In the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump had no problem firing up his hardcore MAGA base. But he fared poorly among swing voters and independents, and now-President Joe Biden enjoyed a decisive victory —contrary to Trump's debunked claims that the election was stolen from him.
Grievance has played a major role in Trump's 2024 campaign. But according to Axios reporter Sophia Cai, some Trump advisers are hoping they can persuade him to "focus more on the border and the economy, and less on old grievances and personal drama."
"How disciplined Trump is could determine whether he'll be able to attract college-educated voters who don't believe the 2020 election was fraudulent — voters he'll need some support from to win the November 5 election," Cai explains in an article published on March 4. "In some recent speeches, Trump has avoided his typical complaint that the 2020 election he lost was 'stolen' — and instead has said, 'We were interrupted,' or 'something very bad happened.'"
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Cai adds, "Another sign of Trump toning things down a notch: In at least one instance, he wanted to mention a salacious claim about a rival's personal life, but co-campaign manager Susie Wiles persuaded him not to."
Cai, however, notes that Trump is still does a lot of "rambling" when speaking to "MAGA crowds."
"At CPAC's recent meeting outside Washington, D.C.," the Axios reporter observes, "he called 2020 a 'rigged election" and accused Democrats of 'cheat(ing) like dogs.' His rambling speeches to MAGA crowds also still include suggestions that he'll 'terminate' parts of the Constitution and use the military against protesters. He also casts immigrants in racist terms — as 'poisoning the blood' of the country and 'speaking languages nobody's ever heard of'…. But as Trump looks to wrap up the GOP nomination soon and pivot toward a likely rematch against President Biden, he's tweaking some of his rhetoric — particularly about the 2020 election — when he's before broader audiences."
Cai adds, "Polls have shown that roughly one-third of Americans buy Trump's claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. That represents his loyal GOP base — but isn't nearly enough to win a general election."
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Read Axios' full report at this link.
