Former President Donald Trump will accelerate his campaign schedule in the coming weeks as Vice President Kamala Harris has erased Trump’s fundraising and polling leads since entering the race a month ago, according to multiple reports.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally ... [+]
Trump is expected to hold multiple campaign events every week, if not daily, after Labor Day, an anonymous adviser told CNN, which reported one unnamed adviser described the new strategy as “Trump on steroids.”
Trump will speak to the National Guard Association on Monday in Detroit, he’ll hold events in Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday and head to Pennsylvania on Friday.
In addition to more rallies, Trump is also aiming to target undecided voters, including younger men, via smaller meet-and-greets, podcast interviews and through his campaign surrogates, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed campaign advisers.
Trump’s enhanced schedule comes as Harris leads him by 1.5 points, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average, a 1.6-point swing from Trump’s lead over President Joe Biden when he dropped out of the race on July 21, while Harris has also seen a major fundraising boost and has erased Trump’s cash advantage since she launched her candidacy.
Trump previously acknowledged keeping a lighter campaign schedule earlier this month in an interview with CNBC, citing his polling lead at the time, though he said he planned to increase his campaign activity after the Democratic National Convention, which concluded Thursday.
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Trump and Harris are scheduled to debate Sept. 10 on ABC News, though Trump suggested Sunday he might back out of the faceoff, citing what he claimed was a biased interview the network conducted with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., earlier Sunday.
$540 million. That’s how much Harris’ campaign has raised over the past month, including $82 million during the Democratic National Convention last week, The New York Times reported. Harris ended July with $219.7 million in cash, compared to Trump’s $151.3 million.
Trump’s push comes as his allies have urged him to focus on policy over conspiratorial rhetoric and personal attacks, such as his suggestion last month that Harris recently “became Black” and his false claim that Harris used artificial intelligence to make the size of her crowds appear larger. “The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see: it’s fewer insults, more insights and that policy contrast,” former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox Business earlier this month. Trump acknowledged at an event in North Carolina last week that his advisers were urging him to shift gears, polling the crowd on whether he should continue using personal attacks. “My advisers are fired,” Trump quipped when the crowd cheered loudly for him to continue deploying insults. “I would rather keep it on policy. Sometimes it’s hard when you’re attacked on all ends.”
Trump Vs. Harris Fundraising Race: Harris Raises $540 Million Since Biden Dropped Out, Campaign Says (Forbes)
Will Trump And Harris Debate? Trump Threatens To Back Out—Amid Feud Over Muted Mics (Forbes)
Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Leads By 3 Points Halfway Through DNC (Forbes)