(WWJ) The presidential candidates have a full schedule this weekend before Election Day.
President Donald Trump and his opponent, Joe Biden, spoke to voters in simultaneous rallies in top battleground states, including here in Michigan.
Democratic candidate, former Vice President Biden, and former President Barack Obama held drive-in rallies in Detroit on Belle Isle and Flint Saturday afternoon.
"Three days…three days until the most important election until our lifetimes," Obama told voters in Flint.
He added the stakes are high.
"Jobs are on the line, our healthcare is on the line, whether or not we get this pandemic under control is on the line," he said.
Biden, meantime, reaffirmed his stated promise not to raise taxes on families making less than $400,000 per year.
"We believe we should be rewarding work, not wealth…." Biden said. "91 of the Fortune 500 companies paid zero in additional taxes last year."
Biden also addressed universal healthcare.
"Barack and I think it is a right that people have adequate insurance. We're not only going to restore Obamacare, we're going to build on it. You can keep your private insurance if you like it. You can choose a Medicare or public program, if you don't," Biden said.
He also told potential voters he would reduce prescription drug prices by up to 60%. He added people with pre-existing conditions would be protected.
One week after the Election, the Nation's Highest Court is slated to hear arguments on whether or not Obamacare is constitutional. The Trump administration argued the law to buy health insurance is unconstitutional because Congress repealed the penalties for not complying. Therefore, they say, Obamacare becomes obsolete because Congress threw out a law so central to the program. Many democrats argue this move will result in about 20 million Americans losing their healthcare.
Mr. Trump has said he would like to replace Obamacare with an "improved program", but has not given any specific details.
Meantime, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Trump fired up crowds of thousands of potential voters in four rallies.
"Three days from now, this is the state that will save the American Dream," he said.
Mr. Trump appealed to steel workers, factory workers and people in other fields of manual labor. He said the Obama administration "targeted your steel mills, shut down your plants and sent millions of your jobs overseas all while lining their pockets with special interest cash."
The BBC broke down the differing stances the two candidates take on the most pressing issues. On the coronavirus pandemic; Mr. Trump's focus has turned to the speedy development of a vaccine. Top medical experts say it could be proven safe and effective by the end of the year, but it will likely not be widely distributed until spring. He has invested over 10 billion dollars into Operation Warp Speed to create the vaccine. He has stressed that he wants children back to school in person, and the economy to remain open.
Biden, however, said he supports a National Mask Mandate. In an interview with ABC's David Muir, he said he would shut down the economy again if scientists advised him to. However, Biden later backtracked.
"There's going to be no need to shut down the whole economy," Biden told ABC News.
Biden also supports expanding testing.
As for the economy: Mr. Trump has pledged to create 10 million jobs in 10 months, including one million small business; according to the BBC. He also vowed to slash income taxes and give tax credits to companies so they will stay in the U.S. As previously stated, Biden said he would raise taxes on large corporations and families making over $400,000 per year.
See the full BBC article here:
The candidates are also divergent on police and race relations. Mr. Trump has been endorsed by several police unions across the United States; including some of the largest like the NYPD's Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), representing more than a quarter million officers in the U.S. The PBA president, Pat Lynch, said the endorsements were made when many Democrats were talking of cutting funding and reform, amid a spike in gun violence.
The FOP wrote in a press release: "During his first four years, President Trump has made it crystal clear that he has our backs. Our members know that he listens to the concerns of our brothers and sisters in uniform and is able to make tough decisions on the issues most important to law enforcement. President Trump is committed to keeping our communities and families safe."
Several black officers have decried the endorsements.
Biden said he is "totally against" defunding police; he added he would like to provide the police with more assistance and re-introduce community policing. In an interview on CBS News' 60 Minutes, Biden said America needed to combat institutional racism, in part by giving black Americans and white Americans equal access to opportunity.
"I can send every single qualified person to a four-year college in their state for $150 billion," Biden told 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl. "I can make sure every single person who qualifies for community college can go and we still have a lotta money left over. That's what I mean by significant institutional changes."
Mr. Trump will be in Macomb County on Sunday, at Total Sports Park in Washington Township at 11 a.m. He will then speak at the Traverse City Airport on Monday; and wrap up his campaign in Grand Rapids at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, just as he did in 2016. He held a rally in Waterford Township on Friday.
If you have any questions about voting, go to the Michigan Voter Information Center.
Click here and put in the requested information to see if your mail-in ballot has been received.
