Birdbrained? Joe Biden has yet another senior moment as he confuses Philadelphia Eagles logo with Delaware college CHICKEN emblem on his jacket during crucial Pennsylvania rally
Joe Biden's attempt to resonate with a rally crowd in Philadelphia fell flat when he claimed he was wearing Eagles football gear - but his jacket actually bore the logo of his alma mater, the Delaware Blue Hens.
The Democratic presidential nominee made the gaffe during one of two rainy campaign stops he made in the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday.
'I know Philadelphia well. I married a Philly girl, by the way,' Biden told the crowd who had gathered in their cars outside the Sharon Baptist Church. 'And by the way, I've got my Eagles jacket on.'
Eagle-eyed Twitter users were quick to notice that Biden had mixed up his birds, as his jacket actually showed a Blue Hen from University of Delaware, where he earned a degree in history and political science in 1965.
Among those highlighting the mix-up was Zach Parkinson, the deputy director of communications for President Donald Trump's campaign, who wrote on Twitter: 'This 'Eagles' jacket Biden claims he's wearing to try and show how much he's in touch with Pennsylvania? It's a Delaware Blue Hens jacket.'
During his speech Biden pleaded with voters to turn out at the polls on Tuesday as he aims to shore up support in Pennsylvania, which has emerged as one of the most hotly-contested battleground states in the final days before the election.
'We're at an inflection point. So we have to vote like we never did before. There's too much on the line to sit it out,' he said.
'We only have two more days. Two more days we can put an end to this presidency that as has from the very beginning sought to divide us, to tear us apart.'
Joe Biden's attempt to resonate with a rally crowd in Philadelphia on Sunday fell flat when he claimed he was wearing Eagles football gear - but his jacket actually bore the logo of his alma mater, the Delaware Blue Hens
'I know Philadelphia well. I married a Philly girl,' Biden told the crowd. 'And by the way, I've got my Eagles jacket on'
Eagle-eyed Twitter users were quick to notice that Biden had mixed up his birds, as his jacket actually showed a Blue Hen from University of Delaware (left), not an Eagles logo (right)
'Folks, in two days we can put an end to a presidency that has failed to protect this nation,' Biden continued.
'In two days, we can put an end to a presidency that fans the flames of hate, poured gasoline on every opportunity he had all across this nation.'
Biden has spent the final days of his campaign appealing to black communities to vote in-person during a pandemic that has disproportionally affected their communities, betting that a strong turnout will boost his chances in states that could decide the election.
His first Philadelphia rally on Sunday was a 'souls to the polls' event that is part of a nationwide effort to organize black churchgoers to vote.
'Every single day we're seeing race-based disparities in every aspect of this virus,' he said, shouting to be heard over the blaring car horns.
He declared that Trump's handling of COVID-19 was 'almost criminal' and that the pandemic was a 'mass casualty event in the black community'.
Biden held a second drive-in rally on Sunday at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park (pictured)
Biden supporters braved rainy weather to hear the Democratic challenger speak at a drive-in rally on Sunday
During his speech Biden pleaded with voters to turn out at the polls on Tuesday as he aims to shore up support in Pennsylvania, which has emerged as one of the most hotly-contested battleground states in the final days before the election
'We're at an inflection point. So we have to vote like we never did before. There's too much on the line to sit it out,' Biden said
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigned in Georgia as Biden stayed north
Biden's running mate, Sen Kamala Harris, was in Georgia, a longtime Republican stronghold that Democrats believe could flip if black voters show up in force.
The first black woman on a major party's presidential ticket, Harris encouraged a racially diverse crowd in a rapidly growing Atlanta suburb to 'honor the ancestors' by voting, invoking the memory of the late civil rights legend, longtime Rep John Lewis.
But even as 93 million Americans have cast ballots and election officials prepare to count, President Donald Trump was already threatening litigation to stop the tabulation of ballots arriving after Election Day.
As soon as polls closed in battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania, Trump said: 'We're going in with our lawyers.'
It was unclear precisely what Trump meant. There is already an appeal pending at the Supreme Court over the counting of absentee ballots in Pennsylvania that are received in the mail in the three days after the election.
The state's top court ordered the extension and the Supreme Court refused to block it, though conservative justices expressed interest in taking up the propriety of the three added days after the election.
Those ballots are being kept separate in case the litigation goes forward. The issue could assume enormous importance if the late-arriving ballots could tip the outcome.
Biden is focusing on turning out black voters in the final stretch in part to avoid a narrow outcome that could prompt Trump to seek an advantage in the courts.
Three pro-life protesters showed up at the church in Delaware where Biden attended on the last Sunday before Election Day
Biden attended the service Sunday morning before heading to campaign the rest of the day in Pennsylvania
While Biden made his case in Pennsylvania, where he was born, Trump sprinted across America's other battleground states with five rallies in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas on Sunday.
Biden leads in national opinion polls, although the race is seen as close in enough battleground states that Trump could achieve the 270 votes needed to win in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the victor.
Buffeted by snow flurries in Washington, Michigan, a town north of Detroit, Trump wore his trademark red cap emblazoned with the words "Make America Great Again" and was bundled up in an overcoat as he addressed a boisterous crowd on a blustery morning.
After the crowd loudly chanted: 'We love you!' Trump responded: 'I love you, too. If I didn't, I wouldn't be standing here because it's freezing out here.'
'You better get out there and vote,' the president told the crowd.
Trump predicted he would repeat his 2016 victory in Michigan and touted his efforts to create auto jobs, a key issue for the auto manufacturing state.
'We brought back your car industry. Your car industry was finished. You would have had nothing left,' he said.
Motor vehicle manufacturing employment in Michigan has fallen by about 5,000 jobs since Trump took office in early 2017, and there are about 13,000 fewer jobs making vehicle parts.
Trump addressed another spirited rally in windy Dubuque, where he made his pitch to Iowa farmers in the important corn-growing state and predicted he would win there as he did four years ago.
While Biden made his case in Pennsylvania, where he was born, Trump sprinted across America's other battleground states with five rallies in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina (pictured), Georgia and Texas on Sunday
Buffeted by snow flurries in Washington, Michigan, Trump wore his trademark red cap emblazoned with the words "Make America Great Again" and was bundled up in an overcoat as he addressed a boisterous crowd (pictured)
Between campaign stops in Philadelphia, Biden criticized Trump for encouraging his supporters after they harassed a Biden campaign bus in Texas.
A caravan of vehicles bearing Trump campaign flags surrounded the bus carrying campaign staff on a highway on Friday, forcing the campaign to cancel two events.
Trump on Saturday retweeted a video of the incident and wrote: 'I LOVE TEXAS!'
'We've never had anything like this. At least we've never had a president who thinks it's a good thing,' Biden told reporters.
The FBI said on Sunday it had opened an inquiry into the Texas incident.
Trump tweeted a video of his supporters surrounding a Biden campaign bus as they drove down a Texas highway and noted that he loved Texas
Commenting on an Axios report that Trump has told confidants he will declare victory on Tuesday night if it looks like he is ahead even if the Electoral College outcome is unclear, Biden said: 'The president´s not going to steal this election.'
Trump told reporters the report was false but said it was a 'terrible thing' that ballots would be counted after Tuesday's election.
Biden is ahead 51 percent to 43 percent nationally in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, taken from Oct 27 to 29. A coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 230,000 Americans and battered the economy has weighed on Trump's campaign.
But the race remains a toss-up in Florida, North Carolina and Arizona, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed, as Trump trails by seven percentage points in Pennsylvania and 10 points in Michigan and Wisconsin.
In his 2016 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, the real estate developer and reality TV personality-turned-politician was propelled into the White House by victories in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, states that for decades had gone into the Democratic column.
Biden is scheduled to appear again on Monday in Pennsylvania and added a stop in Ohio, indicating his campaign views that Midwestern state as winnable.
Between campaign stops in Philadelphia on Sunday, Biden criticized Trump for encouraging his supporters after they harassed a Biden campaign bus in Texas. The alleged 'ambush' was captured on social media video (left and right)
A record-setting 93.2 million early votes have been cast either in-person or by mail, according to the US Elections Project, representing about 40 percent of eligible voters.
The early surge has led Michael McDonald of the University of Florida, who administers the project, to predict a record turnout rate of about 65 percent of eligible voters, the highest rate since 1908.
Trump was due to stage 10 rallies - five a day - on Sunday and Monday, the campaign's busiest stretch, with Monday appearances planned in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and back in Michigan.
Hitting on familiar themes, Trump portrayed himself as running against 'a corrupt politician' and 'a dummy and a half' in Biden as well as a 'left-wing mob' and Democratic 'maniacs'.
The contest has proven unexpectedly close in Texas, typically a reliable Republican state.
In Democratic-leaning Houston, a Republican state legislator and a conservative activist are seeking a court ruling that drive-through voting is illegal and that about 120,000 votes already cast should be thrown out.
The Texas Supreme Court declined on Sunday to hear their claims. A federal judge is due to hold an emergency hearing on Monday on their request.
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