Feeling heat from Harris, Trump breaks glass
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Former President Trump's stewing and Republican anxiety over Vice President Harris' sudden rise in the polls has led to the first break-glass moment of Trump's campaign.
Why it matters: A flurry of moves Monday, aimed at countering Harris' momentum, reflect a new urgency in Trump's campaign.
Driving the news: Trump posted on X for the first time in nearly a year, unveiled a barrage of online ads, quickly scheduled trips to two swing states and beefed up his team of top advisers.
- Trump's attention-getting efforts also included sitting for an interview Monday night with X owner Elon Musk, in a chat delayed 40 minutes by technical issues.
- MAGA Inc., the main Trump-aligned super PAC, announced a $100 million ad buy for seven swing states.
Zoom in: Harris' replacement of President Biden on the Democratic ticket has turned what seemed like a Trump stroll to victory into a hot contest that Harris now leads, according to some new polls.
- Trump's irritation — and lingering disappointment at not being able to run against Biden — have been clear in his meandering appearances in public, and in private as well.
- In recent days he's seemed obsessed with media reports of the large crowds Harris is drawing — and even falsely parroted a conspiracy theory that accused her team of using AI to make her crowds appear larger in photos.
- After basking in polls that for months showed him as the front-runner against Biden, Trump is calling many of the same polls "fake" now that they show him slipping.
Zoom out: Many Republicans — including his own top advisers — have urged Trump to focus more sharply on issues such as the economy, inflation and border security, areas where they see Harris as particularly vulnerable.
- Harris' three-week-old campaign is riding a wave of excitement, receiving an influx of new volunteers and campaign cash even though she hasn't sat for a significant interview or spelled out her platform.
What we're watching: Just last Thursday, Trump said he didn't plan to do much campaigning until after the Democratic National Convention next week in Chicago.
- But increasingly nervous Republicans have called on him to do more to provide a contrast to the enthusiastic crowds that have greeted Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as they've campaigned in swing states.
- Now Trump is planning rallies in Asheville, N.C., on Wednesday and Wilkes Barre, Pa., on Saturday. Sen. JD Vance, Trump's vice-presidential nominee, will appear in Byron Center, Mich., on Wednesday.
Trump dropped a series of ads in his first posts on X since Aug. 24, 2023, when he posted his mug shot from his arrest in Fulton County, Ga.
- Axios reported last year that Trump, who mostly posts on his own Truth Social app, would return to X someday — but only as a strategic tool, to offset bad news.
Between the lines: Separate from the campaign, MAGA Inc., the Trump-friendly super PAC, announced plans to spend $100 million between now and Labor Day to run ads in seven swing states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
- Trump also is bringing on Taylor Budowich as a senior adviser. Budowich has been leading MAGA Inc.
- Budowich joining the campaign is a sign of the growing influence of Donald Trump Jr. on his father's campaign. Don Jr. pushed for Vance to be the elder Trump's running mate, and got what he wanted.
What they're saying: "President Trump isn't stewing. He's laser focused and fighting to win this election," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Axios.
- "While Kamala hides from the press, President Trump continues to be accessible in ways that have never been done before," he said.
