On the campaign trail in the USA, October 2020

November 2, 2020

The following is the sixth and final edition of a monthly series chronicling the 2020 United States presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month's biggest stories.

This month's spotlight on the campaign trail: the holds two presidential debates, three candidates who did not participate in those debates give their final pleas to voters, and three political pundits give their predictions on the outcome of the election.

Summary
Polls at the start of the final full month on the campaign trail showed Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump, the Republican Party presidential nominee, in the average, 50.1 to 42.9 percent. October started with a for the electorate. After it was revealed his aide tested positive for coronavirus, President Trump himself, his wife Melania, and son Barron all tested positive for the virus. Trump was said to be suffering "minor symptoms", and was admitted to as a precaution. Video captured Trump wearing a mask while walking to en route to the hospital. Doctors reportedly treated the president with a cocktail of medicines that included an experimental drug from as well as the anti-viral  and the steroid. His condition was said to be improving and he posted a four minute long video from the hospital. Supporters gathered outside and Trump made a much-criticized ride to wave at them from the presidential limousine. After a three day stay, Trump was released from the hospital and returned to the White House. He tweeted, "Don't be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life." A couple days after Trump’s release, the only vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris took place in Utah, moderated by USA Today Washington Bureau Chief. Pence often spoke over his allotted time and interjected. In one exchange, as Pence attempted to interrupt, Harris exclaimed, "Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking." A fly landed on Pence's hair for about two minutes. Page received criticism for not asking follow-up questions. Politico regarded the debate as "markedly more civil" than the prior Trump-Biden debate. The next day, the announced its second official presidential debate between Trump and Biden would be virtual due to President Trump's positive COVID-19 test. Trump declined such an arrangement and the Commission canceled the debate. In its place, Biden scheduled a town hall to air on ABC. Trump later scheduled a competing town hall on NBC. With the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for looming, the issue of  returned. Biden and Harris both refused to answer whether they would support Court packing. Biden said voters "don't deserve" to know his position. A few days later, Biden made another frank comment when he claimed 56 percent of respondents to a poll, who regarded their personal situation as better now than four years ago, were not remembering correctly, adding people should vote, whatever their beliefs. Still recovering from coronavirus, Trump gave his first speech since the diagnosis from the White House balcony. Trump's doctors said the President no longer posed a risk of spreading the virus. Two days later, he returned to the campaign trail with a rally in, Florida. At the rally, Trump declared himself "immune" and offered to kiss members of the crowd. White House doctors said Trump tested negative for COVID-19 for two consecutive days.

In another potential "October surprise," on the week of Trump and Biden's dueling town halls, the  published an article about the discovery of a laptop belonging to Biden's son Hunter that he allegedly abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop. According to the Post, former Trump adviser told them of its existence and current Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, the former, recently gave them a copy of its harddrive's contents allegedly obtained from the shop owner. E-mails in the copy detailed Hunter's worldwide business affairs and alleged. Contrary to the elder Biden's assurances he had no involvement in his son's business deals, an e-mail alluded to a 2015 meeting between the elder Biden and a Ukranian adviser to the board of the energy company, on which Hunter served. The report claimed after the meeting the elder Biden used his influence as vice president to have a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating Burisma fired. The material also contained a video of Hunter smoking crack cocaine and taking part in a sex act. Fifty former intelligence officials, including former CIA John Brennan, Leon Panetta, and, signed a letter saying the Post'&zwj;s report "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." Current Director of National Intelligence said the information was "not part of some Russian disinformation campaign." According to The Washington Post, intelligence officials warned the administration last December that Giuliani could be a conduit for Russian disinformation. Twitter prevented users from sharing the Post story, claiming it violated their policy on hacked materials. Twitter CEO later said they made a mistake. Facebook did not censor the story but limited its spread on their platform. Shortly after the report, Trump and Biden held the dueling town halls on NBC and ABC, respectively. While NBC simulcast Trump's hour long town hall, hosted by, on the main network as well as MSNBC and , ABC broadcast Biden's town hall with for two hours. The broadcast of Biden's event received more viewers than Trump's event. At his town hall, which newspaper  described as combative, Trump refused to disavow the and defended his pandemic policies. At Biden's event, Biden implied he would consider making a potential COVID-19 vaccine mandatory. On Court packing, he said his decision would depend on how the Senate conducts the Barrett confirmation hearing. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the moderator for the third debate would have a mute button to prevent interruptions during the first two minute candidate responses with each question. Biden left the campaign trail to prepare for the debate. Trump did minimal preparation, holding rallies instead. At this time, he made critical remarks about director Dr. and posted footage on Twitter from a soon-to-be released 60 Minutes interview with, that Trump claimed was unfair. Trump's previous debate prepper Giuliani received further media scrutiny when he appeared in the . In a scene, Giuliani goes into a hotel bedroom, where a hidden camera records him lying on a bed with his hands in his pants in the company of a young actress posing as a conservative journalist. Giuliani claimed he was tucking in his shirt after removing his microphone and suggested Borat actor and producer may have deceptively edited the footage. Giuliani received news concerning the laptop harddrive data in his possession: Fox News reported two separate law enforcement sources confirmed an FBI money laundering probe connected to the laptop. Additionally, Ratcliffe and FBI director held a press conference discussing concerns about Iranian and Russian interference in the election. Ratcliffe claimed Iran spoofed e-mails to spread false information about voting to hurt President Trump's chances of re-election. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon predicted Trump would run for president again in 2024 if he lost in 2020. Democrats continued to attack Trump on his taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders slammed Trump for a New York Times story alleging Trump paid more taxes to the Chinese and other governments than to the United States. Just before the final presidential debate, Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski held a press conference claiming Joe Biden knew about his son's business deals, particularly with China, and that the elder Biden was involved with them. He claimed to have evidence supporting the claim. The issue came up at the, Tennessee-set second presidential debate, moderated by of NBC News. Biden denied the allegations, labeled them as Russian disinformation. Echoing an email from Hunter Biden's laptop referencing a mysterious "big guy" who received a cut of money, Trump said, "You're the big man, I think." Trump attacked Biden for accumulating wealth since leaving public office, accusing the Biden family of going around the world and sucking up money like a vacuum. Biden slammed Trump, viewing the president as having no plan to combat COVID-19. Trump said he banned travel from China in January, which Biden opposed as. He claimed a vaccine was near and said people are "learning to live" with the virus. Biden countered that people are instead "learning to die" with it. Biden argued that Trump had no healthcare plan. He proposed a and claimed nobody lost their health insurance as a result of Obamacare. Trump alleged Biden's plan would strip and. He vowed to protect people with from being denied health coverage. When asked about climate change, Trump claimed carbon emissions have been lower during his administration and argued against re-entering the. Biden argued that green energy can provide good paying jobs. Trump accused Biden of previously saying he wanted to ban. Biden denied, though Trump said it is on tape. Biden asked Trump to post the video on his website. Welker brought up the at the border. Trump point out the Obama administration constructed the cages seen in widely circulated photos taken in 2014. Trump blasted Biden as a career politician and repeatedly asked why Biden did not already implement the policies he proposed. Biden attacked Trump on paying fewer taxes to which Trump claimed he prepaid "millions of dollars" in taxes. Trump cornered Biden on when Biden admitted wanting to phase out the industry. Trump said Biden just lost Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Ohio as a consequence. Welker received near-universal praise for her performance. Observers noted the debate was more orderly than the first. In the final days of October, Trump ramped up his campaign, holding up to five rallies a day throughout such states as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Arizona, and Florida, among others. Biden limited campaigning but still made stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, and others. Due to COVID-19, attendees to Biden events were required to socially distance or to stay in their automobiles with horns in the place of applause. At one Biden rally in Pennsylvania, Trump supporters audibly chanted slogans nearby. Biden referred to the people as "chumps." At another in Minnesota, Biden referred to hecklers as "ugly folks." Meanwhile, a series of news events broke as Election Day drew closer. The Senate confirmed judge Barrett to the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas swore her in at a White House ceremony with Trump looking on. The White House also announced a deal it brokered to normalize relations between Sudan and Israel. This followed deals the administration brokered between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kosovo, in recent months. The fatal police, a mentally ill African American man armed with a knife, sparked riots and looting in Philadelphia. Biden-Harris released a statement: "[w]e cannot accept that in this country a mental health crisis ends in death." President Trump called it a "terrible event" but urged for the National Guard to be brought in to end the violence. Category Two slammed into the Louisiana coast. Winds from the storm delayed a rally Trump planned for North Carolina. The anonymous insider who wrote New York Times op-eds and a book critical of the Trump administration was revealed to be former chief of staff. The Trump campaign described Taylor as "just another standard-issue arrogant, Washington, DC swamp bro who loved President Trump until he figured out he could try to make money by attacking him". The released a report showing growth in  of 33.1 percent in the third quarter of 2020. This was the largest growth for the nation in a quarter since World War II, topping the record of 16.7 percent in the first quarter of 1950. Trump hailed the report on Twitter and warned that Biden could destroy the growth with his proposed tax increases. Biden described the growth as not "nearly enough."

At the end of October, President Trump trailed former Vice President Biden in the RealClearPolitics head-to-head matchup, 51.3 to 43.5 percent.

Free and Equal debates
The held two debates in October, attracting third party and independent candidates. The criterion for inclusion was ballot access in at least eight states. The two major party candidates qualified but were barred from participating due to the contracts they signed with the. Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Alliance Party presidential nominee Rocky De La Fuente, and rapper were each invited but did not attend. Those who did take part in-person were: Independent presidential candidate, Green Party presidential nominee , Constitution Party presidential nominee Don Blankenship, presidential nominee , and  presidential nominee. All of these candidates also confirmed for the final debate, but Blankenship ultimately decided not to attend. Free and Equal Elections Foundation founder and director moderated both debates. This was the fourth election cycle the foundation has held a debate. The debates used the format the developed when  they held the official presidential debates before the creation of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

At the initial debate, held October 8 in Denver, Colorado, after opening statements, the candidates received a total of 13 questions on the, and , national debate reform, the surveillance state, space warfare, indigenous rights, police reform, education reform, Yemen, the , vaccinations, gun rights, and excessive imprisonment. Questioners included Tobin, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, Aaron Hamlin of, Eli Beckerman of Open the Debates, actor , SpaceX co-founder , indigenous leader Doug Good Feather, and the mother of prisoner  . The debate closed with final statements from each candidate.

In opening the debate, Carroll introduced himself as "pro-life" and said climate change must be addressed. Pierce derided the two party system and argued it cannot resolve the nation's problems. La Riva blamed as the root of all the nation's ills. Blankenship offered US$1 million to to have a debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and made the same offer available to President Donald Trump. And Hawkins, the only candidate wearing a facemask, endorsed the and the. The candidates agreed on many issues with varied nuances. All supported the removal of US troops from Afghanistan though Pierce and Carroll raised concerns about the problems that  could arise from a hasty withdrawal. While La Riva and Hawkins attacked war as a tool of the US ruling class, Blankenship wanted the US to avoid being the policeman of the world. Blankenship described efforts toward approval or rank choice voting as too complicated and "diluting" efforts toward ballot access. All the other candidates favored rank choice voting. La Riva favored offering voting rights to documented and undocumented immigrants, prisoners, and youths aged 16 to 18 years. Most candidates felt the League of Women Voters did a better job holding debates than the Commission on Presidential Debates, agreeing the sponsor should be nonpartisan. Pierce commented on the unfairness of "rigged polls" excluding third party candidates. Blankenship attacked the media for maintaining the status quo, providing an example of the media falsely describing him as a "felon" ahead of the 2018 West Virginia Republican Senate primary. Blankenship favored expanding space exploration, arguing the US should be at the lead rather than some other nation. La Riva criticized any space agency as militaristic. Most candidates agreed to the need of an international body to regulate space. On Police reform, Blankenship and Carroll expressed opposition to while La Riva fully endorsed it, Hawkins expressed an interest in community control of the police, and Pierce focused on providing further training for officers. Pierce and Carroll endorsed, though Carroll expressed concerns about for-profit schools. Hawkins said many charter schools were scams. La Riva said she fully opposed charter schools. Pierce called for an end to the War on Drugs, with which Hawkins and La Riva somewhat agreed. La Riva agreed and favored prosecuting banks for providing funds and said legalization would not be helpful, cautioning about the dangers of pharmaceuticals. Hawkins called for the decriminalization of drugs like Portugal but felt those exploiting others should be prosecuted. He favored providing medical access for addicts. Blankenship opposed ending the War on Drugs but said those at the top should be prosecuting rather than users. Carroll agreed and cautioned about the effect of cannabis use on the brain. La Riva, Hawkins, Blankenship, and Carroll all agreed that vaccines have done more good than harm. Hawkins, Blankenship, and Carroll all argued they should not be mandatory. Pierce said he would not take a vaccine for COVID-19, claiming it alters the recipient's and turns them into "genetically modified humans." Carroll and La Riva disagreed about whether a clinic in San Francisco was selling the body parts of aborted fetuses. La Riva said she fully supports abortion rights. On the issue of guns, Pierce expressed concern about the number of US citizens purchasing guns and warned of an impending civil war. In closing, Pierce urged voters to "vote their conscience." La Riva argued that only socialism can bring about equality to the nation. Blankenship claimed he was the only candidate on the stage who based his platform on the US Constitution and called for the use of cost-benefit analysis for policy. Hawkins predicted President Trump would lose in a massive landslide and asked voters to vote for what they truly believe. Carroll demanded the protection of human dignity and support for the family as society's basic unit.

At the final debate held October 24 in, Wyoming, after opening statements, the candidates received ten questions on fairness in debates, veteran suicides, military propaganda, centralized control of technology, national sovereignty, the primary system, rank choice voting, ballot access laws, regulation of artificial intelligence, and the national debt. Chad  Peace of the Independent Voters Network, antiwar activist, Brian Anderson of Nexus, conspiracy theorist , Kaia Los Huertos of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, Renaldo Pearson of , of , and Tobin, each asked questions. Like the previous, the debate concluded with final statements from the candidates. With Blankenship's absence, only four candidates took the stage. In opening, La Riva called for an end to the capitalist system, and the cancellation of all rents and mortgages. Pierce professed himself "deeply concerned" about the future of the US and endorsed using "life", "liberty", and "happiness" as the measure of success. Hawkins renewed his support for the Green New Deal and an Economic Bill of Rights, and added a call for the abolition of nuclear weapons. He noted that the is very close to midnight. Carroll argued that the US has the strength necessary to overcome all the problems it faces. He found it curious he was called a "Democratic socialist" in one publication and yet received the endorsement of a writer for .

Like the previous debate, there was much agreement among the candidates. Pierce and Hawkins both argued for using ballot access as an inclusion standard for debates. La Riva disagreed, stating that the Electoral College should be eliminated. She criticized the Top Two election policy in California and called for the  decision to be overturned. Carroll also backed the overturn of Citizens United. Hawkins attacked the "macho culture" that idolizes the military while it fights to protect the interests of the upper class. Carroll recalled someone who went to fight in the  and returned changed. He wondered how the US can train people to be racist killers and then expect them to return to society. La Riva described the military as a "horrible" use of the working class. She called the a "genocidal war." Pierce then explained he was an honorary ambassador in Korea. He longed for the reopening of the border between North and South Korea. Pierce emphasized big tech censorship as a problem more than military propaganda. He argued that tech companies should either decide to be publishers or platforms. La Riva regarded technology under capitalism as problematic but said it would be beneficial under socialism. Pierce countered that technology is amoral and can be good or bad based on how it is used. Hawkins argued that big tech is moving the nation in a democratic socialist direction. Carroll argued for checks and balances for big tech and for a new level of government to regulate big tech. La Riva then called for the expropriation of big tech companies and to let the US people decide how to use the parts. Concerning national sovereignty, Pierce said he favored treaties over war and endorsed an audit of the. Hawkins called for the nationalization of the Federal Reserve and expressed concern about the nation losing its sovereignty to corporations rather than other nations. La Riva agreed with the nationalization of the Federal Reserve. Carroll argued that trade deals like have unforeseen consequences like pushing Mexican corn growers north of the border. Carroll also said he wanted to edit the to remove corporations from its protection. Whereas Pierce and Hawkins all felt parties should decide the procedures for their own primaries, La Riva favored the system, arguing it is more democratic than Top Two. Pierce claimed was the last third party candidate to be elected president and that he appointed a cabinet of rivals. Pierce said he was embarrassed about the questions politicians asked to tech leaders, and argued the nation needs "visionary leadership." La Riva argued against (UBI), proposing  be increased to US$20 an hour. Carroll agreed with La Riva, saying that jobs are more important than UBI. He named his economic view as, which he said was an extreme form of capitalism. Hawkins claimed that as a currency issuers rather than a currency user, the US government has enough money to spend and that the debt and deficit does not matter. La Riva agreed, claiming there was enough wealth in the nation to pay for everyone's needs. Carroll called on the US to end its involvement in foreign wars worldwide and to stop paying for wars on a credit card. Pierce viewed the debt as an issue and that government has run out of control and tax reform is necessary. In conclusion, Carroll explained that he is pro-life on all issues. He supported social justice and considered strong local  communities, strong small businesses, and strong families as fundamental. La Riva argued socialism is growing in popularity and private ownership is the real tyranny people live under. Pierce emphasized the need for education across the nation and likened the current system to indoctrination. Hawkins claimed the coronavirus pandemic shows the US is a "failed state." He urged voters to vote for what they want.

Final pleas
Wikinews provided an opportunity for three presidential candidates who did not participate in either of the Free and Equal Election debates to give their final plea to voters. Those giving their final pleas are: Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Prohibition Party presidential nominee , and Unity Party of America presidential nominee Bill Hammons.

Jo Jorgensen
I'm counting on my libertarian and independent base because they know that I'm the real deal.

To dissatisfied Democrats stuck with a candidate who voted for more war and who wrote some of our most oppressive criminal justice laws, I say, "There is a real party of peace and justice." The party that selects the author of draconian incarceration and a prosecutor who locked up thousands for victimless crime does not deserve your vote. To them, I say, "Be Bold. Vote Gold."

To small-government Republicans who've watched out-of-control spending and fiat money creation, who rightly fear Venezuela-style inflation and economic collapse, I say, "There is a real party of smaller government and individual responsibility." We can unshackle the market to create prosperity and opportunity, and we can reduce government by 75% without leaving anyone out in the cold. To fiscal conservatives, I say, "Be Bold. Vote Gold."



Phil Collins
My final plea is telling voters that I remind people about the harmful effects of alcohol. I tell them that we care about other issues. We support a balanced budget. We're pro-life and pro-gun rights.



Bill Hammons
It is highly possible that this election will be the first to be thrown to the House of Representatives in the modern era. The outlines that the top three finishers in the  receive consideration for a House vote, and I would just need a handful of (or perhaps even just one) Electoral Vote(s) to be in the final running alongside two men who, not to put too fine a point on it, are walking National Security risks considering their health, age, and risk factors for a raging COVID-19 Pandemic. I ask voters to vote their conscience, because Presidential Electors are people too, and enough Hammons votes might convince enough Electors to also vote their conscience.



Predictions
Wikinews asked three political pundits to give their predictions for the tally of the 2020 presidential election. The pundits were: former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo, who represented as a Republican; political blogger Thomas Knapp, who founded the |Boston Tea Party; and attorney Ron Gunzburger, founder and publisher of the elections website Politics1.com.

Tom Tancredo
In addition to his time in Congress, Tancredo ran unsuccessfully for the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nomination. During his run he spoke to Wikinews in an exclusive interview. Afterwards, Tancredo ran for in  as the nominee of the Constitution Party, finishing the race in second place. He later returned to the Republican Party.

Tancredo predicts President Trump wins re-election over former Vice President Biden with an electoral count of 362 to 176.



Thomas Knapp
In 2008, Knapp stood as the first vice presidential nominee of the Boston Tea Party, which disbanded in 2012. Historian Darcy Richardson picked Knapp as his running mate for his 2016 campaign for the Reform Party's presidential nomination. Knapp runs the politics blog KN@PPSTER and is the director and senior news analyst of The Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism.

Knapp predicts former Vice President Biden defeats President Trump with an electoral count of 319 to 219.



Ron Gunzburger
Gunzburger, a trial lawyer since 1988, founded the nonpartisan Politics1.com in 1997. He currently serves as senior advisor to Maryland's Republican. According to Twitter, he describes himself as a centrist Democrat.

Gunzburger predicts former Vice President Biden defeats President Trump with an electoral count of 359 to 179.