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Donald Trump’s campaign schedule actually looks like he’s running for president this week.
In the last month, Mr. Trump has held 4 campaign events. In just the next week and a half, he’ll make seven stops, two of which are fundraising events. It’s all part of an effort to put the “pedal to the metal,” said Alex Latcham, the Trump campaign’s early states director.
Trump’s campaign calendar has been reshaped by four criminal indictments and the resulting legal appearances over the past few months while other GOP candidates have trekked repeatedly through early voting states. But now that each of the four anticipated criminal indictments have been brought against the former president, with trial dates set for 2024, his upcoming calendar looks more like a candidate and less like a defendant.
Trump announced doubleheader events in Iowa and remarks in Summerville, South Carolina, within minutes of each other last week. On Monday, NBC News confirmed that the former president would deliver primetime remarks to United Auto Workers members next week instead of attending the GOP debate. And come October, Trump is expected to make four separate campaign trips to Iowa, according to the campaign.
“We don’t play prevent defense,” said Latcham. “His aggressive upcoming schedule reflects President Trump’s continued commitment to earning support in Iowa one voter at a time.”
In addition to visiting the Hawkeye State more frequently, the Trump campaign is building out its Iowa team, adding senior adviser Alex Meyer, who previously worked on the Republican National Committee’s political data team.
While the rest of the GOP candidates trail badly in the polls behind Trump, most have spent significantly more time in Iowa than the former president, meeting with potential caucusgoers and attempting to lay groundwork to build statewide support. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, has visited well over 50 of Iowa’s 99 counties, while Trump has campaigned in fewer than ten so far.