Trump to campaign in deep-red states as GOP plays defense

President Donald Trump is set to return to the campaign trail next week with rallies in two heavily Republican states, Oklahoma and Alabama, even as his approval rating sits at a low point for his second term and some Republicans in competitive races keep their distance from him. The trip follows a stretch that included hosting China's president in Washington and attending sporting events in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Chicago, according to The Washington Post.

Trump plans to appear in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday and in Mobile, Alabama, the following day. Both are states he carried easily in 2024 — Oklahoma by 66 percent of the vote, sweeping all 77 counties, and Alabama by 65 percent. A Republican official familiar with the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the events were chosen strategically because their media coverage could reach neighboring states with more competitive contests: Texas near Durant and Florida near Mobile.

The official said Alabama and Oklahoma both have open governor's races this year that Republicans feel confident about, and that the rallies are meant to boost turnout rather than shore up a close race directly. Mobile also sits just outside a redrawn House district that Republicans have found more competitive than anticipated. Describing the choice of locations as "very strategic," the official said Trump is "hitting places where we want to drive turnout."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Washington Post’s reporting. Read the full story at The Washington Post →