Trump campaign cedes spotlight to Biden after debate performance
- Trump’s campaign largely silent since Biden’s debate performance
- Trump campaign believes some Democratic stronghold states now in play
- Biden has vowed to stay in the race, saying he’s not ‘going anywhere’
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet following President Joe Biden’s disastrous first debate.
Biden is fighting to save his endangered reelection effort Friday with a rally and a network television interview, his every answer sure to be scrutinized for evidence of his competency and fitness to run for office.
And for the time being, the Trump campaign seems happy to oblige.
Other than just a couple of Truth Social posts from the former president, Trump appears to be taking a victory lap of sorts after the first 2024 presidential debate. The Trump campaign hasn’t even said much about Democrats’ division and calls for Biden to drop out of the race.
There was, however, one candid moment on the golf course where Trump, perhaps not realizing he was being recorded, commented on the state of Biden’s campaign.
“That means you have Kamala,” he said. “She’s so bad. She’s pathetic.”
Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia are six battleground states that will likely decide this election.
But the Trump campaign seems to believe Minnesota, Virginia and New Hampshire are also in play.
The campaign has had its eyes on those three for a few weeks. After the debate, that has ramped up even more, believing it might have a shot to win those states.
It would be a big task for the campaign as Trump has not fared well in those states before. Minnesota has not gone to a Republican in the presidential race in decades.
Virginia also has not been friendly to Trump and neither has New Hampshire, but Trump campaign sources tell NewsNation that internal polling leads them to believe they may be able to be competitive in those states.