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President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing giving up to $100m to his campaign as he heads to Florida and North Carolina on Monday, both battleground states.
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The US Senate returns to session on Tuesday, as House Democrats launch probe into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s past Republican fundraising.
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New Hampshire and Rhode Island are holding some of the last primaries of the election season to decide who will run for open House and Senate seats in the general election.
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The Biden campaign currently has no events scheduled Tuesday, 55 days until the November 3 vote.
Here are the latest updates:
Tuesday, September 8
13:30 ET – Trump and Biden release new battleground ads
Trump and Biden have released new battleground ads as the November 3 election approaches.
An ad released by Donald Trump, which will run in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, promises the “Great American Comeback” and portrays Biden as willing to shut down the economy again. The former vice president has said he would support another shutdown if the pandemic warranted it.
Meanwhile, ads released by Biden’s campaign, which will run in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, promise a “Fresh Start” after what it describes as four years of Trump’s decisive presidency. An ad titled “Sacred” targets elderly Americans.
13:00 ET – Trump travels to Florida in official capacity
Trump is set to highlight conservation and restoration projects in Florida, where he is traveling in his official capacity, despite his administration overturning or weakening numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and lands essential for imperiled species.
Trump is set to speak beside the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse before holding a campaign rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, another must-win state for his reelection.
The White House said Trump would use the Florida event to discuss his “numerous environmental policy accomplishments,” including signing the Great American Outdoors Act, “protecting America’s pristine natural environments, and funding of countless environmental restoration projects.”
12:30 ET – Trump confirms he is considering spending own money on campaign
Trump has confirmed he is considering spending his own money on the campaign, after a report in Bloomberg news said he was weighing giving up to $100 million to his war chest.
When asked about spending his own money on Tuesday, Trump said: “If I have to, I will.”
“Whatever it takes, we have to win,” he added.
Trump’s campaign is reportedly running low on funds after going big on early advertising and fundraising spending, according to a New York Times report.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Jupiter, Florida [File: Evan Vucci/The Associated Press]
12:00 ET – New Hampshire and Rhode Island head to the polls
Primaries in New Hampshire and Rhode Island will decide who will run for Senate and House seats in the November 3 election.
In New Hampshire, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, faces two longshot opponents.
In Rhode Island, Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat, is running unopposed in the primary. He will face Republican challenger Allen Waters, who is also running unopposed, in the general election.
11:30 ET – Obama shares ‘tips’ with Harris on working with Biden
Former President Barack Obama, in a tweet, has said he wanted to “share a few tips” with Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris about serving with Biden.
The tweet included a video of Obama, the country’s first Black president, speaking with Harris, the first Black vice presidential candidate in US history.
Great to catch up with our next Vice President, @KamalaHarris. I wanted to make sure to share a few tips about serving alongside our friend @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/ncidvmylch
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 8, 2020
11:00 ET – Army head says military only sends troops to war as last resort
The US Army’s head has said that military leaders would only recommend sending troops to combat when it was in the national security interest or as a last resort, but declined to comment on Trump suggesting that leaders wanted to fight wars to keep weapon makers happy.
“Many of these leaders have sons and daughters that serve in the military, many of these leaders have sons and daughters who have gone to combat or may be in combat right now,” US Army Chief of Staff General James McConville said during an event.
“I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it is required in national security and in the last resort. We take this very, very seriously in how we make our recommendations,” he added.
Trump on Tuesday said Pentagon officials probably weren’t “in love with me” because “they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.”
10:30 ET – Biden campaign takes over teens Instagram
The Biden campaign has taken over the Instagram account of a 15-year-old California supporter who amassed 85,000 followers during the summer break, according to the Verge news site.
The @VoteJoe account will now become the campaign’s central point for outreach on Instagram.
Campaign officials told the Verge that the account will be used to foster user-generated content from Biden supporters.
10:00 ET – Former Obama health adviser says in-person voting ‘like shopping’
Former President Barack Obama’s health adviser has said that in-person voting is relatively safe, likening it to “shopping”.
Zeke Emanuel made the comment to the Atlantic magazine in a story published on Tuesday. Experts expect a surge in mail voting in November amid concerns about spreading the virus at polling stations.
“There’s a legitimate concern, but I do think we can make it much safer by following the precautions,” he said. “You don’t want people to be disenfranchised by the pandemic, and you should encourage people that it’s safe. It’s like shopping.”
9:30 ET – Biden condemns Antifa in local news interview
Democratic candidate Joe Biden, when asked in an interview on Monday if he condemns Antifa, responded: “Yes, I do … violence no matter who it is”.
The comment came during an interview with the local NBC affiliate WGAL, amid questioning about violence at racial justice protests that have swept the country since the police-killing of George Floyd in May.
“I condemn it across the board,” Biden said of violence at the demonstrations. “The president still hasn’t condemned the far-right folks coming out and protesting and using violence.”
9:00 ET – Trump weighing contributing $100 mn to his campaign
On the heels of a report that the Trump’s campaign is facing a money crunch after taking a free-spending, and apparently ineffective, approach, a new report said the president is considering adding $100m of his own money to his war chest.
Trump has discussed putting up the cash with multiple people, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg news, although he has not yet made a final decision. Trump spent $66m on his 2016 campaign.
To date, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee has spent more than $800m on Trump’s re-election bid so far. Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee have spent about half of that, $414m, according to Bloomberg.
The New York Times first reported on the Trump campaign’s financial woes.
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the US elections. This is Joseph Stepansky.
Read all the updates from yesterday (September 7) here.
