Today, former President Donald Trump is heading to the Western states, temporarily leaving the swing states in the Midwest behind.
Trump has events scheduled across California and Nevada, which will be a combination of fundraising and rallies for voters in key swing states.
Why is Trump Going to California?
As a solid Democrat stronghold, California might make little sense as a campaign stop for Trump. However, despite the blue majority, the state remains home to many Republicans, especially in the rural north.
After a press conference in Los Angeles, Trump is then going to a fundraiser in the north of the state, in order to get more money for the election cycle. With Harris outspending him in many of the swing states, an extra injection of cash could be crucial at this stage.
The fundraiser is being run by billionaire software developer Tom Siebel and his wife, Stacey Siebel. Attendees will pay at least $3,300 per person or raise $10,000 for the campaign, according to event invites. The largest donors will get a photo and discussion with Trump.
Why is Trump Going to Las Vegas?
Nevada remains a crucial swing state in the 2024 election, having been taken by Joe Biden in 2020 after Trump won it in 2016. Vegas is the largest city in the state, and the rally there could help Trump lock down an extra six Electoral College votes.
Trump’s Likely Talking Points
For the last few days, Trump’s appearances have been focused on moving forward after the debate, which many commentators considered a disappointing performance.
He has dismissed Harris’ challenge to a round two as desperation, claiming that he won the debate and did not need to speak to her again.
Trump’s more constant talking points routinely focus on Harris’ incumbency and work with Biden, as well as the economy’s performance during his first term.
The Trump team also frequently highlights Harris’ responsibility as what they describe as her role as Border Czar, and the state of immigration along the southern border with Mexico.
Donald Trump Upcoming Campaign Schedule
- September 13: Los Angeles, California (press conference)
- September 13: Woodside, California (fundraiser)
- September 13: Las Vegas, Nevada (rally)
- September 14: Glendale, Arizona (rally)
- September 17: Flint, Michigan (town hall)
JD Vance Upcoming Campaign Schedule
- September 13: Raleigh, North Carolina
Donald Trump Campaign Spending
Similarly to the Harris campaign, Trump has spent the bulk of his campaign budget in the swing states. According to campaign monitoring firm AdImpact Politics, Trump’s team has spent $132.1 million in Pennsylvania, widely considered the most important swing state, so far.
Trump is still set to spend $70.6 million on ad reservations in Pennsylvania, and $28.7 million in Georgia, in the nine weeks between Labor Day and Election Day, AdImpact Politics said in an update on August 30.
However, Trump is focusing less on other swing states, spending $6.6 million in Michigan, $9.9 million in Arizona, $3.5 million in Wisconsin, $2.8 million in North Carolina and $1.4 million in Nevada.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and JD Vance greet supporters during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on November 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio. Vance outlined on Wednesday how a future Trump administration would seek to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Trump, JD Vance Campaign Strategy
Trump’s campaign has had to deal with several unforeseeable events, including an attempted assassination and the replacement of President Joe Biden as his opponent in the race.
His campaign looked strongest in the aftermath of the June debate with Biden, which gave Trump a strong boost in the polls and more ammunition for his team’s top talking point: Biden’s age.
He received another boost after surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania just days before the Republican National Convention.
Trump has continued campaigning in the swing states, with special focus on the midwestern states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which gave him the win in 2016. His choice of vice president, JD Vance, also ties into this strategy, as Vance represents Ohio, another midwestern state.
If Trump wins Georgia and Pennsylvania, plus every state he won in 2020, he would win the Electoral College, hence his increased spending in those specific swing states.
However, the sudden replacement of Biden with Kamala Harris meant Trump’s campaign had to drastically switch message, something that it has struggled to do so. Following a poorly received debate performance and the Harris campaign’s endorsement from Taylor Swift, Trump’s campaign ruled out doing any more debates.
The election remains very close, with 538’s forecast model currently giving Trump a 45 percent chance of victory.
Donald Trump, JD Vance Biggest Interviews
Former President Donald Trump and ABC News reporter Rachel Scott appear at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago, Illinois, on July 31, 2024. Trump faced criticism over the interview.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
This was one of the most memorable interviews of the campaign, due to Trump’s comments on Harris’ race, and the claims that “she happened to turn Black”.
Speaking with ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Trump’s most significant comments came when he said: “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”
The comments have since been brought up several times in other interviews, including during the ABC presidential debate.
“Childless Cat Ladies” Fox News Interview
JD Vance’s 2021 interview on Fox News happened before he was officially selected as Trump’s running mate, but the clip has made waves throughout the election cycle.
While appearing on Fox News, Vance said that the U.S. was run by “childless cat ladies”, highlighting Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg as examples of “miserable” people.
“We are effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, so they want to make of the country miserable too.”
In her endorsement of Kamala Harris, Taylor Swift referenced Vance’s comments by signing her statement off as a “childless cat lady.”
“We’re not weird” Sean Hannity Town Hall
In this town hall run by veteran Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump responded to the “weird” attack line popularized by Harris VP pick Tim Walz for the first time.
“But he is a weird guy. He walks on the stage, there’s something wrong with that guy, and he called me ‘weird,'” Trump said. “And then the fake news media picked it up, that was the word of the day: ‘Weird, weird, weird,’ they’re all going. But we’re not weird guys. We’re very solid people who want our country to be great again.”
The line went viral after it was used by Walz at a rally in August, with many attributing his eventual pick as Harris’ running mate to its success against Vance.
Upcoming Debates
Shortly after the presidential debate on ABC, Donald Trump’s team announced that they would not agree to any more head-to-head debates with Harris.
Harris, who was considered the winner of the debate by the majority of viewers in several post-watch polls, challenged the former president to a rematch, which Trump turned down.
The vice presidential nominees, Vance and Walz, are scheduled to debate each other on October 1. The debate, which is currently the only other clash agreed to by both campaigns, will be broadcast and moderated by CBS News.
