Only 17 days away from the US elections, President Donald Trump is grasping at straws with a hectic series of rallies across the United States to avert a potentially humiliating defeat. Trump stormed through the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin before overnighting in Nevada to make up lost ground against Democratic challengers Joe Biden, reported news agency AFP.

The frantic pace set by the 74-year-old president reflected the Republican Party’s rising concern. “President Trump’s strategy is to work for the vote of the American people,” AFP quoted spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany as saying on Fox News.

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“It’s why he’ll be in two states today, he’ll have two rallies tomorrow, two more in Arizona on Monday, and he’s going all-in,” McEnany added.

Biden kept a low profile in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware after making several stops in Michigan. 

“His failed response to the pandemic has crushed Wisconsin’s economy,” Biden said, noting that 150,000 state residents had lost jobs since Trump took office in 2016.

Trump himself is recovering from Covid-19, as are a few dozen other White House and campaign personnel, including McEnany, but she sought to impart a positive spin on the experience.

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“He’s been through Covid himself, he’s going to talk directly to the American people on that debate stage about his experience,” she said.

The final televised debate between the candidates — and one of Trump’s last opportunities to argue his case before a wide audience — is set for this Thursday. More than 21 million Americans have already cast early votes.

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McEnany said Trump would use the final debate to “talk about his great response to Covid.” It has been a tough case for Trump to make.

The virus has claimed more than 215,000 American lives — a dismal toll that is the world’s worst — and the president has frequently mocked or flouted health experts’ guidelines.