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.
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
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.
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during the winter chillThe Week Recommends As the calendar turns to 2026, check out some new music from your favorite artists
-
Kristi Noem might not be long for TrumplandIN THE SPOTLIGHT The Homeland Security secretary has been one of the most visible and vocal architects of Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, even as her own star risks fading
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
