Trump makes one last pitch to Michigan voters during crunch blitz

US President Donald Trump today launched one final test of whether the large crowds at his rallies will translate into votes.

Mr Trump is racing through the final 48 hours of the 2020 campaign with an onslaught of events in the states that could decide the race.

A rally north of Detroit on a frigid morning kicked off a frenzied blitz of campaigning over the last two days before the election, with nine more rallies to go.

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Down in the polls and at a cash disadvantage to Democrat Joe Biden, Mr Trump is turning to these large gatherings to help keep his message in front of voters.

He began the final push in Washington, Michigan, at an outdoor rally with whipping winds and temperatures that felt well below freezing.

"It's really a contest to see if we can all stand it. And we'll get through it. And we'll love it," said Mr Trump, who jokingly complained throughout his speech about the cold.

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"Proud citizens like you helped build this country and together we are taking back our country. We are returning power to you, the American people. With your help, your devotion and your drive, we are going to keep on working, we are going to keep on fighting. And we are going to keep on winning, winning, winning," he later said.

It's unclear whether the rallies will broaden his appeal beyond those people already likely to vote for him, and the packed - often unmasked - crowds risk deepening the pandemic at a time when coronavirus cases are rising.

But Mr Trump, still relishing his late surge against Hillary Clinton in 2016, sees his showmanship as a central element of his outsider appeal that he hopes will resonate once more.

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With more than 91 million votes already cast, Mr Trump and Mr Biden are out of time to reshape the race.

Instead, they're focusing on their base and making sure that any potential supporters have either already voted or plan to do so in person on Tuesday (local time).

Mr Trump's final blitz includes 10 rallies in the final 48 hours of the campaign.

Today he will visit Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Mr Biden has just finished speaking to voters in in Philadelphia as he tries to win support in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Both of Mr Biden's scheduled events today were in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, shops and offices in downtown Washington have been boarded up ahead of Tuesday's presidential election to brace the possible riot break out during election week.

The FBI is investigating the alleged harassment of a Biden campaign bus last week by motorists displaying Trump 2020 flags.

The incident took place in Texas on Friday as the campaign bus was travelling from San Antonio to Austin as part of a push to urge Biden supporters to cast their ballots on the state's last day of early voting.

A Biden campaign official described the motorists' actions as an attempt to slow down the bus and run it off the road.

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People in vehicles that were part of a "Trump Train" began yelling profanities and obscenities and then blockaded the entire Biden entourage, according to a source familiar with the incident.

The vehicles slowed down to try to stop the bus in the middle of the highway. The source said there were nearly 100 vehicles around the campaign bus. Biden staffers were rattled by the event, the source said, though no one was hurt.

Neither Mr Biden nor his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, were on the bus.

Staffers on the bus called 911, which eventually led to local law enforcement assisting the bus to its destination.

President Trump tweeted a video of the bus incident with the words "I LOVE TEXAS!" on Saturday, and claimed at a campaign rally that his supporters were "protecting" the bus.

-Reported with CNN, Associated Press

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