Donald Trump asks: ‘What if I lose?’ amid poor polling and chaotic campaign

Democrats upbeat but not taking double-digit leads in polls as sign of victory

Two women take a selfie next to a Trump bus in the parking lot of a campaign rally for President Donald Trump on October 16, 2020 in Macon, Georgia. Getty Images/AFP

It could have been President Donald Trump’s irony or a rare admission of his flagging election campaign when he asked supporters on Friday night: what if I lose to the worst candidate in history?

His comments received a cheer from the crowds, whipped up by what are now staples of Mr Trump’s rallies – the size of Democratic rival Joe Biden’s face mask, or accusing him of being "Sleepy" Joe.

Then there are the new attack lines – “Lock the Bidens up”, adding to his infamous 2016 slogan, “lock her up”, referring to then-rival Hillary Clinton.

But Mr Trump seemed to acknowledge that things might not go his way even as Democrats played down polls showing double-digit national leads.

"Running against the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics puts pressure on me. Could you imagine if I lose?" Mr Trump mused with a straight face.

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 16, 2020 in Macon, Georgia. Getty Images for AFP

"What am I gonna do? I'm not gonna feel so good. Maybe I'll have to leave the country. I don't know."

The president fought on Friday to recover from sinking polls by campaigning with a hardline pitch to America's right-wing, claiming at rallies in Florida and Georgia that Mr Biden would deliver communism and a "flood" of criminal immigrants.

While Mr Trump put on a brave face, the fact that he was fighting for the two southern states he won four years ago illustrated how much ground he has to make up against the Democrats in the 18 days left before the election.

With his polls sliding and US Covid-19 infections surging, Mr Trump is focusing entirely on his core Republican base, in hopes that highly energised supporters will turn out in huge numbers.

In Ocala, Florida, the coronavirus was an afterthought.

Mr Trump tossed the large, loudly cheering crowd red meat on immigration, race and his conspiracy theory that Mr Biden is steeped in corruption.

Spicing his speech with lurid exaggerations, Mr Trump claimed that the "Biden family is a criminal enterprise".

He said Democrats "have nothing but disdain for your values" and "want to turn America into a communist country" – a reprise of his successful 2016 message tapping into white, working-class resentment.

U.S. President Donald Trump throws a face mask from the stage during a campaign rally, his first since being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida, U.S. REUTERS

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida. Bloomberg

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Kimberly Guilfoyle smile as President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport, in Sanford, Fla. AP Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, his first since being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida. REUTERS

US President Donald J. Trump waves at supporters during his Make America Great Again campaign rally at the Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida, USA. EPA

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks off after speaking at a campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport, in Sanford, Fla. AP Photo

US President Donald Trump holds a Make America Great Again rally as he campaigns at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida. AFP

A man dressed as Santa Claus holds a sign as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for an election campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida, U.S. REUTERS

A supporter in a Space Force shirt extends the arms as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally, his first since being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida, U.S. REUTERS

A campaign staff takes a photo from above as supporters wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to arrive during a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, U.S. Bloomberg

Attendees stand in line before a campaign rally with U.S. President Donald Trump in Sanford, Florida. Bloomberg

A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump watches the president's speech projected on a giant screen outside an election campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Florida. REUTERS

"It's time we sent a message to these wealthy liberal hypocrites," he told the cheering crowd in Macon, Georgia, on Friday night.

Mr Trump also delivered racially charged comments on Latin American migrants, saying Democrats will "flood your communities with illegal aliens, drugs, crime".

And he lashed out at one of his most outspoken critics, Somalian-American Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying "she hates our country" and "comes from a place that doesn't even have a government".

Mr Trump had still more venom for journalists, who he called "the enemy of the people".

Mr Biden, meanwhile, was campaigning in Michigan where he ripped into Trump's handling of the coronavirus, the strongest issue of his campaign.

"He keeps telling us that this virus is going to disappear like a miracle," he said in Southfield.

"My lord. It's not disappearing, in fact it's on the rise again, it's getting worse, as predicted."

Mr Biden also homed in on another area where Mr Trump has run into regular controversy: his often lacklustre responses when asked to condemn extreme right-wing groups and white supremacists.

He said Mr Trump's comments were a "dog whistle" to such groups.

"Look. Everybody knows who Donald Trump is. Let's show them who we are," Mr Biden said at a car rally in Detroit.

Members of the group 'Arizona Republicans who Believe in Treating Others with Respect' wave flags and hold signs in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. AFP

"We choose hope over fear, unity over division, science over fiction and, yes, truth over lies."

But Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon sounded a note of caution for Democrats, saying national polls were misleading.

"We are not ahead by double digits," Ms O'Malley Dillon said. "Those are inflated national public polling numbers."

Mr Biden will be getting help from former president Barack Obama on Wednesday next week when the man who had Mr Biden as his vice president campaigns in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

But even if Democrats are not banking on the polls, key members of Mr Trump’s Republican party are sounding the alarm.

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, in a call with constituents this week, said a defeat for Mr Trump looks "likely" and Republicans may also lose the Senate, The Washington Examiner reported.

Mr Sasse also had harsh words for Mr Trump, saying he is "TV-obsessed," "narcissistic" and allowed his family to treat "the presidency like a business opportunity".

But Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Republican ally for Mr Trump, told AFP that voters were starting to weigh the pros and cons of the two parties, rather than focusing on Mr Trump's bruising personality.

"I think it's getting better for us by the day," he said.

Mr Trump and Biden are to hold a final debate next Thursday.

They had been scheduled to hold one last Thursday but Mr Trump backed out after it was changed to a virtual debate following his Covid-19 diagnosis.

They held rival town-hall forums instead.

Mr Trump, a former reality television star, will not be happy about their ratings: 14.1 million tuned in to Mr Biden's event, while 13.5 million watched Mr Trump, Nielsen ratings data shows.