With Pennsylvania widely seen as the pivotal state in the 2020 election, President Donald Trump has had no shortage of criticisms — many of them rooted in falsehoods — for Gov. Tom Wolf.

He took the feud a step further during a Lehigh Valley rally earlier this week when he threatened to withhold future federal disaster aid.

“I’ll remember it, Tom. I’m going to remember it, Tom,” Trump said before doing an impersonation of Wolf, holding his hand to his ear like a phone. “‘Hello, Mr. President, this is Governor Wolf. I need help. I need help.’  You know what, these people are bad.”

So how worried should residents be about possible retribution?

Jeff Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Earth Institute, told Spotlight PA the president’s statements are part of a pattern that politicizes the government’s disaster response and "erodes trust" in the system.

The Context: Trump won Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes in 2016, and the Associated Press recently reported that his re-election chances hinge on winning Florida and Pennsylvania this year.

On one hand, it's pretty natural for a Republican president to go after a Democratic politician in a state he needs to win. But Democratic lawmakers and Schlegelmilch say the president's comments go further than usual political jabs, and call into question whether the federal government will be there when people need it most.

Earlier this month, shortly after the president wrote on Twitter that “California is going to hell. Vote Trump!”, his administration rejected a disaster declaration for the state’s wildfires. Less than two days later and facing criticism, Trump reversed course and approved California’s request.

The threat of the coronavirus looms larger every day in Pennsylvania. New confirmed cases are at all-time highs, and the percent of tests coming back positive and hospitalizations are both increasing at their fastest rates in months. Officials are increasingly concerned about the extent of a “fall resurgence,” and officials are advising that Thanksgiving and Christmas plans be limited to immediate family only. 

“It’s really a melodrama type of situation. It’s got all of the elements of a movie coming out.”

––  Tom Spencer, vice president of the Lawyers Democracy Fund, who told Spotlight PA that the legal fight in Pennsylvania could be similar to Bush v. Gore stemming from Florida's 2000 election

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FEELING JOLLY?: The Christmas City, aka beautiful Bethlehem, is looking for someone to donate a Christmas tree for one of its plazas. Officials say they aren't looking for the towering annual Tannenbaum, but rather a 15- to 20-footer to be used to display cards from children.

WHAT TO LISTEN TO IF ... You want a Halloween song that isn't "Monster Mash": Listen to "Spooky Spooky Spooky" once, maybe twice, and it will crawl into your brain and never leave like something out of those movies people watch at the end of October. But, also, I like it! And all the eerie parts remind me of the Pennsylvania city.

SOUP SEASON: This Philly cheesesteak soup recipe calls for provolone cheese, not wit whiz or American. I haven't tried it, but I'm intrigued.

LAST-MINUTE DECIDERS: If you're looking for a Pennsylvania-themed Halloween costume, consider the ketchup bottle. A few years ago, PennLive provided a bunch of other ideas: crayons, Mister Rogers, and Andy Warhol. The Inky has some Philly-themed ideas. You could be the Mandalorian, in honor of the second season's debut today. Our editor in chief was once a tube of toothpaste, though we have yet to get any photos to embarrass him.