Associated Press
As Donald Trump adjusts to the reality of his new race against Kamala Harris, his campaign is counting on younger male voters to give him the edge in November in a presidential contest they insist is his to lose.
Trump and his Republican campaign now face a dramatically different race than the one just three weeks ago, before President Joe Biden abandoned his bid. While they acknowledge polls have tightened with Harris as the Democratic nominee, they maintain that the fundamentals of the race have not changed, with voters deeply sour over the direction of the country, and particularly the economy.
“What has happened is we are witnessing a kind of out-of-body experience where we have suspended reality for a couple of weeks,” Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio told reporters during a briefing in West Palm Beach on Thursday of the current state of the race.
Campaign officials acknowledge that Harris had energized the Democratic base and that her team has taken the lead on fundraising. But they insist they have more than enough to do what they need to win. Trump’s campaign and its affiliates reported raising $138.7 million in July — far less than the eye-popping $310 million sum reported by Harris. Her campaign began August with more cash on hand.
With less than three months to go, senior campaign officials are focused on a group of persuadable voters that they believe is key to victory. The targets, which they say comprise about 11% of the electorate in key battleground states, skew younger and are disproportionately male and moderate. While more than half are white, they include more nonwhites, especially Asians and Hispanics, than the broader electorate.
They are especially frustrated by the economy, including their personal finances, and are pessimistic things will improve.
“It’s a very narrow band of people that we are trying to move,” Fabrizio said of the efforts. Since these voters don’t engage with traditional news outlets and have traded cable for streaming services, the campaign has been working to reach them in novel ways.
“There is a reason why we’re doing podcasts. There is a reason why we’re doing Adin Ross,” Fabrizio said, referring to the controversial internet personality who ended his interview with the former president earlier this week by giving him a Tesla Cybertruck wrapped in images of Trump raising his fist after his assassination attempt.
“There is a reason why we are doing all of those things. You know what these people pay attention to? MMA, Adin Ross,” he said. “MMA” refers to mixed martial arts.
Trump campaign officials acknowledge the Democratic base is now motivated in a way it wasn’t when Biden was the nominee. Harris, they say, will likely do better than Biden would have with Black voters, especially women and older men.
But they argue Harris is doing little to appeal to swing voters. And they intend to spend the next 80-plus days painting her as a radical liberal and as the incumbent rather than a change, tying her to the most unpopular Biden administration policies.
“There’s way more information about her that they don’t know that they’re going to hear. And we’re going to make sure they’re going to get,” Fabrizio said.
By the end of the race, they believe, neither candidate will be liked, but voters will choose the candidate they feel will most improve their economic conditions.
They pointed to a line Harris has been using to refer to Trump’s presidency — “We are not going back” — as particularly ill conceived, given that some voters say things were better when Trump was in office than they are now.
Trump campaign aides said they now have staff on the ground in 18 states, ranging from critical battlegrounds to states like Virginia, where Democrats have been favored, that they hope they can put into play.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
21 comments
ScienceBLVR
August 10, 2024 at 10:01 am
Doubtful Trump’s appeal will sway this group enough to overcome the Harris Walz momentum. Some will gravitate to Kennedy, some to new and improved not Trump option, and some just won’t bother to vote at all. It was over when she said, I do.
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Day 20
August 10, 2024 at 10:32 am
Funny political cartoon. Reporter asks Kammy (although she doesn’t do questions) “now that you have chosen your VP running mate, can you tell us who you are?” Funny and completely true
Tom
August 10, 2024 at 11:38 am
Just curious but what is the big deal with press conferences? Common sense would say don’t do anything other than rallies while trump is on the back foot. Let him do the work for you ’cause God knows he has no discipline and just can’t help sticking his foot in his mouth. It would be just plain foolish of her to do more than what she needs to win. Seems like she’s pretty well managed IMO.
Day 20
August 10, 2024 at 12:43 pm
If the shoe was on the other foot and the Repub candidate went into hiding like Joe and now Kammy, you and the state run media would be crying foul. Come on Tom you are smarter than that.
PeterH
August 10, 2024 at 1:21 pm
Sorry IMPEACHBIDEN….but the fact remains that at the top of your ticket is a six time bankrupt, four time indicted, convicted felon and whose running mate has the credentials and credibility of Sarah Palin. Americans wanted a fresh new candidate and we now have a real choice.
Tom
August 10, 2024 at 4:34 pm
Actually, I remember Mitch McConnell in 2020 when asked what the republican policies would be when trump got reelected. His answer was that they’d figure it out after it happened. I don’t recall any outrage then. What changed? There is no chapter in the Art of War that says to let your opponent lead you around by the nose until you do something that they can beat you over the head with. Good strategy and discipline will win the day.
rick whitaker
August 10, 2024 at 5:22 pm
HOWLER MONKEY, the gop does not want trump to come out in public, for good reason. day 20 / howler monkey, you are so ill informed it’s scary.
Michael K
August 10, 2024 at 10:34 am
Well, good luck with that. I’m sure there’s a sliver of angry and disaffected young white men, susceptible to conspiracy theories, who will be attracted to a senile and incoherent old man who rambles.
Day 20
August 10, 2024 at 10:38 am
Who is Kammy Michael K? What does she stand for? Why won’t she talk to reporters? She is attempting to run independently of the last four years of border, economic, foreign policy, and crime disasters. She can only hide for so long. Come out, come out wherever you are Kammy.
TJC
August 10, 2024 at 12:33 pm
Bullshit.
Ocean Joe
August 10, 2024 at 4:29 pm
One thing she stands for is restoration of the assault weapons ban. I understand your cohorts think all of these school shootings with rapid fire weapons are hoaxes, but I am pleased to hear her position on this. Long overdue. How many more children have to be slaughtered?
Day 20
August 10, 2024 at 10:40 am
Here’s another thing for you Michael K. “Weapons in war that I carried in war”, said by your highly vetted VP candidate. That lying POS never went to war.
TJC
August 10, 2024 at 12:36 pm
“I know Willie Brown very well,” Mr. Trump said about the alleged incident. “In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this was the end.”
But it never happened. Doesn’t that make him a lying POS?
Michael K
August 10, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Miss Spoke (aka whatabout is now doing name-by-number. Always best to ignore trolls.
Remember when Republicans claimed to own “Thank you for your service” to everyone who served in the armed forces? EVERYONE.
Trump and MAGAs are turning on those who served. The former president called soldiers “suckers” and “losers” and denigrated John McCain for his service. Chris LaCivita tried this 20 years ago. Ain’t gonna work. Why do Republicans hate America and Americans?
Disgusting.
Day 20
August 10, 2024 at 12:41 pm
I am a veteran and so is Walz. I always thank fellow veterans for their service but have no respect for those that embellish like Walz. I have been exposed to others that do the same. Doesn’t matter their political leanings, I don’t respect them. My daily count up in this case displays how many days it has been since Kammy was installed and still no interviews or press conferences. She can’t hide behind the teleprompter forever.
Dick & Harry
August 10, 2024 at 5:27 pm
The only people who seem to care are people who won’t vote for her anyhow. She won’t talk and trump won’t shut up – identity politics is something isn’t it?
The old adage is to sell the sizzle, not the steak and it’s been proven true again and again.
Seriously though, she’s been on the job a couple of weeks, has found a VP candidate, got the state by state registration sorted out so she’s on the ballot and now I imagine she’s formulating her policies and will, I assume, unveil them at the Dem convention in a week or so. Seems reasonable unless you’re the news media who have nothing else to blather about now that the Olympics is about done.
Yrral
August 10, 2024 at 3:38 pm
Lots of male are being passed by an economy,that is becoming more tech oriented ,those that do have the education background will be left in despair, Trump also lots of jobs are taking by immigrants,these are usually jobs Whites will not take ,such working in meat processing plants,that pay upwards of 20 dollars ,how many jobs personally has Trump created for MAGA men , personally in his company, probably none
rick whitaker
August 10, 2024 at 5:06 pm
DAY 20, AKA, HOWLER MONKEY, your comments are always so maga. haven’t you learned that that is a dead end or rabbit hole? are you going to attend to maga one of the MAGA hat burning ceremonies after the november election? day 20,,,,,,, what a joke.
ELVIS JUST ELVIS
August 11, 2024 at 6:23 pm
America,
What the A. P. is alouding to here but afarid to speak “TRUTH TO POWER about is The Ginormous “BIG BLACK WAVE” of young Black Men. They know all about “The Democratic Black Plantation” and are HEll BENT on breaking their chains of slavery. Our young Black Men will as “The Revernd Shirley Ceaser” sings so eloquanty “BE NEXT IN LINE FOR A MERACILE”.
“YOUR NEXT IN LINE …. I DONT CARE WHAT THE DEMONCRATS TOLD YOU”
ELVIS
Rich the G
August 11, 2024 at 7:38 pm
If they vote Trump in, they will get drafted to round up immigrants, which at least 95% of them are actually innocent human beings. How will they deport 20 million with what they got now? They better think before they cast their vote. Or they will be forced to drop everything they truly want to do to perform hate missions.
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