Trump to Visit Border in Bid to Counter Harris Convention Speech

Hadriana Lowenkron and Stephanie Lai
·3-min read

(Bloomberg) -- Republican Donald Trump will travel to the US-Mexico border later this week, part of a push by his campaign to ratchet up political pressure and steal attention from Kamala Harris as Democrats celebrate her presidential nomination at their national convention in Chicago.

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Trump will travel to Montezuma Pass, Arizona on Thursday, the same day Harris is slated to give her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The border visit is part of a week-long blitz that will take the former president to several swing states, after weeks of hosting just one or two rallies a week. The Trump campaign and his surrogates’ slate of activities also include daily press conferences, which aides are hoping will paint a stark contrast to the Harris campaign, which has not yet held an official press conference since securing the Democratic nomination.

The ramped up campaign schedule comes as Trump’s campaign has been losing ground to Harris, who has edged ahead in national polling as well as in fundraising. Trump aides said they believe forcing the vice president into unscripted settings and policy discussions will ultimately prove detrimental to her campaign.

“While Harris dodges questions from the press and tries to walk-back her extreme policies like the Green New Scam and bans on American energy, President Trump and Senator Vance will bring their America First message to voters in battleground states across the country,” Trump aides Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.

Harris has taken occasional shouted questions from reporters and pledged to do a full sit-down interview by the end of the month.

In Arizona, Trump is expected to engage with the border patrol union and members of the sheriff’s department and participate in a briefing accompanied by officials such as the county sheriff and Brandon Judd, who is the immediate past president of the National Border Patrol Council. He will then participate in a border walk before engaging in a listening session with everyday Americans and delivering remarks to the press, according to campaign officials.

Before heading to the border, Trump is expected to host a rally Monday in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state. Harris is conducting a weekend bus tour of the state before heading to Chicago for the convention.

On Tuesday, with Harris and running mate Tim Walz expected to attend an event in Milwaukee, Trump will deliver remarks on “crime and safety” in Howell, Michigan. On Wednesday, the day Walz plans to give his acceptance speech, Trump will hold a rally on national security in North Carolina. And after his border trip, Trump will attend a rally in Glendale, Arizona.

Harris’ entry into the race has upended a 2024 contest already unprecedented in nature, with Trump running as the first former president to be convicted of a felony, surviving a failed assassination attempt at an outdoor rally, and being forced to pivot to a new opponent after Biden was pushed off the ticket by a Democratic pressure campaign.

Recent polls have shown a tight race in a campaign where Trump previously was a steady favorite. A poll released Sunday shows that Harris leads Trump narrowly in a head-to-head matchup, 49% to 45%, among registered voters nationally. The same poll, from the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos, showed a dead heat in early July when the candidate was President Joe Biden.

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