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Trump vs Biden: America at crossroads as 2020 Election Day arrives
- US President Donald Trump and Joe Biden made final bids to woo voters as their gruelling campaigns came to an end and voting started
- Campaigns prepared for legal disputes, could prolong a divisive election
Reading Time:5 minutes
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Americans started voting on Tuesday in an election amounting to a referendum on Donald Trump and his uniquely brash, bruising presidency that Democratic opponent and front runner Joe Biden urged supporters to end, restoring “our democracy”.
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While Tuesday is formally Election Day, in reality Americans have been voting for weeks. With a huge expansion in mail-in voting to safeguard against the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 100 million people have already made their choice, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida.
The United States is more divided and angry than at any time since the Vietnam war era of the 1970s – and fears that Trump could dispute the result of the election are only fuelling those tensions.
Despite an often startlingly laid-back campaign, Biden, 77, leads in almost every opinion poll, buoyed by his consistent message that America needs to restore its “soul” and get new leadership in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 231,000 people.
“I have a feeling we’re coming together for a big win,” Biden said on the eve of the election in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a vital electoral battleground where he was joined by pop superstar Lady Gaga. “It’s time to stand up and take back our democracy.”
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On Tuesday morning, Trump said was optimistic about his chances for victory, predicting big wins in key states such as Florida and Arizona. “We feel very good,” a hoarse-voiced Trump told Fox News in a phone interview.
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