DALLAS — President Trump’s Dallas reelection rally was the third in eight days, but his campaign says he is just getting started and will soon accelerate the frequency of his events.
Trump’s operatives view campaign rallies as the core of their strategy, deploying the president in key locations where he can rev up the base and recruit more volunteers.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner at the American Airlines Center in Dallas shortly before Trump took the stage in front of 20,000 enthusiastic supporters, Tim Murtaugh, his campaign spokesman, said this was just the start.
“It will pick up in frequency,” he said.
But he noted, “The frequency is dictated by the president and the demands on his schedule. It’s not the same as it was when he was a candidate. He’s the president of the United States. He has a day job that’s pretty taxing.
“But it will pick up at a time of his choice — and when it does it will be pretty noticeable.”
Last week, Trump appeared in Minneapolis. His campaign believes he can win Minnesota and its 10 Electoral College votes in 2020. Hillary Clinton edged him out there by 1.5 points last time around, but the Trump campaign had little presence in the state.
A day later, he was in Lake Charles, Louisiana, using his star power to generate support for the state’s Republican candidates in what could be a hard-fought governor’s race.
Not only do the appearances generate headlines and energy, but the campaign uses the rallies as an opportunity to recruit volunteers, feeding attendees’ email addresses and phone numbers into a data operation that produces highly targeted online advertisements.
