Trump's Absence from Public Campaign Events During Court-Free Days
Trump has been noticeably absent from public campaign events during his court-free days, raising questions about his campaign strategy and future plans.
Former President Donald Trump has claimed that his criminal trial in Manhattan has prevented him from campaigning in key swing states. He expressed his frustration to reporters outside the courtroom, stating that he should be in Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and other states, campaigning as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump continued to mention that he was supposed to be in Ohio, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, blaming the trial on President Joe Biden without any evidence.
It's possible that Trump would have campaigned in those states if there was no trial. However, an analysis of his activities during the trial's first four weeks reveals that he has not done much campaign travel or held many public events on days off from court. Instead, he has spent most of his 12 court-free days at his properties in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, away from voters' view.
During those 12 court-free days, Trump did not visit Pennsylvania, Georgia, South Carolina, Ohio, or New Hampshire, states he claimed the trial was preventing him from visiting. (He does have a scheduled fundraiser in Ohio on May 15.)
Trump's trial does not take place on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Additionally, the judge also gave Trump one Monday off in late April. This means that as of Saturday, May 11, Trump had a total of 12 days without court obligations to enjoy. In contrast, he was required to be in court for 15 days out of the 27 days starting from the opening of jury selection on April 15.
Trump did not have any public events on seven out of the 12 days when he was not in court. In fact, he had no public events on eight out of the 12 days if we exclude his brief appearance for the cameras before a private meeting with the president of Poland at Trump Tower in New York City.
During the trial, Trump did not visit many swing states.
During the trial, Trump traveled for his campaign. He visited swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan for rallies in May. In April, he planned a rally in North Carolina, but it was canceled last minute due to bad weather. Earlier that day, he also attended a fundraiser in the same state. Trump is set to hold a rally in New Jersey, a traditionally Democratic state, on Saturday. Additionally, he made an appearance at a Formula One race in Miami in May.
Trump has also made campaign-style appearances in Democratic-dominated New York City before or after three court appearances. He has turned the hallway outside the Manhattan courtroom into a de facto campaigning venue, regularly speaking to media cameras before and after sitting in court.
However, he has let the majority of the 12 off days pass without doing any public campaign events. Instead, he has spent some time golfing at his Bedminster club in New Jersey, attending a Republican National Committee fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Florida, joining a Mar-a-Lago dinner for people who purchased large numbers of his “NFT” digital trading cards, and engaging in phone calls and meetings.
His complete itinerary on the off days is not known. Here is a list showing how he is known to have spent his time from the opening day of the trial, April 15, until May 11.
April 15: Court
On April 16, there was a court appearance in New York City, followed by a visit to a bodega.
The next day, April 17, was a day off from court with no public events scheduled. However, there was a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda at Trump Tower, and a brief appearance on camera for less than a minute.
April 18: Court
April 19: Court
April 20: Day off court. Attended fundraiser in North Carolina and planned to speak at a NC rally that was called off due to weather
April 21: Day off court. No public events
April 22: Court
April 23: Court
April 24: Day off court. No public events; golfed at Bedminster
April 25: Court (made appearance at New York City construction site beforehand)
April 26: Court
April 27: Day off court. No public events
April 28: Day off court. No public events
April 29: Day off court. No public events
April 30: Court
May 1: Day off court. Spoke at campaign rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan
May 2: Court (made appearance at New York City fire station afterward)
May 3: Court
May 4: Day off court. No public events; attended Republican National Committee fundraising luncheon at Mar-a-Lago
May 5: Day off court. Appeared at Formula One race in Miami
May 6: Court
May 7: Court
May 8: Day off court. No public events; attended dinner with NFT buyers at Mar-a-Lago
May 9: Court
May 10: Court
May 11: Day off court. Scheduled to hold campaign rally in New Jersey
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this article.
Editor's P/S:
Trump's claims that his trial has prevented him from campaigning are contradicted by his own actions. Despite having 12 days off from court, he has spent most of them at his properties, engaging in personal activities and only attending a few campaign events. His itinerary suggests that he has prioritized personal pursuits over actively campaigning in swing states.
It is clear that Trump's trial has had some impact on his campaign schedule, but it is not the sole reason for his lack of activity. His reluctance to engage in traditional campaign tactics, such as holding rallies in key states, indicates that he may be facing other challenges or personal preferences that are limiting his efforts. The trial may be a convenient excuse for Trump to avoid the rigors of campaigning, but it is not the primary factor determining his current level of engagement.
