Trump’s Impeachment-Era Campaign Opens With Rally on Omar’s Turf
Trump’s Impeachment-Era Campaign Opens With Rally on Omar’s Turf
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump goes back on offense Thursday with his first campaign rally since the impeachment inquiry began, seeking to expand his margin of victory in 2020 even as lawmakers mull removing him from office.
Trump will address supporters in Minneapolis -- the home district of a frequent target of his: Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar. It’s a venue ripe for some of Trump’s favorite attacks regarding issues like immigration and urban crime as he grapples with polls that show rising support for impeachment.
The standoff between Trump -- who has refused to cooperate with the House inquiry -- and Speaker Nancy Pelosi promises to dominate political discourse at least in the near term and could turn into a prolonged court battle throughout the 2020 campaign.
Trump looks poised to use Thursday’s rally -- and two others over the next week in Louisiana and Texas -- to discredit the Democrats’ investigation and denigrate one of his chief Democratic rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden.
“This is a con being perpetrated on the United States public, and even the world,” Trump said Wednesday when asked about the investigation that was triggered by his July call with Ukraine’s president. “This is a fraud, because that call was perfect.”
Trump often holds rallies on friendly soil and in smaller communities, but this time he’ll take the stage in liberal Minneapolis. Trump sparred this week with the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, over whether police officers could wear uniforms to his rally, and his campaign threatened to sue the city in a dispute over policing costs.
Trump’s bid to woo Minnesota is similar to his efforts in New Mexico and New Hampshire, a campaign official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The president plans to argue that Democratic health-care proposals could upend the hard-earned health plans for union members, whose votes Trump believes he can win. He’ll also highlight his record on supporting the fossil-fuel industry, the official said.
Minnesota has backed Democrats in the presidential race consistently since 1972, but the margin in 2016 was narrow. Hillary Clinton won the state by 1.5 percentage points, the closest Democratic victory after New Hampshire.
“The state is changing. Northeast Minnesota has been predominantly Democrat for generations but they’re definitely going Trump’s way because he’s the one defending mining, manufacturing,” said Paul Gazelka, a Republican the majority leader of the State Senate. Trump’s message on the economy will resonate in the state, he predicted.
In the midterm elections last November, Republicans gained two seats, including in the northeast, from largely rural areas, but lost two others in the suburbs. Vice President Mike Pence will visit one of those, as he seeks to pressure vulnerable Democrats over the impeachment inquiry.
Gazelka acknowledged that suburban voters like the president’s “policies but are not as excited about how he delivers them.”
Frey warned against any attempt by Trump to attack his city to build support elsewhere. “We’ve seen this playbook before. Trying to drive a wedge between Minneapolis and Greater Minnesota didn’t work in 2018 and — with your help — it won’t work in 2020,” Frey tweeted.
‘Polka-Dotted State’
The rally Thursday may also help Trump in neighboring Wisconsin, as the state’s western edge is near the media market of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Scott Walker, a former Wisconsin governor, said the Twin Cities are difficult for Republicans.
“He needs to keep the gap there from growing too much, and run up the score in the north” in order to win Minnesota, Walker said. “Voters feel overlooked. Trump speaks to the forgotten man and woman.”
Minneapolis gives Trump a chance to continue his rhetorical attacks on other Democratic strongholds, such as San Francisco.
“He’s looking to use Minneapolis as a backdrop to make his case about an out of touch liberal elite,” said Larry Jacobs, a University of Minnesota professor and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Government at its Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
He called Minnesota a “polka-dotted” state of both red and blue, where many regions view the populous Twin Cities with suspicion. “This is a state that is very much in play.”
“Donald Trump is coming to Minneapolis not to win the support of Mayor Frey or Democrats there but to send a message to elsewhere in Minnesota,” Jacobs said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, John Harney
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