Ralph Biden is a retired graphic designer in Surrey and has been identified as the cousin of the man President Donald Trump has called ‘Sleepy Joe’. But he is unsure whether his distant cousin is fit to take over the White House.
Ralph did not know he was related to Joe Biden until The Times approached him.
He told The Times: “In my heart of hearts he’s a little bit too old for the job, but then again Winston Churchill was about the same age when he was elected again after the war and he didn’t do a bad job, so who knows.”
Ralph Biden is the father of two children and grandfather of three children.
His own father was adopted and Ralph is said to be either the fourth of fifth cousin of Joe Biden, according to The Times.
He said: “I vote Conservative. Actually I was voting for Brexit at the last election.”
He added that his distant relative could do a good job in the White House but would face huge political polarization.
Ralph said: “I think he would make a good president, my question would be how long for? It’s got to be a very high-pressure job and the buck stops in the Oval Office, he’s going to inherit a country that’s going to be horribly divided.”
He added: “I thought I could be related to him when Joe Biden became vice-president but I didn’t really think it and just joked with a friend about it — that I was a distant cousin several times removed.
Joe Biden has summoned up the Motown star power of Stevie Wonder and political heft of Barack Obama in a glitzy rally in Detroit as the US presidential campaign entered its final stages.
Obama appeared alongside his former vice-president for the first time in this year's race for the White House, at two drive-in rallies in the crucial swing state of Michigan.
And, in a performance of his classic hit Superstition, Wonder adapted the lyrics to urge the crowd that "Biden-Harris is the way".
Image:Former US president Barack Obama also spoke at the campaign event in Detroit
Biden has repeatedly invoked his eight years working alongside America's 44th president as part of his sales pitch to the American people to become its 46th.
In Michigan, Obama continued to mock his successor Donald Trump, especially for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Trump had "completely screwed it up."
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"Trump cares about feeding his ego," Obama said. "Joe cares about keeping you safe and your family safe, and getting country moving again. That's why you've got to vote."
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Obama joins Biden on campaign trail
In the state that prides itself as the capital of America's car industry, there was something apt about Biden's drive-in rallies. Some sat on the bonnets and roofs of their cars, others popped their heads up through the sunroof into the near-zero temperatures.
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Even four years after he left office, it is clear Obama still has the energy and zeal for campaigning. No one needs reminding though of the muted impact his efforts for Hillary Clinton had in 2016.
Biden has also been hammering Trump's record but, like Obama, is focused on driving turnout on Tuesday to send a message to the president that "it is time to pack up and go home".
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Podcast: Will it be Biden or Trump?
"In three days, we can put an end to a presidency that has divided this nation. In three days, we can put an end to a presidency that has failed to protect this nation. In three days, we can put an end to a presidency that has fanned the flames of hate all across this nation," he said.
Four years ago, Democrats neglected Michigan in the last days of the campaign and paid the price when Trump won it by 10,000 votes. Supporters of the president believe a repeat is possible this time.
Image:Sky News US election coverage
At the Halloween drive-through trick-or-treat in Flint, while the minds of children were on the games and candy, the adults pondered what is at stake. The voters we spoke to were evenly divided politically.
In his "I Love Jesus" cap, Lee Williams said: "Trump has been out for himself. He has done what he was going to do, and he will have to face God in the end."
Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught African American surveyor, astronomer and horologist.
In 1791 - at the request of Thomas Jefferson - he assisted in the layout of modern Washington DC - the capital of a nation, currently undergoing the painful process of selecting its president and commander- in-chief for the next four years.
Banneker's contribution to the design of America's seat of power is now rather overlooked. His legacy is marked in a nondescript park beside an expressway south of the National Mall.
The son of a freed slave, Banneker was most celebrated in his lifetime for publishing an almanac between the years of 1792 and 1797 making remarkably accurate predictions about the year ahead, which became a staple of American homesteads.
Image:Dermot Murnaghan examines the significance of Benjamin Banneker
In the spirit of Banneker, but without attempting to emulate his prescience, I'm going to have a stab at seven pointers to watch out for in this most turbulent, bitter and crucial of elections.
1. America's oldest president
I'll start with a banker.
The US is going to install its oldest ever president - by quite a long chalk. Joe Biden would be 78 by inauguration day next January, Donald Trump 74.
The founding fathers (they were all men) when they were considering the age issue in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were only concerned about the president being too youthful, not elderly. Therefore Article II of the US Constitution specifies a minimum age of 35, but no upper limit.
Previous oldest office holders were Donald Trump himself - he was 70 at his inauguration in 2016. Ronald Reagan was a shade younger at 69 in 1980, and William Henry Harrison was 68, on assuming power in 1841. And for the pub quizzers out there John F Kennedy was, of course, the youngest at 43.
2. Florida is going to be crucial - again
With the joint third largest electoral college haul - 29 - for a candidate, this swing state is the crucible of the battle for power.
Trump won the sunshine state by just over 100,000 votes in 2016. Previously Barack Obama captured it twice for the Democrats.
But the disputed result of 2000 looms in the background. It took several recounts and ultimately an adjudication by the Supreme Court to decide the outcome. George W Bush captured the state, and the presidency by a margin of 537 votes.
This time both parties have legions of lawyers standing by.
Image:Voters casting early ballots in Florida, one of the states in which voters received emails
Watch individual counties for early indicators on how Florida might go - Like Sumter county - it has a large postal vote (84% in 2016) amongst its elderly population, which officials start counting before polls close. If Sumter's results show Biden making inroads into the over-65 vote, it could be a good night for him.
If Trump loses Florida, his path to power becomes much more difficult. Other swing states to watch like a hawk: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa, Ohio and Georgia.
3. Don't expect either to do the decent thing
Watch out for reluctance by the candidates to concede.
The Democrats are haunted by that experience in 2000. They now believe it was a strategic error for Al Gore to originally concede the election to Bush after some US TV networks called Florida for the Republicans. A few hours later Gore retracted, but had lost the initiative.
If results are being contested, no one's going to be picking up the phone early this time, and Donald Trump has made it quite clear in advance that he believes the vote could be rigged - particularly the postal vote.
Hillary Clinton conceded to Donald Trump in the early hours the day after the election in 2016. But she's advised Joe Biden not to concede "under any circumstances." There's no requirement to do so. It's a convention. Don't expect anyone to do the decent thing early this time.
We're in uncharted territory here if Trump loses and refuses to respect the outcome. Will the right-wing Proud Boys and others take to the streets to support him? His first tweets in the wee small hours will reveal plenty about his thinking on that, no doubt.
If Biden finds the polls have ultimately flattered to deceive once again, will outraged AntiFa protesters and others vent their frustrations?
Sales of guns to worried suburban families are soaring. There are shortages of ammunition. And shops and offices are being boarded up in Washington as I write.
There's so much to absorb. So many straws in the wind. So many potential indicators. But if you fix one number in your mind make it 270.
That's the minimum number of electoral college votes a candidate needs to win.
There are 538 electoral college votes available from the 50 states plus Washington DC. Half 538 plus one - and you're the victor. Each state has a different number of votes allotted to it based on the size of its population. California has the most at 55. A swing state such as Pennsylvania has 20.
It's mostly winner takes all in a state, so even if a candidate wins narrowly they get all the electoral college votes - Trump won Michigan by 0.2% in 2016 but captured all its 16 votes.
Who came up with this system?
Yep - those founding fathers again. They didn't really trust the voters to elect a president at all and were considering simply appointing one, but eventually decided to let the electors in individual states to get involved.
It's not ideal as the Americans admit, particularly when a candidate gets more votes than their rival nationally - but then loses in the electoral college because of the vote distribution. That was Clinton's experience in 2016. She got about 3 million more votes than Trump overall, but they were piled up in populous Democrat friendly states like California and New York, not where she needed them - Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
But look at the situation in the UK. We get no direct say at all in who becomes prime minister - the last two in a row, Johnson and May, were installed by their parties before they ever faced the electorate.
5. Acronyms
POTUS appoints ACB to SCOTUS to replace RBG.
Let me translate - and explain why it is so significant.
A week before election day the President Of The United States saw Amy Coney Barrett - a conservative judge appointed to the Supreme Court Of The United States to replace the liberal Ruth Bader Ginsberg who had died a month earlier.
Image:Conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in at the White House
If legal disputes break out about the election as described above, and the Supreme Court gets involved, Donald Trump has a healthy six to three conservative majority in the court now. Amy Coney Barrett has refused to say whether she would recuse herself from any decisions about the election result.
6. Coronavirus
There's no getting away from it.
Its tentacles have reached into every aspect of the campaign - on health, the economy, foreign relations. Mask wearing has become a potent political signifier.
Masked up on your own outside? Probably a Democrat.
No mask, even in a group? Ardent Trumpite.
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Mask off: Trump back at White House
And there's something of a correlation between the swing states where COVID-19 is accelerating most and Biden's poll lead, particularly in the Upper Midwest. Watch for that when the results come in.
7. The urban spaceman
Or maybe ground control to Major Mark? This is the undercard so to speak to the main presidential event. The battle for the Senate.
Image:Mark Kelly is a former astronaut running to join the Senate
Any president faces huge obstacles in getting their programme implemented if the Senate is controlled by the opposition. At the moment there's a Republican majority. Which is why Trump was able to fast track the appointment of ACB to the Supreme Court.
Naturally the Democrats are trying to seize control, and have great expectations, which is where people like Major Mark Kelly come in.
A former Navy captain and NASA shuttle astronaut, he's in a highly competitive race against Republican Martha McSally for a seat in Arizona. If Kelly prevails he'd become the fourth former astronaut to make it into Congress.
The Democrats would also need to win three or four more races in states like Colorado, Maine and North Carolina to win control of the Senate, which would either be a consolation prize if they lose the race for the White House - or a massive boost for a President Biden?
So - a critical evening (and maybe longer) ahead for the United States and the world.
Just remember two things to keep front and centre - 270 and those swing states - we'll guide you through the rest with our incredible team of experts.
Our coverage starts at 10pm on Tuesday, 3 November. Do NOT miss it.
Even President's aide says Donald Trump is the only person in the White House who thinks he'll win the election as latest polls put Joe Biden eight points ahead
Trump is embarking on frantic 14-stop tour of key battleground states across US
A record 90 million votes have already been cast ahead of next week's election
One pollster said: 'Trump is the Houdini of politics' and can still cause an upset
Donald Trump's hopes of a second term as US President appeared to be fading last night with even his closest aides admitting: 'The only person in the White House who thinks Trump can win is Trump himself.'
As the President embarked on a frantic 14-stop tour of key battleground states across America, the latest polls put his Democratic rival Joe Biden eight points ahead with a record 90 million votes already cast. A Fox News poll had Mr Biden ahead by 52 per cent to 44.
However, victory for either candidate will come down to a small number of 'swing states' including Florida and Pennsylvania where Mr Trump and Mr Biden are running neck and neck.
Under the US system – in which states are assigned a number of 'electoral votes' with candidates needing a total of 270 to win – it is possible for a candidate to triumph in the popular vote and yet lose.
Donald Trump's hopes of a second term as US President appeared to be fading last night with even his closest aides admitting: 'The only person in the White House who thinks Trump can win is Trump himself'
Doctor fury at 'Covid cash' claim
Doctors reacted with fury after Donald Trump claimed at an election rally they were deliberately inflating Covid case numbers to make money.
'Our doctors get more money if somebody dies from Covid. You know that, right?' he told the rally in Michigan. 'Our doctors are very smart people. So what they do is they say, 'I'm sorry but everybody dies of Covid.' '
He said other countries, such as Germany, put less emphasis on the virus as a cause of death. 'With us, when in doubt, choose Covid,' he claimed. 'It's true.'
Medical groups rubbished his claim while pointing out that doctors, nurses and carers had risked their lives to treat people infected with the disease.
'They did it because duty called and because of the sacred oath they took,' said Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association.
'The suggestion doctors – in the midst of a public health crisis – are over-counting Covid-19 patients or lying to line their pockets is a malicious, outrageous and completely misguided charge,' she said.
Democratic challenger Joe Biden has attacked the President's cavalier response as the second wave soared across America with 1,000 deaths a day.
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Four years ago, Hillary Clinton won three million more votes at the ballot box than Mr Trump, but he captured 304 electoral votes and cruised to victory.
One pollster said: 'Hillary was ahead before the last election and we all know how that turned out, but Biden has double the lead she had at this point.
'The race is Biden's to lose, but Trump is the Houdini of politics and if anyone can pull off an upset then it's him.'
However, a source within the White House last night painted a gloomy picture for the incumbent. 'Most people accept it's over. We've all got other jobs lined up,' the insider said. 'At this point, the only person in the White House who thinks Donald Trump can win is Trump himself.
'But he's a streetfighter and there is a small path to victory if he takes Florida and Pennsylvania. It's unlikely but do-able.'
A record 150 million Americans are expected to cast their vote at the end of a campaign dominated by Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic and violent protests sparked by the killings of unarmed black men and women by police.
Cities from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York have cancelled police leave and governors of many states, including California, have the National Guard standing by in case violence erupts.
The Pentagon has a plan in place to send troops on to the streets of Washington DC should protesters gather if Mr Trump loses. Armed militia groups have threatened to disrupt polling.
Unless one candidate wins by a landslide, the outcome is unlikely to be known on Tuesday night. Mr Trump has already vowed to challenge a win by Mr Biden and says the postal ballot system is rigged against him 'There are thousands of fake ballots and they are working against us,' he said last week. We are going to take this all the way to the Supreme Court if needs be.'
There has been speculation about the future of First Lady Melania. According to one report, she negotiated a post-nuptial deal with Mr Trump to stay with him while he was in the White House, but divorce afterwards. Her spokesperson denied the allegation at the time
If the election is eventually decided by the Supreme Court, Mr Trump may have an advantage, given that he has appointed three Republican judges during his term including, most recently, Amy Coney Barrett.
Mr Biden yesterday appeared alongside former President Barack Obama at a rally in Michigan. Music legend Stevie Wonder was set to play at another Biden rally last night. Mr Biden, 77, has been dubbed 'Sleepy Joe' by Mr Trump, 74, and has made frequent gaffes during the campaign. There have been subtle signs that Trump is preparing for life after the White House.
Last week, he cancelled a 'victory party' scheduled to be held at his Trump Hotel in Washington DC. He told aides it was because he felt 'superstitious'.
His son-in-law Jared Kushner – married to Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka – has also been having meetings with media companies and major investment banks to discuss a possible 'Trump TV' network.
And there has been speculation about the future of First Lady Melania. According to one report, she negotiated a post-nuptial deal with Mr Trump to stay with him while he was in the White House, but divorce afterwards.
Her spokesperson denied the allegation at the time.
President Trump had a slightly bumpy relationship with Theresa May, the first British prime minister he had to deal with in his presidency.
He arrived for his first visit to the UK as president on 12 July 2018 but it was immediately overshadowed by the publication of an interview the US president gave to The Sun newspaper.
In it, he said the UK would "probably not" get a trade deal with the US if the prime minister's Brexit plan went ahead.
"If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal," he told the paper, adding that Mrs May's plan "will definitely affect trade with the United States, unfortunately in a negative way."
But at a joint news conference on the second day of his visit, he changed his tone and said a trade deal "will absolutely be possible" after the UK leaves the EU. He also said Brexit was an "incredible opportunity".
Mr Trump also met the Queen, although there was no open carriage ride with her through the streets of the capital as the trip was designated a "working visit" rather than an official state visit.
Asked about the protests that greeted his arrival in the UK, he insisted many people were "delighted" he was visiting, adding: "I get thousands of notifications from people in the UK that they love the president of the United States."
This time around, the president was given the honour of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, during which he praised the "eternal friendship" between the UK and US.
But earlier in the day, he had called London Mayor Sadiq Khan - who had said the UK should "not roll out the red carpet" for Mr Trump - a "stone cold loser".
A few weeks later, Mr Trump also laid into Mrs May and her proposed Brexit deal, tweeting: "What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way."
So it was little surprise when Mr Trump appeared excited to congratulate Boris Johnson on becoming the new prime minister in July 2019, saying: "He will be great!"
When asked what advice he would give to Mr Johnson on Brexit, the president replied: "He needs no advice. He's the right man for the job. I've been saying that for a long time."
While the pair have enjoyed warm personal relations, there have been some differences on policy, most notably on China, the Iran nuclear deal and the future of Nato.
But after this year, they now have another thing in common - they both got and recovered from coronavirus. When Mr Johnson left intensive care back in April, Mr Trump said it was "great news" and after he returned to the White House to recover from the virus in October, he thanked the British PM for "his friendship and support".
US Election 2020: Biden and Trump in last weekend dash round swing states
Published
image copyrightReuters
US Democratic candidate Joe Biden is in Michigan and President Donald Trump is in Pennsylvania, states that could be key to winning the White House as the last weekend of campaigning hots up.
Mr Biden, joined by ex-President Barack Obama, said the US was "done with the chaos" of the Trump administration.
Mr Trump said there would be a "great red wave" of Republican victories.
Mr Biden has a solid lead in the polls, but his advantage is narrower in swing states that could decide the election.
More than 85 million people have voted early in the US elections, 55 million of them by post, setting the country on course for its biggest voter turnout in over a century.
Mr Biden and Mr Obama campaigned at a drive-in event in Flint, Michigan, before heading to Detroit where they were joined by singer Stevie Wonder. Mr Trump narrowly won Michigan in 2016.
image copyrightReuters
In his first appearance on the campaign trail with his former vice-president, Mr Obama compared Mr Biden's character favourably with Mr Trump's.
"It used to be that being a man meant taking care of other people... not looking for credit but trying to live right," he said.
"When you elect Joe, that's what you'll see reflected from the White House."
Taking the stage, Mr Biden tore into his opponent, saying it was time for him to "pack his bags and go home".
"We're done with the chaos, the tweets, the anger, the failure, the refusal to take any responsibility," he added.
Mr Biden's campaign events have generally been small, as the candidate keeps rigorously to social distancing rules.
Not so Mr Trump, who is holding a series of four rallies in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
At the first, in Newtown, he appeared on stage serenaded by chants of "Four more years!" and told the state where the US independence movement began centuries ago that "three days from now this is the state that will save the American dream".
He also joked about his recent brush with coronavirus, which also infected First Lady Melania Trump.
"At least those rumours that we don't live together proved to be false," he said.
image copyrightReuters
After a rally of several hundred people - relatively small for him - the president flew to Reading, where thousands greeted him on the tarmac.
Mr Trump is planning another 10 rallies over the final two days of the campaign.
His campaign has five events in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida on Sunday, and then five more on election eve in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
A Greek Orthodox priest was left with life-threatening gunshot wounds in the French city of Lyon.
Police said the priest, aged in his 40s, was fired at twice while he was closing a church at about 4pm.
Officers locked down the area and had told the public to stay away while the suspect was at large. Police later confirmed that an arrest had been made.
Image:Police and ambulance workers are at the scene
The alleged gunman was alone and fired from a hunting rifle, a police source said, while local media described seeing an injured man being stretchered from the church.
Anti-terrorist authorities were not investigating the shooting.
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In a statement, a Lyon prosecutor said residents heard shots and screaming near the church, and when officers arrived they saw an individual running away and found the wounded priest by the back door of the building.
It is understood the suspect was wearing a long black raincoat and a black hat.
Antoine Callot, pastor at another Greek Orthodox church in Lyon, said he asked police for security protection at his church after the shooting.
"We are anxious and anguished. It's really horrible," he said. "Now we need to hide and be careful."
In a tweet, the mayor of Lyon, Gregory Doucet said: "My first thoughts are with the very seriously injured victim. The motive is unknown, the suspect is on the run. An investigation is underway, let's be careful."
Meanwhile, the British Embassy in France posted an alert about the "ongoing security incident" in the Jean-Mace area of the city's 7th arrondissement.
It comes two days after a woman was beheaded and two others killed by a man shouting "Allahu Akbar" in a church in Nice. The incident took place on the same day Muslims celebrate the Prophet Mohammad's birthday.
France's defence of the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet have angered many Muslims around the world and deepened tensions in the nation.
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Emergency workers shut the street in the Paris attack a fortnight ago
Ministers have warned of a risk of other Islamist militant attacks.
In response to the recent violence, President Emmanuel Macron sent thousands of soldiers to protect sites such as schools and places of worship.
After today's shooting, French Prime Minister Jean Castex reiterated a commitment to guard those places.
Image:Protests against the French President have been ongoing
He said French people can "count on the nation to allow them to practice their religion in full safety and freedom".
But, despite this promise, there has been no obvious visible increase in police or military presence at many popular churches and mosques.
No one was guarding the Lyon church attacked today or the one attacked in Nice on Thursday.
A Greek Orthodox priest is in a life-threatening condition after being shot by a gunman who remains at large in the French city of Lyon.
Police said the priest, aged in his 40s, was fired at twice in the abdomen while he was closing the church in the French city at about 4pm.
Officers locked down the area and told the public to stay away.
Image:Police and ambulance workers are at the scene where the attacker fled
The gunman was alone and fired from a hunting rifle, a police source said, while local media described seeing an injured man being stretchered from the church.
Anti-terrorist authorities were not investigating the shooting, but a special emergency team is following the case while officers search for the gunman.
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In a statement, a Lyon prosecutor said residents heard shots and screaming near the church, and when officers arrived they saw an individual running away and found the wounded priest by the back door of the building.
It is understood the suspect was wearing a long black raincoat and a black hat.
Antoine Callot, pastor at another Greek Orthodox church in Lyon, said he asked police for security protection at his church after the shooting.
"We are anxious and anguished. It's really horrible," he said. "Now we need to hide and be careful."
In a tweet, the mayor of Lyon, Gregory Doucet said: "My first thoughts are with the very seriously injured victim. The motive is unknown, the suspect is on the run. An investigation is underway, let's be careful."
Meanwhile, the British Embassy in France posted an alert about the "ongoing security incident" in the Jean-Mace area of the city's 7th arrondissement.
Image:A relative of a victim of the knife attack in Nice cries
It comes two days after a woman was beheaded and two others killed by a man shouting "Allahu Akbar" in a church in Nice. The incident took place on the same day Muslims celebrate the Prophet Mohammad's birthday.
France's defence of the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet have angered many Muslims around the world and deepened tensions in the nation.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Emergency workers shut the street in the Paris attack a fortnight ago
Ministers have warned of a risk of other Islamist militant attacks.
In response to the recent violence, President Emmanuel Macron sent thousands of soldiers to protect sites such as schools and places of worship.
After today's shooting, French Prime Minister Jean Castex reiterated a commitment to guard those places.
Image:Protests against the French President have been ongoing
He said French people can "count on the nation to allow them to practice their religion in full safety and freedom".
But, despite this promise, there has been no obvious visible increase in police or military presence at many popular churches and mosques.
No one was guarding the Lyon church attacked today or the one attacked in Nice on Thursday.
