Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, arrives to speak at a campaign rally on Saturday, Aug. 17 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Trump and his campaign have planned a week of events, including stops in Pennsylvania, to protest the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
The political spotlight will be on Vice President Harris at the Democratic National Convention this week, but former President Donald Trump has no intention of giving up all the spotlight.
Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, plan to visit key swing states every day this week.
“The message we want to send, in addition to continuing to shape Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, is a very clear signal that there will be no free shots at goal,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller.
Each day will have a theme, starting with a speech on economics in Pennsylvania.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump will lay out his agenda to unleash American energy and lower costs for American families,” the campaign said in a statement.
The following topics reflect the themes of last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and include crime and safety, national security and immigration.
Trump’s events this week will be much smaller than his traditional rallies as his campaign tries to focus more on those issues. Allies have urged Trump to spend more time talking about policy and less on personal attacks.
“I want this campaign to win,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said on Fox News last week. “But it’s not going to win on crowd size. It’s not going to win on Kamala Harris’s race. It’s not going to win on whether she’s stupid. You can’t win on those things.”
“Americans are smart. Treat them like they are,” she added.
Most of the events will be held in the mid-afternoon so as not to compete with prime-time speakers including former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Other prominent Democrats.
There will also be daily speeches from Chicago Republican representatives, reinforcing the day’s theme. Speaking at the Trump hotel on Monday, Florida Sen. Rick Scott praised Trump’s business background while comparing Harris’ economic proposals to those you’d see in Cuba or Venezuela.
“I’m here to help Donald Trump win,” Scott said, speaking of the importance of being in Chicago, adding, “to get the message out. We’re here to explain the difference between the two of them.”
The Trump campaign wants to break the wave of support Harris has enjoyed since she became the nominee.
A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos national poll shows Harris with a 6-point lead among likely voters, 51 percent to 45 percent.
On Monday, Trump will visit an equipment manufacturer in York, Pennsylvania. Vance will also talk about the economy in Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, Trump will travel to Michigan for an event on crime and safety. Vance will be in Wisconsin.
On Wednesday, Trump and Vance will be in North Carolina together for a national security event with veterans and Gold Star families. It will be the only event the running mates will attend together as part of this counterprogramming campaign.
On Thursday, Trump will speak about the border in Arizona while Vance is in Georgia.
Trump will end the week with an event on Friday in Nevada before returning to campaigning in Arizona.
