Trump, Pence tag team battleground state for SpaceX launch

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hoping the first launch of American astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly a decade will give the nation’s spirit a boost after months of battling the coronavirus.

Amid uncertainty about whether the weather would allow for liftoff, Trump departed Washington for the Florida coast to mark the return of NASA astronaut launches from the U.S. — and the first attempt by a private company.

It’s the latest visit to an important 2020 battleground state as the president emerges from his White House bubble and expands his travel itinerary. Earlier this month, Trump visited Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all states he narrowly won in 2016.

Trump used those trips to highlight the manufacturing of ventilators and personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, but also to mock Joe Biden, his Democratic rival for the presidency, and the Obama administration.

The Florida trip could give Trump a chance to celebrate a moment of American achievement and, at least momentarily, deflect attention from the pandemic that's exacted an enormous toll on the nation's health and economy. He was also expected to highlight his efforts to boost NASA funding in a bid to return American astronauts to the moon by 2024, indirectly benefiting Florida-based companies competing for NASA’s business.

Trump’s prospects for reelection depend greatly upon winning Florida’s 29 electoral votes. The state went his way by 1.2 percentage points in 2016. Four years earlier, Democrat Barack Obama won it by just 0.9 percentage points.

Trump is encouraging states to loosen restrictions on economic activity put into place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But many older people are worried about whether steps to improve the economy will endanger...