Even though Trump has been campaigning for reelection since he took office, Trump claimed that he hadn’t started his reelection campaign yet.
Trump tweeted:
Big crowds and lines already forming in Tulsa. My campaign hasn’t started yet. It starts on Saturday night in Oklahoma!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2020
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Trump launched his first reelection campaign ad in May of 2017.
Before the pandemic, Trump has spent years holding nearly weekly reelection campaign rallies. Trump has never stopped campaigning for reelection. Trump filed the paperwork for his reelection campaign on Inauguration Day 2017.
Every decision that Trump has made while president has been about winning reelection. He even got himself impeached because he was trying to blackmail Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 election.
Candidates who are losing often relaunch their campaigns to gain ground. Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Mitt Romney all did campaign relaunches, and three of those candidates lost in November.
The Trump campaign is hoping that rallies will be the missing ingredient that gets them back on track, but 2020 isn’t 2016. They can’t recycle the same strategy and win.
On Thursday, the Trump campaign asked for more debates. By Friday morning, Trump is claiming that the campaign hasn’t started yet.
The campaign started long ago, and Donald Trump is losing.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
