Election season is in full swing, and with the Democratic National Convention (DNC) underway, the Trump campaign and Republican National Convention (RNC) are busy with counterprogramming this week.
Samantha Cotten, the Regional Communications Director for the Trump campaign, said that Republicans are focusing on 17 battleground states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
This week alone, the Trump team will hold over 2,500 events throughout the nation to “contrast the leadership of President Donald Trump and the lack of enthusiasm around Joe Biden,” according to Cotten.
Specifically in Virginia, the RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks and the Trump campaign’s Senior Advisor John Pence will hold press events in Falls Church and Fredericksburg on August 18 and Virginia Beach on August 19.
Republicans will be focusing on “how out of touch Joe Biden and Democrats are and how radical they’ve become,” said Cotten.
“Whether it’s wanting to defund the police, not send kids back to school, not have any plans for re-opening the economy, raising taxes, getting rid of Trump’s tax cuts, government-run healthcare, or the Green New Deal are what we’re going to be out there contrasting with our message of the Great American Comeback, law and order, and rebuilding a strong economy. President Trump created the strongest economy in the world once, and he’ll do it again.”
Cotten said that the Trump team and other Republicans will be focusing on “everyday issues” like sending children back to school. Referring to the push by many school systems to start the year with online-only classes, Cotten said that “experts agree that this is detrimental to learning and socialization for many children across America.”
“They’re losing ground in terms of academics by not going back to school.”
Other issues that affect everyday Americans, which Cotten referred to as “kitchen table issues,” will also be a focus. Republicans across the country will be talking to region-specific topics, such as the ongoing riots in major city centers.
Speaking to the recent riots in Richmond, Cotten pointed out that “Joe Biden and Democrats are condoning this.”
“They’re not standing up against the violence and the looting and everything you’re seeing in our city streets. I think that people across Virginia see this, and this is not what they want. They want law and order.”
“President Trump is the president of law and order,” continued Cotten. “President Trump has said that if these Democrat-run cities do not step up and do their job, he will step in and he will not let federal buildings and monuments continue to be defaced and be destroyed.
“These mayors and governors and local leaders need to get this under control. If they’re not able to get it under control, Trump will step in.”
Cotten also said that Republicans will be pushing support for law enforcement. She mentioned a recent decision in Austin, TX to defund the police department by $150 million and reallocate funds to things like abortion access.
“Democrats aren’t speaking out against this,” said Cotten. “That’s where we’re standing up and speaking out against Democrats and their support of lawlessness.”
Republican groups will meet in “localized in-person MAGA Meetups” and other get-togethers across the nation to organize and train volunteers. The meetups will also be used for general outreach.
“At the conclusion of the DNC, we are starting our national week of training where we will have 5,000 events from August 21-27,” said Cotten. These events will be used to adequately train volunteers on how to canvas and campaign while still following health and safety guidelines in the COVID-19 world.
This will culminate with a “National Weekend of Action” at the end of the RNC, where volunteers will go out into their communities in the 17 battleground states.
“[The Democrats’] socialist pipedreams will show people how out of out of touch they are and why we need President Trump for four more years,” said Cotten.
You can find more information on the Trump campaign’s plans at the campaign’s website or TrumpVictory.com.
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Sam Medley is a journalist at The Virginia Star and Star News Network. You can follow Sam at Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
