“As you can see today, we’re expanding the electoral map because we are going to officially play in the state of New Jersey—we’re going to win the state of New Jersey… We’re also looking… at the state of Minnesota, which hasn’t been won [by the GOP] since 1952 and we’re leading in the polls, and the state of Virginia and actually many other states, I don’t know, it could be all of them.”
That was former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Wildwood, N.J. on May 12, making the case for Republicans to compete in blue states in 2024, sensing political blood in the water as it relates to incumbent President Joe Biden, wisely seeking to put Democrats on the defensive as Biden continues to flounder in national polls that have been showing Trump ahead for the national popular vote for several months now.
Trump made the case for a 50-state strategy for the GOP, noting Biden’s weakness: “This guy’s [Biden] so damn bad, it could be all of them. He’s so bad, I think we’re going to win them all.”
Here, Trump is referring to Republican landslides that were possible just a few decades ago, such as Richard Nixon’s 1972 49-state rout, Ronald Reagan’s 1980 and 1984 44- and 49-state respective landslides and George H.W. Bush’s 1988 40-state win.
It’s been done before — and it was done by playing for the popular vote, and by appealing to a representative cross section of voters regardless of political stripe. And in the states Trump is talking about: New Jersey, Minnesota and Virginia, these are states Republicans haven’t competed in for decades. That makes Democrats’ presidential electoral machines there comfortable — and soft, with voters potentially receptive to an alternative.
Trump outlined his all-American strategy, stating, “All across America, millions of people in so-called blue states are joining our movement based on love, intelligence and a thing called common sense… Whether you’re a Republican, conservative, independent or even a registered Democrat, I’m asking for your help in saving America, our country’s in trouble…” and warning that on the country’s current path “we’ll end up in World War III, these guys are grossly incompetent, they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Trump added, “You know in your heart that this country is not going to survive four more years of crooked Joe Biden… [H]e’s the worst president we’ve ever had.”
Trump also outlined the issues he would be running on in his national appeal, telling independents and Democrats dissatisfied with Biden: “We don’t have to agree on everything but we can agree that we want strong borders not open borders, we want the American dream not Biden’s inflation nightmare, we want safe communities not defund the police and abolish cash bail… and instead of Joe Biden’s weakness and chaos we want peace through strength like we had just four years ago.”
Here, Trump is playing to Biden’s very visible policy weaknesses on substance and in the polls: rampant illegal immigration with millions of migrant refugees flooding across the southern border, sticky inflation that continues to outpace incomes, rising violent crime and soft on crime policies in blue cities and a chaotic foreign policy that appears to invite war that threatens to suck in America into a wider conflict.
This is political tee ball. According to the latest Harvard-Harris national poll taken April 24 and April 25, only 38 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration with, just 42 percent his handling of the economy and 38 percent his handling of inflation, 41 percent who say he’s doing a good job with violence and crime in the country and 42 percent who approve of his handling of foreign affairs.
Trump is taking 60-40 propositions and betting Americans blame Biden more than they dislike Trump. In the same Harvard-Harris poll, 55 percent of Americans say they approved of Trump when he was president including 27 percent of Democrats, 51 percent of independents and 87 percent of Republicans.
Shockingly, 50 percent of females of approved of Trump as president, 48 percent of Blacks, 44 percent of Hispanics and 59 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds. He’s aging like fine wine.
There are also benefits in Congress to Republican presidents that competed nationally and won the popular vote: Dwight Eisenhower won 39 states and the GOP took control of the House in 1952 after picking up 22 seats and won the Senate, Richard Nixon was able to pick up 12 House seats in 1972, Ronald Reagan to picked up 34 House seats and 16 seats in 1980 and 1984 respectively and won the Senate both times, and George W. Bush to picked up 3 seats in 2004 and also won the Senate.
Which, let’s face it, presidents who don’t win majorities in Congress — or large enough majorities — are not able to get much accomplished if the win the election anyway. Trump, having served, is keen on that prospect and has decided to play for all the marbles instead. It’s smart.
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
