Fighting as a party of one, Donald Trump vowed Saturday to press into Democratic strongholds over the campaign’s final days as Hillary Clinton looked to an army of A-list celebrities and politicos to defend her narrowing path to the presidency.
The divisive Republican outsider conceded he was largely on his own — even as he promised to march into Minnesota, a state that hasn’t backed a GOP presidential nominee in more than four decades.
“Hillary Clinton has all of these celebrities and failed politicians out campaigning for her,” a defiant Trump said in North Carolina, one of four battleground states he was visiting on Saturday. “I just have me, but I have my family.”
At a subsequent appearance in Nevada, a disturbance erupted near the podium in the middle of Trump’s speech. Two agents rushed the Republican nominee off stage after someone yelled “Gun!”, the Secret Service said in a statement. The person was apprehended but no weapon was found, the agency said.
Trump returned minutes later and declared, “We will never be stopped.”
Meanwhile, Democrat Clinton faced dark skies in Florida, fighting intense rain and wind in a key battleground state before a Pennsylvania appearance with pop singer Katy Perry. Clinton was preparing to campaign Sunday with basketball superstar Lebron James, having shared the stage the night before with music diva Beyoncé and hip hop mogul husband Jay Z.
“Tonight, I want to hear you roar,” a smiling Clinton said before introducing Perry for a Saturday night performance in Philadelphia.
Perry, who hugged Clinton while wearing a purple cape bearing the words, “I’m with Madam President,” shouted, “In three days, let’s make history!”
The final-days scramble highlighted sharp differences between the campaigns in a turbulent 2016 campaign season.
Backed by President Barack Obama and her party’s political elite, Clinton spent much of the last year fighting to unify Obama’s coalition of minorities and younger voters.
Trump has courted working-class white voters on the strength of his own celebrity, having scared off many would-be Republican allies during a campaign marred by extraordinary gaffes and self-created crises. Just four weeks ago, a video emerged in which a married Trump admitted to kissing women and grabbing their genitalia without their permission.
But Clinton has faced extraordinary challenges of her own in recent days after the FBI confirmed plans to renew its focus on the former secretary of state’s email practices. The development is seen as particularly threatening for Clinton in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire that don’t offer early voting.
At least 41 million Americans across 48 states have already cast ballots, according to an Associated Press analysis. That’s significantly more votes four days before Election Day than voted early in the 2012.
House Speaker Paul Ryan campaigned Saturday alongside Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence.
The speaker encouraged Republicans to “come home” to support Trump in Ryan’s home-state Wisconsin, ignoring for a day his icy relationship with the Republican nominee.
Rather than hunkering down in must-win Florida this weekend, Trump flew Saturday to Democratic-leaning territory: Wilmington, North Carolina, then Reno, Nevada, and Denver. And as defiant as ever, he promised to make subsequent appearances in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota.
Minnesota hasn’t cast its electoral votes for a Republican since 1972. A Republican nominee hasn’t won Michigan or Pennsylvania since 1988.
“We’re going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds, where we’re now either tied or leading,” he said in Florida.
Clinton, meanwhile, announced plans to devote valuable attention to Michigan, another unlikely battleground where both she and President Obama planned to campaign on Monday.
“I know Hillary all of a sudden, she’s making all of these trips, she’s going all over the place. She was supposed to be home sleeping. This is not good for her,” Trump told a crowd at his final rally Saturday night in Denver.
He said Clinton’s campaign must be “worried” as she plans trips to states like Michigan.
“See, Michigan was never really in play for a Republican, but you know what? It’s in play for us,” he said. “It’s in play now.”
Trump may not have Clinton’s celebrity help, but he has relied on his family for public support at times.
On Saturday, he made a rare campaign stop with his wife, Melania Trump.
While showering his wife with affection, Trump also boasted Saturday that he doesn’t need stars to fill his venues.
“We do it the old-fashioned way,” Trump said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Donald Trump is a machine….he is doing everything in his power to win the presidency so he can go to Washington DC and DRAIN THE SWAMP. This government has been corrupt for multiple decades and what’s interesting is finally after ALL these years the American people are finally realizing they have been DUPED……SCREWED…..LIED TO…..STOLEN FROM etc..etc..etc..!
What WE need at this point is for ALL Trump supporter’s to get off the couch and VOTE….tell you family members…your friends…your neighbors….your people at work….tell everyone to get out and vote…..otherwise we will be stuck with the most corrupt candidate in history running for the office of the president……….is this what you want for the next four years?
GET OUT and….VOTE….VOTE….VOTE…..VOTE….VOTE….VOTE….VOTE….TRUMP/PENCE…2016
AGREE! GOD HELP THE USA! We need all Christians for Trump to get out, vote, show we have a voice. The swing states are different in every poll that we see. So best defense, is go vote. Protect the unborn, protect our military, protect our country from terrorist invasion and illegal immigration, protect career politicians and corruption, protect the future of our country, protect who resides on the Supreme Court!!! and above all, Pray! Do we really want to live in a country of constant corruption, terrorist attacks, no free speech!! That is not the America I love.
We all have to get out and vote. Unless you wan’t that Hillary character to win. GO AND VOTE.
Vote for Trump!
Crooked Hillary can’t get her foot in the White House to kill unborn, innocent, helpless child. Christian get up and go to vote for Donald Trump to be a President .
Hillary rotten Clinton’s policies will not hurt the wealthy entertainers that are supporting her. Like most tax the rich schemes, Clinton’s plan will stick it to the working class people. Hollywood’s shallow performers and millionaire athletes have done well under Obama’s reign of error. It’s time to elect a president who will work to make America great again for all citizens. It’s time to elect Donald Trump president.
i vote so that my freedom to vote with a rifle is never needed.
just as all my fore bearers have.
as long as we have a constitution as it is now, that’s my hope for the country.
vote to preserve the constitution
DONALD TRUMP HAS THE SOLUTIONS TO AMERICAS PROBLEMS!
HILLARY CLINTON NOT A CLUE AND CAN’T REMEMBER A THING!
DONALD TRUMP DOESN’T NEED TO BE AMERICAS PRESIDENT!
AMERICA NEEDS DONALD TRUMP TO BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!
Number one reason to vote for Hillary Clinton: STUPIDITY!
Number one reason to vote for Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton!
Hillary Clinton put our entire country and the life of every AMERICAN citizen at risk with her unauthorized illegal email server and I as an AMERICAN taxpayer, demand that she be arrested and prosecuted for her crimes against AMERICA and the AMERICAN people! There is also the question of six billion dollars that went missing from the State Department when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, something that seems has been swept under the rug! Six billion dollars is as much as 800 average middle class AMERICAN workers earning$100,000.00 a year for 75 years would earn in their lifetimes and our government treats it with no more concern than an average AMERICAN would losing a shirt button! Hillary Clinton owes the AMERICAN taxpayers six billion dollars, it disappeared under her watch and she is responsible for finding it or replacing it with interest! I honestly don’t know how this woman that failed and let four AMERICANS die in Benghazi can even show her face in public or run for President or think that she has a snowballs chance in hell of getting elected! They died and she lied and lied and lied!
Where is the six billion dollars Hillary? That is not your money or the governments money that is the taxpayer’s money!