Trump Tries a New Campaign Tack: Small-Scale - The New York Times

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Donald J. Trump campaigned during his archetypal statesmanlike contention successful a distinctly audacious style, giving escaped chopper rides to children astatine the Iowa State Fair and utilizing his Trump-branded 757 jetliner arsenic an lawsuit backdrop.

He rolled retired a 2nd run successful arsenic antithetic fashion, filing re-election paperwork connected the aforesaid time arsenic his inauguration and holding 10 signature mega-rallies earlier the extremity of his archetypal twelvemonth successful office.

For his 3rd campaign, it’s backmost to basics — for the archetypal time.

More than 2 months aft formally opening his White House comeback bid, the 76-year-old erstwhile president volition clasp his archetypal 2 nationalist events connected Saturday. Both are the benignant of textbook run stops helium mostly skipped successful his archetypal 2 runs for office.

In New Hampshire, Mr. Trump volition talk successful a precocious schoolhouse auditorium successful Salem, wherever helium volition code an yearly authorities enactment meeting. In South Carolina, wherever helium has antecedently attracted thousands to rallies, Mr. Trump volition present his authorities enactment squad astatine the State Capitol, an bonzer mounting for a person known for upsetting the constitution and taking nonstop purpose astatine longstanding nationalist institutions.

Mr. Trump’s effort to drape himself with the emblematic trappings of a accepted run is an unspoken acknowledgment that helium begins the contention successful 1 of the astir politically susceptible positions of his nationalist life. He remains the wide front-runner for the Republican statesmanlike nomination, yet the solidity of his enactment seems progressively successful doubt.

Longtime donors person been reluctant to recommit. Leaders successful the Republican National Committee are openly encouraging different candidates to run. Voters rejected the handpicked candidates helium vowed would triumph Republicans power of the Senate, but whose losses alternatively near the enclosure successful Democratic hands.

“There’s nary question erstwhile President Trump has mislaid immoderate radical — independents, immoderate radical successful his basal — truthful he’s got to travel retired of the gross slowly,” said Jim Renacci, a erstwhile Ohio congressman and a Trump acolyte. “He’s got to enactment to get them back.”

Mr. Renacci provided 1 of Mr. Trump’s earliest endorsements successful the 2016 campaign. But helium said helium was waiting to spot however the remainder of the Republican tract took signifier earlier deciding connected whom to backmost for the 2024 nomination.

Over the past six weeks connected his societal media platform, Truth Social, Mr. Trump has been posting videos astir his policy positions, including plans to support Social Security and Medicare and prohibition Chinese citizens from owning U.S. farmland oregon telecommunications, energy, exertion oregon aesculapian proviso companies. The videos, successful which the erstwhile president speaks straight to the camera, are aimed astatine reassuring supporters that he’s focused connected topics different than his 2020 defeat, an contented that flopped with midterm voters.

One of the cardinal occupation spots for him has been successful attracting top-dollar backing. Mr. Trump has mostly relied connected tiny online donations but has shed enactment from immoderate deep-pocketed donors and has struggled to unafraid commitments from others.

In caller weeks, 2 longtime Republican financiers — Bernie Marcus, the Home Depot founder, and Miriam Adelson, a doc and philanthropist and the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate — person not committed to matching their erstwhile fiscal enactment for his campaigns, according to radical acquainted with the discussions who insisted connected anonymity to talk astir backstage conversations.

A spokesperson for Ms. Adelson said she was readying to beryllium retired the Republican primary.

Still, Mr. Trump maintains his perch arsenic the astir almighty Republican. An Emerson College poll this week showed Mr. Trump with enactment from 55 percent of superior voters, astir doubly arsenic overmuch arsenic his closest competitor, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, successful a hypothetical matchup. The aforesaid canvass showed Mr. Trump successful a statistical necktie against President Biden successful a imaginable rematch adjacent year.

“The run is firing connected each cylinders and continues to physique up an cognition that volition beryllium unmatched,” Steven Cheung, Mr. Trump’s run spokesman, said successful a statement. “President Trump’s important pb successful canvass aft canvass shows that determination is nary different campaigner who tin adjacent travel adjacent to matching the enthusiasm and excitement of him returning to the White House.”

In November and December, Mr. Trump’s lasting among Republicans dipped successful nationalist sentiment polls aft his nonaccomplishment to assistance present the “red wave” helium had promised voters successful the midterm elections and aft helium had meal with Kanye West, who has been denounced for making antisemitic statements, and Nick Fuentes, an outspoken antisemite and salient young achromatic supremacist.

Mr. Trump was stunned by the disapproval implicit the dinner, peculiarly that from adjacent advisers, according to radical acquainted with the conversations.

The biggest hazard to Mr. Trump’s run whitethorn not beryllium governmental truthful overmuch arsenic legal: the 5 transgression and civilian investigations targeting some his behaviour earlier helium was a campaigner successful 2016 and his efforts to thwart the peaceful transportation of powerfulness aft helium mislaid successful November 2020.

But Mr. Trump indispensable besides reassure Republicans that helium tin triumph implicit wide predetermination voters.

Republicans person struggled done 3 disappointing predetermination cycles with Mr. Trump arsenic the look of the enactment — a concern the enactment has been unwilling to confront, oregon adjacent afloat examine.

Wavering enactment from immoderate of the nation’s evangelical leaders — whose congregants provided important backing to Mr. Trump successful his ascent to the White House — has raised the possibility of a tectonic displacement successful Republican politics.

Many members of the Republican National Committee — activists who signifier the party's direction, including galore who won seats during the Trump medication — person been unwilling to support the erstwhile president’s 3rd bid. Interviews with 59 of the R.N.C.’s 168 members revealed dozens who said Mr. Trump should not beryllium the party’s nominee, who preferred a large tract oregon who declined to authorities their presumption connected the erstwhile president. Only 4 of those 59 offered unabashed endorsements of his 3rd campaign.

And successful South Carolina connected Saturday, Mr. Trump’s enactment squad volition beryllium without 2 of the state’s astir salient politicians: erstwhile Gov. Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott.

Ms. Haley, who served arsenic ambassador to the United Nations successful the Trump administration, is weighing her ain Republican statesmanlike campaign.

Mr. Scott, the keynote talker astatine Mr. Trump’s past statesmanlike nominating convention, has asked allies successful the authorities to clasp disconnected endorsing the erstwhile president portion helium likewise considers a imaginable nationalist campaign, according to 2 Republicans acquainted with the conversations.

Jane Brady, a Republican National Committee subordinate from Delaware, said Mr. Trump’s pugilistic property had agelong been a distraction from his policies, which, generally, overmuch of the enactment supports.

“Some radical look past that, and immoderate radical don’t,” she said.

Alex Olson, a Republican strategist, was successful Salem, N.H., connected behalf of Ron to the Rescue, a caller ace PAC that is pushing for a 2024 bid by Mr. DeSantis. (The politician and the radical are unaffiliated.)

“We person nary occupation with what Trump has done arsenic president,” Mr. Olson said. “I supported him. But DeSantis tin bring unneurotic the Chamber of Commerce Republicans and the MAGA Republicans. He is little bombastic, and helium understands the legislative process.”

Roland Morasse, 71, of Salem, who had travel to spot Mr. Trump talk but was angered to find that the lawsuit was not for the nationalist — “Shame connected them!” helium said, adding that “it is lone for the elites” — said that helium had nary occupation with Mr. DeSantis, but that helium inactive preferred the erstwhile president. “DeSantis would beryllium a bully campaigner arsenic V.P.,” helium said.

Mr. Renacci listed respective reasons helium wasn’t acceptable to enactment Mr. Trump’s statesmanlike bid. The erstwhile lawmaker said the enactment needed “a caller face” and besides acknowledged that helium was stung that Mr. Trump had not done much to assistance his 2022 superior run against Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio.

“Former President Trump was a large campaigner to decision Hillary Clinton successful 2016,” Mr. Renacci said. “But astatine this signifier of the game, we request to look astatine who the candidates are and spot if determination is idiosyncratic who cannot lone instrumentality america successful a caller absorption but besides not divided the American radical successful the process.”

Mei-Ling McNamara contributed reporting from Salem, N.H., Reid J. Epstein from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York.