Barack Obama enters the track Wednesday night with his first public meeting to support his former vice-president Joe Biden, leading in the polls ahead of Donald Trump 13 days before the US presidential election, but very much behind the field.
For the third day in a row, the Democratic White House candidate, 77, had nothing on his public agenda as the Republican president continued to tour the United States on the eve of the highly anticipated final debate between the two candidates. .
A striking contrast, and rare, so close to the poll.
Read also: A rather flattering economic record for Trump ... and then came the pandemic
During a rally in "
drive-in
"
mode
in
front of supporters in their car, pandemic obliges, Barack Obama will call on voters to vote as early as possible for the November 3 election, thanks to the early vote.
Still very popular with Democrats, the first black president of the United States will be in Philadelphia, in the key state of Pennsylvania.
"
We are really at a turning point,
" he said, foretaste, in a video Tuesday night.
"
One of the most encouraging things this year has been to see so many young Americans galvanized, organizing and fighting for change,
" he added, after months marked by a historic movement against racism and police violence.
“
I know Joe better than almost anyone.
I trust him to be a great president.
"
"
Ex-presidents do not usually get involved too much in politics and certainly not in the politics of their successor,
" David Axelrod, former adviser to Barack Obama, told CNN of the meeting.
"
I think that was his intention, but Trump changed that intention
."
Biden indented
Already more than 40 million Americans have voted by mail or in person, some 30% of the total turnout in 2016, according to independent organization Elections Project.
Read also: Joe Biden's victory could give Boris Johnson a hard time
The Republican billionaire won by only a short head in 2016 in Pennsylvania, a potentially crucial state for victory where he went again on Tuesday night, after two meetings the day before in Arizona.
“
All (Biden) does is stay home,
” Donald Trump quipped on stage in Erie.
He took a “
five-day
” break, he exaggerated in front of hilarious supporters.
The tempestuous president, 74, recently recovered from Covid-19, will be in Gastonia, North Carolina, another key state on Wednesday evening.
After a trip to North Carolina, too, Sunday, Joe Biden, 77, returned to his stronghold of Wilmington, Delaware.
He greeted the photographers Monday on his way to an interview, but has since stayed away from reporters except to give interviews to local media in key states.
His running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, 56, travels to North Carolina on Wednesday to mobilize voters.
Last debate
The Democratic candidate will meet Donald Trump on Thursday evening for their last televised duel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Their first debate, at the end of September, had turned into a fight.
And there is no indication that the tone will be less aggressive this time.
On the contrary.
Read also: Trump continues his electoral marathon, Biden stays at home
Fearing to be the president of a single term, the Republican has accentuated, in recent days, his personal attacks on the integrity of his opponent.
He has been hammering for several weeks, without concrete evidence to support, that the Biden family is a "
criminal enterprise
".
His angle of attack?
Hunter Biden's business in Ukraine and China, when his father, Joe, was Vice President to Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Very sensitive to attacks against his family, which sometimes cause him to get carried away, Joe Biden must prepare the parade for these expected blows.
Donald Trump had refused a virtual debate on October 15, a format proposed to avoid the risk of infection after his diagnosis.
To avoid the cacophony of their first confrontation, the microphones of the two candidates will be cut when they will not have the floor.
An “
unfair
”
decision
for the Republican.
As in 2016, Donald Trump is posing as a candidate who does not belong to the seraglio and who fights for the Americans.
Asked about the accumulation of unfavorable polls, the president displayed his confidence, highlighting his ability to mobilize large crowds.
"
We have never seen campaign meetings with such love and such crowds
."