With just two days to go until Election Day, ABC chief White House correspondent Jon Karl literally marveled at President Trump’s energy to hold 14 rallies in just three days, especially since the President had recently fought off coronavirus. In his election update during Sunday’s This Week, Karl also seemed shocked by the chants of “we love you” from Trump supporters that broke out at most of his Pennsylvania rallies.
With chief anchor and Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos giving the floor to Karl, the latter announced that “the President is in an all-out sprint to Election Day.”
“Look where he is just today, rallies in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Tomorrow, another five rallies in four different states. The last one in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That’s where he had his last rally in 2016,” he reported.
Karl literally marveled as he recalled how the President’s bout with coronavirus had put him in the hospital and required the need for supplemental oxygen, but now there’s talk of tacking on an additional rally to the schedule:
For a guy who was literally in the hospital with COVID-19, on oxygen, this is really something of a marvel. And there's even talk, George, he may do one last rally on Election Day itself.
He pulled off a massive upset victory four years ago. He's doing everything he can physically do to do it again. Although, this would be a bigger upset than four years ago.
Sensing a deviation from the media’s narrative, Stephanopoulos made sure to pump the brakes on Karl. “These huge rallies in the face of warnings from public health officials,” he seemed to lightly scold Karl.
Karl initially agreed and noted that that was why the Trump rallies were being held outside. But despite the “bone-chilling temperatures” and the “very real threat” of catching coronavirus, “he is drawing people by the thousands.”
“It's really a reflection of how deep his support is, how fervent his support is,” Karl accidentally hyped. “Yesterday in Pennsylvania—think about it, Pennsylvania – four different rallies, all packed. And George, at some of these rallies – really at most of them now, they start chanting ‘we love you’ to the President.”
After Stephanopoulos shifted Karl to discuss how hard it would be for Trump to win reelection, congressional correspondent Mary Bruce tried to hype the Biden campaign’s efforts in the last few days. But conspicuously missing from her update, was how few rallies (even socially distanced ones) Biden wasn’t doing.
Even The Hill acknowledged: “Biden has been less aggressive with his travel, visiting three states on Friday for the first time since capturing the nomination.” Adding, “The tentative schedule has worried some allies” as he’s only scheduled to be on the trail just a few times in the last days of the election.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’S This Week
November 1, 2020
9:02:54 a.m. EasternJON KARL: George, the President is in an all-out sprint to Election Day. Look where he is just today, rallies in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Tomorrow, another five rallies in four different states. The last one in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That’s where he had his last rally in 2016.
For a guy who was literally in the hospital with COVID-19, on oxygen, this is really something of a marvel. And there's even talk, George, he may do one last rally on Election Day itself.
He pulled off a massive upset victory four years ago. He's doing everything he can physically do to do it again. Although, this would be a bigger upset than four years ago.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: These huge rallies in the face of warnings from public health officials.
KARL: Yeah, no doubt. Because of those warnings, these rallies are outdoors. So, he is drawing people by the thousands. Going to rallies in some cases bone-chilling temperatures facing the very real threat of getting infected with coronavirus. It's really a reflection of how deep his support is, how fervent his support is.
Yesterday in Pennsylvania—think about it, Pennsylvania – four different rallies, all packed. And George, at some of these rallies – really at most of them now, they start chanting “we love you” to the President.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And what's your sense of what the Trump team is really thinking behind the scenes of what their chances are Tuesday?
KARL: Well, they know it's really tough. They acknowledge, first of all, that winning any of those states that pushed him over the top last time, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, is very difficult. What they believe, is they believe they can hold on to all the other states he won and then pick off one of those, most likely being Pennsylvania.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It's got to be Pennsylvania.
KARL: But that, of course, mean he needs to win in several states where he's down in the polls.
(…)
