With Donald Trump slipping behind Kamala Harris in the polls ahead of the 2024 presidential election, it sounds like he is resorting to one of his strongest strategies to win votes.
According to a report from Mark Halperin, Donald Trump is set to attend the upcoming showdown between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“Schedules can change, of course, but per football sources, Donald Trump plans to go to Bryant-Denny Stadium to see the Alabama vs. Georgia Football game on 9/28. Get on this, all y’all,” Mark Halperin said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
This is continuing what has become a key strategy for Trump.
Though Trump has consistently held political rallies, he has made a point to try to appeal to voters by attending sporting events in swing states. He attended last year’s game between Clemson and South Carolina, was in attendance for the Iowa vs. Iowa State showdown last year, and also attended the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte earlier this year.
“It’s a great visibility thing,” Republican strategist Larry Shaheen said earlier this year of Trump’s decision to attend sporting events, saying that the typical fan in attendance “fits his base.”
“With all his flaws and character issues, it’s funny because he has been a hero of the working man over the course of the last several years,” Shaheen said according to The Charlotte Observer. “… It’s a winning strategy.”
Political scientist Eric Heberlig pointed out that appearances like this also help Trump reach audiences that otherwise may not have been exposed to him.
“The bulk of the audience there isn’t there to see him. They’re there for the event. So it allows him to reach a broader audience than he otherwise would,” Heberlig said.
And perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t cost a lot of money.
“And it’s free,” Heberlig said. “He doesn’t have to pay for it in his paid advertising.”
All in all, it sounds like a pretty genius political decision from Trump.
[Mark Halperin, Charlotte Observer]
