Republican Donald Trump is set to visit the swing state of North Carolina on Wednesday, attempting to move past a challenging period in his White House campaign where his lead in opinion polls has nearly vanished. Trump is scheduled to speak at 4pm (2000 GMT) in Asheville. His recent personal attacks on his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, have disappointed some of his allies, donors, and advisors, who believe he should focus on critiquing her policies rather than her identity. Some of Trump's supporters have been astonished by Harris' significant fundraising achievements since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, enabling her candidacy. Others have privately expressed dissatisfaction with the Trump campaign's failure to adopt a consistent strategy that they believe could resonate with a wide audience. Trump's comments about Harris' racial background have particularly raised eyebrows. He has often suggested that Harris, whose parents were born in India and Jamaica, has recently embraced her African-American identity.
"Personally, it doesn't matter to me how Kamala identifies," stated Bill Bean, a prominent Republican donor who hosted Trump's vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, at a fundraiser in Indiana in late July. Bean mentioned discussing with Vance and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley the importance of criticizing Harris based on her policy record rather than her identity. Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not directly respond to these criticisms but asserted that Trump would prevail over Harris due to her track record as vice-president. "Kamala is weak, dishonest, and dangerously liberal, which is why the American people will reject her on November 5th," she stated in a release. National polling averages indicate that Harris has established a slight advantage over Trump, while polls in the swing states crucial for the November 5 election show a close contest.
During the Asheville event, Trump plans to discuss the economic challenges caused by the Harris-Biden Administration, according to his campaign. His visit comes after a disjointed interview with billionaire Elon Musk on X on Monday night, which suffered from technical issues. Last week, Trump held an unfocused press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and over the weekend, he inaccurately accused the Harris campaign of using artificial intelligence to inflate the size of her rally crowd in Michigan. Harris will also travel to North Carolina, where she will address economic policy in a speech in Raleigh on Friday. She will present a plan "to reduce costs for middle-class families and combat corporate price-gouging," according to a campaign official. Trump still holds a narrow lead in North Carolina, as per an average maintained by website Real Clear Politics, although Harris is close behind. This is a significant shift from a month ago when Biden was the candidate, and Republicans seemed to be dominating the state, shifting their focus to traditionally Democratic states like Virginia and Minnesota. On Saturday, Trump will visit Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, another battleground state where Democrats have made substantial progress in recent weeks.
