Donald Trump’s foot is pressing hard on the campaign gas. He is intensifying pressure on Hillary Clinton and the Republican Party establishment, and seeking to ramp up votes in the final primaries.
With all opponents crushed, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is doing the opposite of taking a breather in preparation for the grueling general election campaign.
He’s treating the remaining primary campaign and states yet to vote as opportunities to tighten his stranglehold on media attention, and to build his case against Clinton, the almost-certain Democratic nominee, putting her on the defensive.
“It’s about turning the corner and starting the fall campaign,” Trump adviser Ed Brookover told the Washington Examiner this weekend. “You notice in his remarks now, it’s more focused on Hillary Clinton. … If you hear what the message is now, it’s about November.”
Clinton’s rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has no real chance to catch her, and she has pivoted to attack Trump for his temperament, rhetoric and populism. Her campaign has started issuing press releases with news of a growing list of prominent Republicans who have publicly declared that they will never vote for Trump.
“More Republicans unwilling to support Trump’s unpredictable, risky and divisive candidacy,” read one release Saturday.
Trump secured the nomination Tuesday by stomping on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Indiana primary. Both dropped out, Cruz immediately and Kasich the next day, leaving the billionaire businessman as conqueror of a field that originally included 16 opponents.
Trump is keeping the pedal to the metal, aggressively seeking media appearances, appearing on broadcast and cable news, and has held big campaign rallies in Nebraska, Oregon and Washington state.
Republican strategists say that’s a smart play. Among his key advantages in the primary was his near monopoly “control” of media coverage.
His rallies were televised live from start to finish, his controversial tweets often set the agenda of political debate every day, and his competitors were drowned out. Trump wants to do the same in the general election, and cause Clinton fits.
“If any other candidate were in Omaha or Charleston, W.Va., this week, their reach would be limited to regional coverage. Trump? Front page, above the fold, top of the broadcast everywhere,” said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who advised Mitt Romney in 2012. “As a result, his opponents and the media are constantly reacting to him, always following the storyline that he’s decided to deliver on that given day.”
Raw votes received in presidential primary contests have historically had little bearing on the outcome of the general election, according to studies by pollsters and data analysts. The numbers usually reflect how competitive a primary might be and don’t indicate an advantage in the fall for the party with more votes.
Still, the competition for votes in the 2016 primaries has been a hot topic among Democratic and Republican partisans. Both sides have attempted to paint voter turnout in their primaries, and raw votes cast in those primaries, as proof that their side is more energized and more competitive heading into November.
Republicans crow that more than 25 million votes have been cast in their primaries, compared to 22 million in Democratic primaries. Democrats point out that Clinton earned more votes than Trump — 12.4 million to 10.6 million.
Brookover acknowledged that Trump’s busy schedule could lead to more votes and run up the score. But he called those bragging rights a side benefit to the main goal, which is focusing their attention on Clinton.
“We’ve turned the corner,” Brookover said.
