‘He really wants to win’
Prez plans Saturday trip to Granite State
President Trump has set his sights on the Granite State, scheduling a rally in Portsmouth Saturday as he makes a bid to bolster his standing in the battleground states critical to his re-election.
“He really wants to win New Hampshire,” N.H. Republican activist Fran Wendelboe said of Trump, who narrowly lost the Granite State to Hillary Clinton in 2016. “The state is very close to his heart.”
It will be his first time in New Hampshire since his primary eve rally in Manchester in February. Trump also came to Manchester last August.
Trump currently trails Vice President Joe Biden in New Hampshire polls. A Saint Anselm College June poll had Biden leading 49% to 42%.
The July 11 “Make America Great Again” rally will be at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease at 8 p.m. and is planned to take place outside. His campaign recently came under fire for having an indoor rally in Tulsa, Okla., amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s smart for the president to start campaigning early in battleground states like New Hampshire,” said Mike Dennehy, a N.H. GOP strategist. “It’s going to take a big effort, and he has a lot of work to do, but he also had a lot of work to do at this same juncture in 2016.
“He simply has to get out and remind people why they voted for him in 2016,” Dennehy said. “He had the best economy until COVID-19 hit, and he can bring back America better than Joe Biden.”
Trump’s job approval has been in the low-40% to high30% range in New Hampshire — “not where you’d want to be if you’re a president running for re-election,” said University of New Hampshire political science professor Andrew Smith.
“My sense is that the president expects a close race, and will want to come here and get people motivated,” Smith said. “He doesn’t want people to drift away.”
N.H. Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said in a statement that Trump has been “breaking promises he made to Granite Staters.”
“Trump’s response to the
COVID-19 crisis has been chaotic and woefully inadequate, resulting in thousands of Granite Staters contracting the virus and hundreds of lives lost, while causing significant damage to our state’s economy,” Buckley said. “Instead of helping our state safely recover, Trump is flying in for a political rally that will only further highlight the chaos he has caused.”
At the rally, the Trump campaign said there will be “ample access to hand sanitizer and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear.”
The online registration page also includes a coronavirus clause that reads, “In attending the event, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19, and waive, release, and discharge Donald J. Trump for President,
Inc.; Portsmouth International Airport at Pease; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers from any and all liability under any theory, whether in negligence or otherwise, for any illness or injury.”