Trump says he has 'always competed against' Abraham Lincoln

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Donald Trump on Monday said he has "always competed" against Abraham Lincoln, as he again attempted to draw comparisons between himself and the iconic 19th-century president, who was born into a poor family, governed America through the civil war and played a key role in ending slavery.

"You know we're the party of Abraham Lincoln, a lot of people don't know that. The great Abraham Lincoln, a man that I've always competed against," Mr Trump, 74, told a packed Make American Great Rally at iG Flight Services in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania – a key battleground in November's election.

"I said, 'I can be more presidential than any president ever, except for the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln when he's wearing the hat,'" the president added in his last campaign stop in the 'rust belt' state, where Democratic challenger, Joe Biden holds a healthy poll lead on his home turf.

At 6ft 4in, Lincoln towered over many of his colleagues. Mr Trump is 6ft 2in. Lincoln’s appearance was made all the more striking by his wearing of high top hats, which Mr Trump alluded to in his remarks. As well as playing a pivotal role in ending slavery, Lincoln was a fervent defender of democracy and America's fractious union.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has launched a full-scale assault on the media during his time in office, used dog-whistle racism tactics throughout his reelection campaign and attempted to sow doubt in the legitimacy of November’s election result.

His Monday night comments were not the first occasion on which he compared himself to Lincoln. Back in September, the president told a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, that Lincoln was "not big on the Hispanic movement" as he attempted to woo Latino voters. He then told the majority-black city that his administration had done more for their community than any other since Lincoln.

The president's visit to Martinsburg came during a frantic campaigning blitz in Pennsylvania, whose haul of 20 electoral college votes could be key in deciding who enters the White House next. 

Trailing Mr Biden by some 5 percentage points, Mr Trump attempted to ram home his message on fracking, in a state where the economy relies heavily on the energy industry.

With just over a week to go until election day, Mr Trump told supporters at a separate rally in Allentown that “Biden confirmed his plan to abolish the entire US oil industry". He was referring to comments made by Mr Biden, 77, during last week's final presidential debate in which he said he would "transition" away from the oil industry.

Mr Biden quickly clarified his remarks, telling reporters in post-debate remarks that he planned to end subsidies for fossil fuels rather than scrap the industry entirely. Mr Trump has claimed for months that Mr Biden wants to ban fracking. Mr Biden has said he would only push for an end to new oil and gas permits on federal lad – not existing ones, such as those in Pennsylvania.

Mr Biden will on Tuesday take his campaign on the offensive with a visit to Georgia, as he pushes into territory where Mr Trump was once expected to easily repeat his wins from four years ago. He is scheduled to travel to Iowa, which Trump took by 10 points in 2016, later in the week.  

His running mate, California senator, Kamala Harris, is heading to Arizona and Texas, where Republicans haven't lost any statewide office since 1994 — the nation's longest political winning streak. Meanwhile, Mr Trump will make visits  Michigan, Iowa and New England before targetting other key swing states later in the week.