Notable Quote of the Day

“When you look at the rural areas, it’s the margins that matter. The suburbs get a lot of attention because you have those counties that used to be red, and now they’re blue. When you see that on a map on TV, it looks dramatic. But all these places that went from like 60-40 Republican to 80-20 for Trump are just as dramatic and they were critical to the result.”

– David Hopkins, associate professor of political science at Boston College

Election Updates

• The Los Angeles Times endorsed Joe Biden on Thursday. The paper last backed a Republican nominee in 1972, endorsing Richard Nixon’s campaign, before taking a hiatus from endorsements for 36 years.
   
• In a recorded interview with journalist Bob Woodward from February 2020 released on Wednesday, Donald Trump discussed the dangers of the coronavirus. He said it was deadlier than the flu and a delicate issue because it was airborne. In another interview about the coronavirus from March 2020, Trump said, “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.”
   
• During an event in Michigan, Biden addressed Trump’s comments, saying, “He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. And while this deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose. It was a life-and-death betrayal of the American people.”
   
• Trump defended his comments in a Fox News interview on Wednesday. He said, “I'm the leader of the country, I can't be jumping up and down and scaring people. I don't want to scare people. I want people not to panic, and that's exactly what I did.”
   
• Trump and the Republican National Committee raised $210 million in August, setting a record for the campaign. They trailed Biden and the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising total for the month by $154 million.
   
• Trump released a list of 20 potential Supreme Court nominees on Wednesday. The list includes Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.), Ted Cruz (Texas), and Josh Hawley (Mo.), and five current or former members of his administration.
   
• Trump is speaking at the MBS International Airport in Saginaw County, Michigan, on Thursday evening.

Flashback: September 10, 2016

TIME reported that Hillary Clinton said at a fundraiser, “You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables.”