As the election enters its final stages, former President Trump is trying a different strategy to get attention.
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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
We’re entering the final days of the 2024 campaign, with both campaigns bouncing from swing state to swing state. Former President Trump and Vice President Harris held a rally in Wisconsin last night.
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Donald Trump: We don’t want your money. I don’t need your money. I want your vote, okay? We want that vote.
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Vice President Kamala Harris: For those of you who haven’t voted yet, there’s no judgment. Let me be clear: there is no judgment. But if you can, please try (lol). If you haven’t voted yet, plan to vote now.
SIMON: Ron Elving joins us now. Good morning, Ron.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Great to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: You’ve covered so many presidential campaigns. What stands out to you about this election in its final week?
ELVING: How close the fall has been so far and how unpredictable the outcome remains. In 2000, five states had a winning percentage of less than 1%. Polls suggest seven states could be shut down this time. So it’s really anyone’s guess at this point, Scott. No one knows what will happen.
SIMON: And the candidates are attacking these seven states to the point of almost eliminating (laughter) the other 43 states in this country. Is this concentration worth it?
ELVING: The key is to get near-constant media attention across these seven states, especially on local television. People love to feel loved, and voters love seeing candidates right in their broadcast area. So we’ve gotten used to seeing a frenzy of travel and gathering, travel and gathering over the last few days and even hours. Trump held five rallies in three battleground states in the final 24 hours of the 2020 campaign. So no one is sitting around risking withholding votes or giving the last word to the opposition in certain media markets.
SIMON: Also this week, Donald Trump attacked former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who supports Kamala Harris. I’m not going to paraphrase it. This is what he said.
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TRUMP: She’s a radical war hawk. Give her a rifle and stand there so the nine barrels fire at her. Let’s see how she feels about it when a gun is pointed at her face.
SIMON: President Trump has used this campaign to make gruesome, profane, violent attacks that flow without public outrage or comment, while other political figures are held to a higher standard. Have you ever made a statement?
ELVING: From the first day of President Trump’s first campaign in 2015, he set a kind of negative standard where he could say more shocking things than ever before, and we all knew he did that. I hope you can accomplish it. His defenders are used to saying it’s just Trump being Trump. He just says something. He is my lover and I will vote for him. So he’s now talking about training nine gun barrels into Liz Cheney’s face like a firing squad. Will that make some of his voters nervous?
We know that there are tens of millions of people who are devoted to him – call it a movement, call it a cult – they are devoted. However, there are a small number of voters who sometimes have doubts. Lifelong voters, longtime Republicans who feel a deep commitment to their side and a deep distaste for the Democratic Party, voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Some may stop and ask if this Trump is the same exact person this time around. The numbers may not be large, but they could potentially make a difference in this election.
SIMON: And of course these comments get a lot of attention.
ELVING: President Trump has strategically used taboo-breaking actions to dominate media coverage in moments like this. The election is next week, Scott, who are you talking about? Donald Trump. His strategy in business, media, and politics was to control the discourse. It was the key to his power as a public figure, and it was the key to his power as a president, former president, and presidential candidate.
SIMON: As we speak now, Ron, we don’t know when this election will be decided or how much the results will be contested. What possibilities do we face after voting closes on Tuesday?
ELVING: The least likely thing would be for one candidate to win clearly on election night. Counting can take several days due to rules in some battleground states. What follows is expected to be several weeks of lawsuits and court battles by the losing candidates, and perhaps even more drama when the Electoral College vote returns to Congress for certification in January. It’s time for everyone to take a deep breath.
Simon: Oh. Thank you so much, NPR’s Ron Elving.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott.
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