Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale thinks the Southwest is the new Midwest


The Trump re-election campaign isn't seeking a repeat of the 2016 general election, planning to win by holding steady in key Midwest battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin. Instead, they want to "grow the map."
In 2016, President Trump lost Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada to his opponent, Hillary Clinton. But the president's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a pre-taped interview on CBS News' Face the Nation, which aired on Sunday, that the campaign is focused on flipping those Southwest states, in addition to blue-leaning Minnesota and New Hampshire.
However, that appears to be a difficult task — all five of those states are still trending toward the Democratic Party. Indeed, even some red states in the Southwest and Mountain West regions are shifting their gears. But it was also unlikely that Trump's team could pull off a victory in Michigan and Wisconsin last time around, and they did just that. With Parscale declaring the re-election campaign "bigger, better, badder" than the 2016 campaign, it would probably be unwise to dismiss the plan at first glance.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, even if they do manage to flip some blue states, there is no guarantee that more traditional swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania won't do the same for the Democratic nominee. Watch Parscale's interview below. Tim O'Donnell
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Quiz of The Week: 12 - 17 April
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump pauses some tariffs but ramps up China tax
Speed Read The president suspended most 'reciprocal' tariffs for 90 days and raised his tariffs for China to 125%
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US