Trump, Clinton sprint across U.S. in campaigns' final weekend

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Two young girls watch speakers while waiting for U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

MINNEAPOLIS – Republican Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of taking Minnesota for granted as he campaigned here in a last-minute bid to wrest away a Democratic-leaning state and create a path to win in the electoral college on Tuesday.

"She never came here," Trump told a large crowd on an airport hangar at his second of five rallies planned for Sunday. "I love Minnesota. . . . I know what's going t

o happen. In two days, we are going to win the great state of Minnesota, and we are going to win back the White House."

The Republican nominee's appearance came shortly after news broke that, after an expedited review of newly discovered Clinton emails, FBI Director James Comey had affirmed his decision that she should not face charges related to her use of a personal server as secretary of state.

During his rally here – in a state no Republican has carried in a presidential race since 1972 – Trump made no explicit mention of the news but continued to call Clinton the most corrupt person to ever seek the presidency.

"Hillary Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time for her many crimes against our nation, our people, our democracy, likely concluding in a criminal trial," Trump said, as supporters chanted "lock her up."

His campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later told MSNBC that "the reason that so many Americans have a problem with Hillary Clinton's honesty, trustworthiness and veracity does not change" in light of Comey's conclusion.

Comey's announcement on Oct. 28 that the FBI was scrutinizing newly discovered email reinvigorated Trump's campaign in the closing stretch of the race, and polls in multiple battleground states have tightened since then.

Clinton communications director reacted to the FBI news on the campaign's flight to a Cleveland rally, telling reporters: "We are glad to see that … [Comey] has confirmed the conclusions he reached in July, and we are glad that this matter is resolved."

After she landed, Clinton was introduced by Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star LeBron James, part of an effort to spark enthusiasm in Ohio, a state where polls have showed Trump leading.

Clinton used the rally to argue that Trump has a "dark and divisive" vision of the country and that she is offering something more hopeful.

"I want an America where everyone has a place, where everyone is included," Clinton said. "And I know there is a lot of frustration, even anger, in this election season. I see it, I hear it, you know, I'm a subject of it. I get it. But anger is not a plan. Anger is not going to get us new jobs."

The more optimistic look toward the future was a script her campaign had hoped to use as a springboard past the exceptional rancor of the last several months of her contest with Trump, but it had been muted somewhat by the uncertainty surrounding the renewed FBI inquiry and the tightening polls.

Sunday's event was Clinton's last scheduled visit to Ohio, where she trails despite heavy emphasis on turning out black voters in Cleveland. James was part of that effort, as were husband and wife singers Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who performed a get-out-the-vote concert with Clinton on Friday night.

One of the speakers ahead of Clinton on Sunday was Yusef Salaam, one of the black and Latino teenagers wrongly accused of rape in the 1989 "Central Park Five" case. Trump had taken out newspaper advertisements at the time using the case to argue for New York State to reinstate the death penalty. As a candidate, the businessman has suggested that the five were indeed guilty.

Both candidates were scrambling Sunday to gain advantage in some newly competitive battleground states as well as lock down others where they've held leads.

In attempt to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to win, Trump has new targets in his sights in historically Democratic states including Minnesota, as well as New Mexico and Michigan.

Once thought to be safe for Democrats, Michigan has become a last-minute battleground, with Clinton heading to Grand Rapids on Monday, the campaign announced this weekend. President Barack Obama, who won Michigan twice, will campaign in Ann Arbor on Monday. And former President Bill Clinton made a stop in Lansing on Sunday after visiting churches in Flint.

Clinton campaigned in Philadelphia on Sunday after attending a get-out-the-vote concert in the city on Saturday night. And she will return to the state for two rallies on the eve of Election Day, a sign that the Keystone State is among the battlegrounds where her lead over Trump has dwindled in recent days.

A top Clinton aide said Sunday that the race is effectively over and that the campaign believes Clinton will hold on to blue, upper Midwestern states such as Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.

"We think we have this race over," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said Sunday morning on ABC News' "This Week". "We're going to get over our 270 electoral votes."

Clinton also deployed a full slate of high-level surrogates around the country on Sunday, including President Obama, who appeared in Kissimmee, Florida, and poked fun at Trump.

"Apparently his campaign has taken his Twitter," Obama told the crowd at Osceola County Stadium. "In the last two days, they had so little confidence in his self control, they said we're just gonna take away your Twitter. Now, if somebody can't handle a Twitter account, they can't handle the nuclear codes."

Trump's Twitter account, however, showed several tweets from the candidate on Sunday.

Trump started his five-state swing in Sioux City in eastern Iowa, close to the Nebraska border. Nebraska is one of two states that can split its electoral votes between candidates, and in 2008, one electoral vote from the Omaha area went to Obama.

He was also scheduled to make stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Trump will return to Northern Virginia on Sunday night as Republicans see new hope in a state where Clinton has long held a comfortable lead.

Ahead of Trump's visit to Sterling Heights, Mich., the city's Muslims are bracing themselves for the arrival of a candidate who has pledged to bar Muslims from entering the country.

"It is unnerving to have him here, so close," Syed Razvi said as he left Saturday evening prayers at the American Muslim Diversity Association mosque. "Before Trump's candidacy, if you meet anybody around here, no problem. Now everybody's like: 'Oh, you're a Muslim.' "

Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign continues to use its huge financial advantage over Trump to press its case to swing voters on the airwaves.

The campaign on Sunday released two national ads appealing to moderate and Republican voters to reject Trump and embrace Clinton. Both ads feature straight-to-camera testimonials from Republican military veterans who say they cannot vote for their party's nominee, citing Trump's comments about women. Another two-minute ad will air Monday night, aimed at reaching about 20 million people, according to a campaign aide.

Trump also released a closing campaign ad, a two-minute spot tying Clinton to the "failed and corrupt political establishment" and "global special interests." But the ad, which features images of piles of cash along with Jewish corporate and financial leaders, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, was sharply criticized by the Anti-Defamation League for what it called anti-Semitic overtones.

"Whether intentional or not, the images and rhetoric in this ad touch on subjects that anti-Semites have used for ages," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. "This needs to stop."

Nationally, Clinton leads Trump 48 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, according to the most recent Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll.

In the closing days of the campaign, polling averages compiled by The Washington Post in battleground states continue to show several close contests.

In Michigan, Clinton holds just a two-point edge over Trump, 43 to 41 percent. She also holds a slim lead in Florida (47-46) and in New Hampshire (43-41).

Clinton plans a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Sunday with Khizr Khan. He is the father of fallen soldier Capt. Humayun Khan, whose challenge to Trump over the Republican's proposed ban on Muslim immigration was among the most memorable moments of the Democratic National Convention.

Clinton holds slightly larger leads in Pennsylvania (47-42) and New Mexico (41-36).

Trump, meanwhile, leads in Ohio (46-44) and Nevada (47-43).

In North Carolina, the candidates are deadlocked (46-46).

Poll averages calculated by The Post for Clinton and Trump reflect recent polls that also include Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Evan McMullin where they are on the ballot and where results are available.

Gearan reported from Cleveland, and Wagner reported from Washington. Greg Jaffe in Kissimmee, Fla.; Ed O'Keefe, Abby Phillip, Katie Zezima, Robert Barnes, Sarah Parnass and Sean Sullivan in Washington; Steve Friess in Sterling Heights; and Laura Vozzella in Richmond contributed to this report.
Authors Information:

Anne Gearan is a national politics correspondent for The Washington Post.

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Abby Phillip is a national political reporter for the Washington Post. She can be reached at abby.phillip@washpost.com.

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Jenna Johnson is a political reporter who is covering the 2016 presidential campaign.

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