Pennsylvania.- As Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago, Donald Trump’s campaign is trying to regain its footing after weeks of struggling to adjust to Vice President Kamala Harris leading the opposing ticket.
Trump will try to undermine the Democratic celebration with a packed schedule that includes daily events in battleground states related to issues where Republicans believe they have the upper hand. It is his busiest week of campaigning since the winter, when he faced rivals in the Republican primaries.
But when Trump has held events billed as political speeches throughout the campaign, they have ended up resembling his usual rambling remarks at rallies. And as has long been the case during his political career, Trump has undermined his own message with outbursts and attacks that overshadow everything else.
The former president and Republican nominee has at times appeared to deny the reality that Harris, not President Joe Biden, is now his rival. He has launched deeply personal attacks, lied about her crowds by claiming that images of them were generated by artificial intelligence and played into racist tropes by questioning her racial identity at a time when she is seeking to become the first Black woman to lead the country and the first president of South Asian descent.
The outbursts have alarmed allies, who fear Trump is damaging his chances in what they believe is an eminently winnable race. Privately and publicly, they have urged him to focus on policy rather than personality, and to do more to broaden his appeal among undecided voters as they grow more nervous about Harris’ competitiveness.
“If there’s a political debate for the presidency, he wins,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“But Donald Trump, the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election.”
Trump is scheduled to appear in Pennsylvania on Monday to discuss the economy and energy, in Michigan on Tuesday to address violence and insecurity, and in North Carolina on Wednesday to focus on national security in a joint appearance with his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. On Thursday he will head to the southwestern border in Arizona to talk about immigration before traveling to Nevada on Friday.
Graham said he wanted Trump to focus on what he will do on the economy and the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing that “politics is the key to the White House.” Some people at his rallies agreed with that advice.
“He needs to stop talking about Biden other than Harris getting on board with those policies,” said Kory Jeno, 53, of Swannanoa, North Carolina, who was hoping to see Trump at a campaign rally last week in nearby Asheville.
“She needs to keep the conversation going about the issues and what she’s doing for the American people instead of going off on tangents and just criticizing her and that kind of thing.”
#Trump #kicks #campaign #United #States
