Team Trump officials told Axios they're using the same tactic, with a suburban twist, that worked for the campaign in 2016 when they portrayed a country at risk from "violent" immigrants flooding the U.S.-Mexico border:
Why it matters: They're trying to scare swing voters away from the Biden-Harris ticket by defining the duo as a conduit for the "radical left."
Trump officials saw their convention as a turning point after a difficult summer.
- They sought to change perceptions about "who Trump's supporters are — what they believe, where they come from and why they support the president," communications director Tim Murtaugh said.
- Trump's team leaned heavily on Black speakers to rebut cries of racism. But Jonathan Swan reports that was less to appeal to Black voters than to reassure college-educated suburbanites.
What's next: The biggest message the Trump campaign will push beyond this week is "the unrest and continued violence in a lot of Democrat-run cities," Murtaugh said
- "If people want national policies modeled after Seattle and Portland," Murtaugh said, "Joe Biden is their guy.”
