Aug 14 (Reuters) — Republican Donald Trump is set to travel to the swing state of North Carolina on Wednesday, aiming to shift momentum in his White House campaign as his lead in opinion polls has nearly vanished. Scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) in Asheville, Trump has disappointed some allies, donors, and advisers by launching personal attacks against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. They believe he should instead highlight the problematic policies she has supported during her time in office.
Some of Trump’s allies have been taken aback by the substantial fundraising success of Kamala Harris since President Joe Biden exited the race last month, clearing the path for her candidacy. Additionally, there is private frustration among some supporters about the Trump campaign’s lack of a unified strategy, which they believe would better resonate with a wider voter base. Concerns have also been raised about Trump’s attacks on Harris’s racial identity, with the former president frequently suggesting that Harris, whose mother is from India and father is from Jamaica, has only recently embraced her Black identity.
"Personally, I don't care what Kamala chooses to identify as," said Bill Bean, a prominent Republican donor who hosted Trump's vice presidential pick, JD Vance, at an Indiana fundraiser in late July. Bean noted that he had discussed with Vance and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley the importance of criticizing Harris on her policy record rather than her identity. Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not directly respond to these criticisms but maintained that Trump would defeat Harris based on her performance in office.
"Kamala is weak, dishonest, and dangerously liberal, which is why the American people will reject her on November 5th," she stated. National polling averages indicate that Harris has gained a slight lead over Trump, though polls in the key swing states likely to determine the outcome of the November 5th election show a close contest. At the Asheville event, Trump will "address the economic hardships caused by the Harris-Biden Administration," according to his campaign.
His appearance follows a sometimes rambling interview with billionaire Elon Musk on X Monday night, which was plagued by technical issues. Last week, Trump held a meandering press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and, over the weekend, wrongly accused the Harris campaign of using artificial intelligence to artificially inflate the size of crowds at her rally in Michigan.
Harris will also visit North Carolina, where she is scheduled to deliver a speech in Raleigh on Friday focusing on economic policy. She plans to present a strategy "to lower costs for middle-class families and combat corporate price-gouging," according to her campaign.
Trump currently holds a narrow lead in North Carolina, based on averages from Real Clear Politics, although Harris is close behind. This marks a significant shift from a month ago, when Biden was the candidate and Republicans seemed poised to dominate the state while shifting their focus to traditionally Democratic areas like Virginia and Minnesota.
On Saturday, Trump will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, another key battleground state where Democrats have recently made notable gains.
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