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Joe Biden boards his campaign plane Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, as he travels to Nevada for campaign stops. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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With 25 days to go till the election, President Donald Trump took to the airwaves Friday with conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, while Joe Biden campaigned in Nevada.
Speaking during what his campaign called a “radio rally” on the Rush Limbaugh Show, Trump said “I feel perfect” and told the host that he’s off medicine for COVID-19.
The president credited the antibody cocktail made by Regeneron REGN, +0.22% and said without it, “I might not have recovered at all.” The broadcast began around noon Eastern Time.
Meanwhile, Biden was slated to “make an East Las Vegas community stop” and “deliver remarks at a drive-in event,” his campaign said.
Nevada isn’t viewed as one of the most critical battleground states. Trump didn’t carry the Silver State in 2016, and he’s behind Biden by 6 percentage points in a RCP average of polls focused on Nevada, bigger than the president’s average deficit of 4.5 points in the top six swing states.
| Data point | |
| Polling avg. in top swing states | Biden +4.5 as of Friday vs. Biden +4.0 a week ago |
| National polling avg. | Biden +9.7 as of Friday vs. Biden +7.4 a week ago |
| Betting markets | Biden 64.6%, Trump 34.9% as of Friday vs. Biden 61.0%, Trump 37.5% a week ago |
| S&P 500 SPX, +0.90% | +1.0% Friday, +2.4% in 1 month |
| CBOE Volatility Index VIX, -4.13% | -5.5% Friday, -13.6% in 1 month |
Sources: RealClearPolitics, FactSet
Betting markets tracked by RealClearPolitics on Friday were giving Biden a 64.6% chance of winning, a fresh all-time high for the former vice president by this metric, while Trump was at a new low of 34.9%.
Trump on Friday continued his cheerleading for a deal on another coronavirus relief package by Congress, tweeting “Go Big!” His biggest advantage over Biden had been his handling of the U.S. economy, but that edge appears to have evaporated lately.
The carousel of on-again, off-again talks over another financial aid package sped up Friday, as major figures hinted progress was being made on a deal previously considered dead.
Polling average for top swing states
Trump told Fox News late Thursday that he wants to take part in a rally in Florida on Saturday, followed by a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, even as the White House is drawing flak for not disclosing more information about his illness and not operating safely according to social distancing guidelines.
Trump’s re-election campaign has continued its criticism of the Commission on Presidential Debates after the commission switched next week’s debate to a virtual format. In a statement late Thursday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said the commission must “allow the event to proceed as it was agreed to months ago.”
U.S. stocks SPX, +0.90% were advancing on Friday and on track for sizable weekly gains, while the CBOE Volatility Index VIX, -4.13% was dropping partly on hopes for another fiscal stimulus package in Congress eventually.
Analysts have also said fears of a contested outcome for the presidential election are fading, contributing to the recent positive tone in stocks.
