Sure sign Donald Trump is rattled
Donald Trump has made a rare move this week and while he hopes it will draw attention to him it also reveals a deep worry in his campaign.
When it comes to US politics, this week all eyes are on Chicago and the Democratic National Convention where Kamala Harris will set out her stall to get the keys to the White House.
But a move by Donald Trump, designed to spoil Ms Harris’ party, could be a sign he is more than a little worried at the new found momentum in the Democratic Party.
The Republican Party candidate is holding a series of rallies this week to try and claw attention away from the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Ms Harris and her vice presidential pick Tim Walz.
It comes as Mr Trump’s lead in the polls continues to evaporate, which now show Ms Harris is competitive nationwide and in several battleground states.
It’s not unheard of for the opposing US party to schedule events as the other one’s convention is underway. But it’s risky because all the world’s media are at the convention.
During the Republican National Convention in July, Mr Biden did one sit down interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt. But the aim of that was less to stick it to Mr Trump and more to save his own skin following that disastrous debate.
And it was just about the only intervention the Democrats did during that week.
The interview was duly drowned out by the Republican convention and Mr Trump’s death defying hero’s welcome on the Milwaukee stage wearing a bandage on his ear.
Nonetheless, Mr Trump is attempting it wrestle back some of the limelight from the DNC with a rally each day the convention is on.
His first stop, on Monday, US time, was Pennsylvania, a state Mr Biden won in 2020 but the Republicans were confident of taking back in November’s election.
Since Ms Harris became the Democratic candidate, Pennsylvania could now go either way.
Mr Trump will also visit Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona this week. His running mate JD Vance will hold rallies in other states.
“The message that we’re trying to send, other than continuing to define Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, is a very clear signal that there will be no free shots on goal,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said.
The speeches will happen in the afternoon so as not be overshadowed by high profile evening speeches at the DNC, such as former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Mr Walz and Ms Harris herself.
Trump campaign tries to stay on message
The themes of the daily rallies – the economy, crime, immigration – are the kind of hot button issues the Trump campaign would dearly like their candidate to focus on.
They would like him to avoid focusing on Ms Harris’ racial identity of whether her crowds have been manipulated with AI.
Both are topics Mr Trump has raised since it was clear she would become the nominee.
“The campaign is not going to win talking about crowd sizes,” Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and one time challenger to Mr Trump to be the Republican Party nominee, said.
“It’s not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is. It’s not going to win talking about whether she is dumb. You can’t win on those things.”
In Pennsylvania, a more disciplined Mr Trump, mostly, stuck to the script.
“You can bet that if we don’t win, if she takes over, your energy numbers will be triple and quadruple, and you won’t be producing a drop of oil” he told the crowd.
Although he did make a quick jab at Ms Harris’ laugh.
Biden takes aim at Trump
“Trump killed the strongest bipartisan border bill in the history of the United States,” the President said.
“He called senators to say, ‘Don’t support the bipartisan bill.’ Because he said it would help me politically and hurt him politically.
“Trump, once again, putting himself first and America last.”
The President was effusive in his praise of Ms Harris.
“Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee and it’s the best decision I made my whole career,” he said.
“This will be the first presidential election since January 6,” Mr Biden added, referring to the riots in Washington DC which led to Donald Trump’s second impeachment.
“On that day, we almost lost everything about who we are as a country, and that threat – this is not hyperbole – that threat is still very much alive.
“We saved democracy in 2020, and now we must save it again in 2024.”
Polling
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, on the eve of the DNC, had Ms Harris leading Mr Trump nationally 50 to 45 per cent – a significant gap.
A New York Times/Siena College also has Ms Harris winning in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which could hand her the White House.
The Ipsos poll found that Mr Trump was favoured by voters on the critical issue of the economy. But a majority of voters, 57 per cent, simply don’t like him as a person.
While the advantage Mr Trump had over Mr Biden, in terms of being healthy and fit for office, has melted away now Ms Harris is in the race.
The presidency remains in Mr Trump’s grasp however. Ms Harris’ lead is slim and if Mr Trump can flip one of the larger battleground states to his column, while keeping the ones he is already leading in, the keys to the Oval Office are his.
And Mr Harris’ campaign will worry that any post-convention bump will me a mere blip.
Jetting around America this week, a rattled Mr Trump is doing all he can to take eyeballs off the DNC to deny Ms Harris even that blip.
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