, mocking Mr. Trump’s claim he has done more for the African American community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.
“Pittsburgh, honk if you think it is a bunch of malarkey,” he said at his first stop, sparking a round of honking car horns. “You’ve got it. The truth is that Donald Trump has done more to harm Black Americans than any president in modern history.”
The Trump campaign says the Republican is poised to make significant inroads with Black voters, who have traditionally lined up behind Democratic presidential candidates.
A recent Rasmussen daily tracking poll found that 31% of likely Black voters would cast their support behind Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden pushed back Monday, saying Mr. Trump promoted “birther” conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama and called his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, the first Black vice presidential nominee, a “monster.”
Mr. Biden said Mr. Trump has refused to condemn white nationalist groups and refused to say “Black Lives Matter.”
And he said Mr. Trump’s failed response has left people across the country more vulnerable to the threat - pointing out that the pandemic is disproportionately impacting the Black community.
“We are done with the chaos,” he said. “We are done with the racism, we are done with the tweets, the anger, the hate, the failure, the irresponsibility.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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