Biden's lead widens in Rust Belt, poll shows

With the race for the presidency approaching its end, Democrat Joe Biden holds a commanding national lead over President Donald Trump but polls show a tight race in several key battleground states.

Hoping to tip those states in his favor, Trump on Sunday kicked off a frenzied five-state tour, starting in Rust Belt Michigan.

A state Trump won in 2016, but in which Biden’s lead has slightly widened in the final days of the campaign, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls released Sunday.

Bracing himself against the cold in the town of Washington, Michigan, Trump, who trails Biden by 10 percentage points in Michigan touted his efforts to revive the auto industry.

"We brought back your car industry. Your car industry was finished. You would have had nothing left."

Since Trump took office -- however -- employment in manufacturing related to motor vehicles in Michigan has fallen by about 5,000 jobs.

And in Iowa -- where polls show a tight race -- Trump's message to voters was that he -- not Biden -- is the best person to manage the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

"We're going to have the best year next year."

Despite trailing Biden nationally, Trump is still close to his Democratic challenger in enough battleground states to give him the 270 state Electoral College votes needed to win a second term, with Reuters/Ipsos polls showing the race remains a toss up in Florida, North Carolina and Arizona.

Biden, campaigning in closely contested Pennsylvania on Sunday, underscored the importance of a win there on November 3rd.

"President Trump is terrified what will happen in Pennsylvania. He knows that if you get to have your say, he doesn't stand a chance."

And he implored his supporters to turn out to vote on Tuesday.

"There's too much on the line to sit it out. We only have two more days. In two more days, we can put an end to this presidency that has from the very beginning sought to divide us, to tear us apart."

The final push by both candidates comes amid an unprecedented turnout in early voting.

Americans have already cast a record-breaking 93 million early votes either in-person or by mail, according to the U.S. Elections Project.