When six candidates take the stage for Tuesday’s debate, they will be battling each other for the Democratic nomination as well as fighting President Trump for publicity.
Trump is due to appear at a “Keep America Great” rally in Milwaukee at the same time as the leading Democrats appear in Des Moines, Iowa, 375 miles away, in a deliberate piece of scheduling by his 2020 campaign.
His supporters believe Trump’s frequent campaign appearances, his impeachment battle, and last week’s Iran headline have helped prevent the likes of Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders from breaking away from their rivals.
“The longer it takes anyone from breaking out, the better as far as we are concerned,” said a former White House official, who said that gave Trump a clear run at the country.
The Trump campaign has hit the accelerator unprecedentedly early for an incumbent candidate. As well as Wisconsin, he held a “Keep America Great” rally in the swing state of Ohio last week. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to tour Florida by bus this week, and Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, is campaigning in suburban battlegrounds.
[Read more: ‘Unstoppable’: Trump campaign outpaces Democrats with $46M fourth-quarter haul]
Tuesday’s rally is designed to offer TV viewers an up-tempo alternative to the Democratic debate.
“The timing of the Milwaukee rally is not an accident,” said Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for the Trump 2020 campaign. “Voters have been subjected to an endless series of droning Democrat debates, so what better counterprogramming could there be than a Trump ‘Keep America Great’ rally?”
He declined to comment on future scheduling plans.
Trump used his rallies, which resemble stand-up comedy routines as much as traditional political addresses, in 2015 and 2016 to dominate airtime and generate hours of free publicity as he cut his way through a giant field of contenders. This time around, his campaign is using the events to collect the phone numbers and the emails of attendees, turning fans into voters and volunteers.
Wisconsin is shaping up as a key battleground. In 2016, Trump became the first Republican to win the state since 1984, and Hillary Clinton’s decision not to visit the Badger State was cited as one of the major reasons she lost.
Democrats will not be making the same mistake this time around. They are due to hold the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.
Trump is due to take the stage at 7 p.m. local time, which coincides with the start of the Des Moines debate.
A Trump ally, who did not want to comment on strategy publicly, said he would not be surprised if the campaign held rallies in some of the early primary states to throw the spotlight off Democrats. In the meantime, Wisconsin was an obvious choice of location.
“The benefit is that you are communicating directly with your base of supporters but also dominating the local media market in perhaps the most important, decisive state for 2020,” he said. “There’s a reason why the Democrats are holding their convention in Milwaukee this cycle.”
