Trump Pins Hopes on Rallies That Could Be Sealing His Defeat
- Campaign says rallies identify new voters and excite the base
- Pollsters see no evidence they helped then or are helping now
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President Donald Trump’s push for a second poll-defying victory is relying on a hallmark of his first -- raucous campaign rallies that Trump sees as a crucial sign of voter enthusiasm but that pollsters say may only be cementing his defeat.
Trump held three rallies Monday, all in Pennsylvania, with three more scheduled Tuesday and as many as five or six a day expected by the weekend. The rallies befit the showman with roots in reality television: blaring music, slick production, video montages, warm-up speeches, Air Force One as a backdrop and the president himself as the headline attraction. Attendees erupt in screams and cheers at his arrival, and local Republicans say it’s unlike any political event they’ve seen.