Aug 29, 2020 - Politics & Policy

What's next for Trump after the Republican National Convention

Alayna Treene

Illustration of President Trump. — Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios; Photo: Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images

Team Trump officials told Axios they're using the same tactic, with a suburban twist, that worked for the campaign in 2016 when they portrayed a country at risk from "violent" immigrants flooding the U.S.-Mexico border:

Why it matters: They're trying to scare swing voters away from the Biden-Harris ticket by defining the duo as a conduit for the "radical left."

Trump officials saw their convention as a turning point after a difficult summer.

They sought to change perceptions about "who Trump's supporters are — what they believe, where they come from and why they support the president," communications director Tim Murtaugh said.
Trump's team leaned heavily on Black speakers to rebut cries of racism. But Jonathan Swan reports that was less to appeal to Black voters than to reassure college-educated suburbanites.

What's next: The biggest message the Trump campaign will push beyond this week is "the unrest and continued violence in a lot of Democrat-run cities," Murtaugh said

"If people want national policies modeled after Seattle and Portland," Murtaugh said, "Joe Biden is their guy.”

Go deeper: TV ratings were down for both the RNC and DNC

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What's next for Trump after the Republican National Convention

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