Trump, First Lady make joint appearance, cheer GDP

First lady Melania Trump made her first joint campaign appearance of the year with her husband Thursday, in the crucial battleground state of Florida.

Mrs. Trump warmed up the large crowd outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for President Donald Trump.

She used her few minutes in the spotlight to echo her husband’s push to downplay the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 228,000 Americans. She predicted that that the nation will soon “overcome this pandemic and continue building the brightest future for generations to come.”

The first lady in her speech also called the U.S. “a country of hope” and said her husband has proven himself “a leader who shows us that every single day."

Trump and his rival, Democrat Joe Biden both spent the day in Florida, a state all but essential to the Republican's pathway to another term.

More than 73 million Americans have already voted, absentee or by mail, and Trump and Biden are trying to energize the millions more who will vote on Tuesday.

Trump was celebrating a new federal estimate that the economy grew at a stunning 33.1% annual rate in the July-September quarter - by far the largest quarterly gain on record - making up ground from its epic plunge in the spring, when the eruption of the coronavirus closed businesses and threw tens of millions out of work.

"We are doing great. Did you see the number today? 33.1 GDP, the biggest in the history of our country by almost triple," Trump said. "It's very much bigger than any GDP we've ever had."

But economists warned that the economy is already weakening again and facing renewed threats as confirmed viral cases are surge, hiring has slowed and federal stimulus help has largely run out.