Trump to counter Democratic convention with swing-state blitz

Former President Trump and his allies will fan out across battleground states this week in a bid to directly counter Vice President Harris and Democrats as they gather for their convention in Chicago.

Trump will visit four swing states this week, holding events intended to focus on three key issues the Republican nominee has sought to make central to the election: immigration, the economy and crime.

The former president will deliver remarks on the economy Monday in York, Pa. He will speak Tuesday in Michigan for an event on crime and travel Wednesday to North Carolina for an event on national security.

Trump will spend Thursday in Arizona speaking about immigration and visiting the border at Montezuma Pass. He will deliver remarks with a backdrop of unfinished sections of the border wall he championed during his first term, officials said.

Trump will conclude the week with an event in Nevada and a Friday rally in Arizona.

“At the [convention], Kamala Harris will hide behind celebrities because everyday families know that she has been an absolute disaster for our nation, and real Americans are worse off now than four years ago,” top Trump campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.

“As they meet Americans where they are in battleground states across the country, President Trump and Senator Vance will remind voters that under their leadership, we can end inflation, protect our communities from violent criminals, secure the border, and Make America Great Again,” LaCivita and Wiles added.

The former president’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), will also travel to swing states throughout the week, holding solo events in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia, and joining Trump for the event in North Carolina.

While Democrats such as former President Obama; former President Clinton; former first lady Michelle Obama; and Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), speak in Chicago throughout the week, Republican surrogates will hold meetings with the press at the Trump Hotel in the city to drive home their messaging.

Trump’s events during the week will be much smaller than his traditional rallies as his campaign attempts to focus more on issues that polls show will be key for voters in November, campaign officials said.

An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll published Sunday found Harris leading Trump by 5 percentage points nationally, 50-45. But the same poll found voters trusted Trump more on the issues of the economy and inflation by 9 percentage points, and on the issue of immigration by 10 percentage points.

The poll found that Harris is leading Trump in health care issues and protecting democracy.

This week’s barrage of appearances marks a significant ramp-up for Trump, who has in recent weeks largely held one or two events in battleground states. Those events have at times been intended to focus more narrowly on the economy, but Trump has delivered meandering remarks and engaged in personal attacks on Harris.

The former president’s allies have publicly and privately pleaded with Trump to focus more on the issues rather than personal grievances. Trump was asked about those comments during a press conference last week and said he was “entitled to” personal attacks against Harris.

Polling published last week from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report showed Harris leading Trump in five out of seven battleground states likely to decide November’s election: Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Trump led Harris in Nevada, while the two candidates were tied in Georgia.