Oct. 27 (UPI) — President Donald Trump attacked his rival Joe Biden’s stance on the oil industry in three appearances Monday at regional airports in Pennsylvania.
The rallies drew thousands of attendees, with few wearing masks, in Allentown, Lititz and Martinsburg.
In roughly 80 minutes of stump speeches, Trump hammered on what he called Biden’s plan to “abolish” the oil industry. In Allentown, Trump called Biden’s plan “an economic death sentence on Pennsylvania’s energy sector,” adding that Biden would “eradicate your energy and send Pennsylvania into a crippling depression.”
In Thursday’s debate, Biden said he wanted the United States to “transition” from dependence on the oil industry, ban oil drilling on federal lands and cease subsidies for oil and gas. At a campaign stop Monday in Chester, Pa., Biden said, “Let me make it clear, I’m not shutting down oil fields and I’m not eliminating fracking. I’m investing in clean energy and we’ll make sure we don’t continue to subsidize pollution.”
Trump also attacked Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in Allentown where he said the governor’s pandemic gathering rules had made finding a venue difficult. Wolf and the state health department have worked to limit inside gatherings to 25 people and outdoor events to 250, which the Trump rallies, with thousands of participants, far exceeded.
Trump told the crowd Wolf would be among governors asking for emergency aid at some point.
“And I’ll remember it, Tom. I’m going to remember it, Tom,” Trump said, imitating a call. “‘Hello, Mr. President, this is Gov. Wolf, I need help, I need help.'” Trump added, “You know what? These people are bad.”
As for the coronavirus, Trump again repeated his claim that the United States was “rounding the turn” in the fight against the virus.
“I got it, and I’m here,” he said. Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the United States “is not going to control” the virus and would have to rely on therapeutics and a vaccine.
In rural Lancaster County, Trump praised the work ethic of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” and four bearded men behind him wearing Amish-style hats gave the president the thumbs up. The men wore jackets with zippers, and one had an earbud, both sartorially unusual for Amish citizens.
The battleground state of Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes carry weight in the path to victory for either the Democrats or Republicans this election.
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 by 44,292 votes, or less than 1 % of the 6 million votes cast. The state went for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
According to the U.S. Elections Project website, early voting in Pennsylvania is favoring the Democrats more than 3 to 1 as of this week, with Democrats returning 1,193,887 ballots, Republicans returning 355,317 and Independents returning 152,057.
