DES MOINES — President Trump stunned the political universe in 2016 with a sweep of critical Northern swing states, winning Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by less than one percentage point and forcing Democrats into four years of soul-searching about what went wrong in their historic geographic base. For Republicans, these states are a key part of their rural base, and Mr. Trump has made his pitch to farmers and white working-class voters here. As the country reported a record number of coronavirus cases in the past week, Mr. Trump continued to insist on Friday that the disease the virus causes was not serious. He also mocked the Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who attended the rally, for wearing a mask. “I’ve never seen her in a mask,” he said.

Source: New York Times October 30, 2020 23:43 UTC