WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to campaign in North Carolina on Saturday after a weekend court reprieve as he juggles legal issues and a rematch with President Joe Biden. .
Trump's evening rally in the coastal city of Wilmington will be his first since the hush money criminal trial began this week with jury selection in Manhattan. The occasion is a new opportunity for the former president to expand on his claims that the multiple pending indictments are an establishment conspiracy to oust him and, by extension, quash the voters who first elected him eight years ago. It becomes an opportunity.
President Trump visited a local convenience store in Harlem earlier this week and addressed a large group of media outside, claiming, “They want to keep me out of the campaign.” Instead of going after violent criminals, he claimed, “They're going after Trump.”
Saturday's event also highlighted the importance of North Carolina, a presidential battleground state where Trump won by 1.5 percentage points over Biden in 2020. This was the closest state Trump won. Saturday will be President Trump's second visit to the state in recent months.
“The presidential election will pass through North Carolina,” the governor said. roy coopera Democrat, said in a recent interview.
North Carolina is one of seven states where the Trump and Biden campaigns have said they will spend large sums of money to win. President Trump has said he wants to expand the map to include his hometown of New York, which has a large number of Democratic voters. But most Republicans agree that if Mr. Biden wins North Carolina's 15 electoral votes, Mr. Trump will have a difficult path to winning an electoral majority. President Trump tacitly acknowledged North Carolina's status by having then-state Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley lead his campaign's de facto takeover of the Republican National Committee.
There is no precedent for Mr. Trump having to run a campaign like this now, either in North Carolina or nationally.
With opening arguments scheduled for Monday, Trump will be confined to the courtroom for the time being and will be restricted from meeting with voters, fundraising and making phone calls. Conversely, Biden campaigned for several days this week in Pennsylvania, another key battleground state. Trump's aides have promised weekend rallies and events on Wednesday, and Trump's trial is expected to be adjourned for one weekday. The former president's campaign is also promising additional weeknight appearances in Harlem and other New York areas.
The schedule will put pressure on Trump to make the most of limited opportunities to appeal to voters and garner media attention beyond the indictment.
In North Carolina, the Biden campaign has already hired a statewide leader and field organizers for offices in the state. This comes after state party staff launched an organizing program last year ahead of the municipal elections and are looking ahead to this year's statewide elections, which include an open gubernatorial election since Cooper is barred from seeking a third term. This is in addition to their wishes.
“We needed to build energy on the ground early,” said Anderson Clayton, chairman of the state Democratic Party, noting that the last Democratic presidential candidate to win North Carolina, Barack Obama in 2008, was in a hotly contested state. He pointed out that he organized the state and strengthened the movement in the primaries. Previous year.
Matt Mercer, a spokesman for the North Carolina Republican Party, countered that veteran Republican officials have been working in the state since the 2020 election cycle. Mercer said Republicans, from President Trump to volunteers, will emphasize a family-first message on the economy and public safety.
Mercer said voters “understand the importance of what these messages mean to them in their daily lives” and that “whether it's soaring inflation, an open southern border or the migrant crime crisis,” Biden He said he was “disgusted” with him.
On Saturday, Trump will be joined by North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, whom Trump has endorsed and called “Martin Luther King on steroids.” Robinson is the state's first black lieutenant governor.
Mr. Cooper narrowly won gubernatorial races in 2016 and 2020, swaying enough swing voters even though Mr. Trump carried the state in each presidential race.
The governor argued that Biden's track record — low unemployment, rising wages, stable inflation, and investments in infrastructure and green energy — will resonate in a geographically and demographically diverse state.
“Joe Biden has accomplished more in his first two years than most presidents expect in two terms,” Cooper said, adding that by juxtaposing Biden's accomplishments with President Trump's burdens, it's enough. He added that it could persuade voters to re-elect the president.