President says he is ready to approve $160 billion instead of stimulus as polls show Biden lead widening.
By Paul Shindman, World Israel News
President Trump came out swinging an economic bat Wednesday after two separate polls showed Democratic candidate Joe Biden had widened his lead in the presidential election race.
Facing criticism for pushing off economic stimulus talks until after the election, Trump said he was ready to sign immediate orders for $160 billion to help those hit economically by the coronavirus, including airlines that recently announced tens of thousands of layoffs.
“The House & Senate should IMMEDIATELY Approve 25 Billion Dollars for Airline Payroll Support, & 135 Billion Dollars for Paycheck Protection Program for Small Business,” Trump tweeted. “Both of these will be fully paid for with unused funds from the Cares Act. Have this money. I will sign now!”
Trump also tweeted he would approve a standalone bill to send Americans $1,200 stimulus checks, calling on Democratic Party politicians to cooperate.
“I am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?” Trump said in a tweet aimed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Two separate polls from major news organizations showed Democratic candidate Joe Biden widening his lead over Trump with the election just under four weeks away.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed Biden leading Trump by 14 points, up 8% from a previous poll. The survey of registered voters finds 53% will support Biden to Trump’s 39%. Eight percent were undecided.
A CNN/SSRS poll gave a slightly wider margin to Biden with 56% of registered voters who answered that poll saying they were planning to vote for Biden while only 41% said they were backing Trump.
The surge in support for Biden came after the first presidential debate last week. In the NBC/WSJ poll voters felt by a 2-to-1 margin that Biden has the better temperament to be president.
Biden tweeted to his supporters not to pay attention to the polling numbers and to keep their focus on the campaign.
“Ignore the polls, folks. There’s too much at stake for us to get complacent,” Biden tweeted.
The NBC/WSJ was conducted after the debate, which was marked by mutual insults and a breakdown in decorum, but before Trump announced that he and his wife Melania both tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The clear loser from the debate was Donald Trump,” pollster Jeff Horwitt told NBC. “And at least for the short term, this has damaged his standing against Joe Biden.”
According to the poll, 49% of voters said Biden did better in the debate, while only 24% said Trump was the better candidate. Of those polled, 17% said neither was better.
However, the vast majority of those polled, 73%, said the debate made no difference in how they will vote.