Trump visits battleground states as he adjusts to Harris as new rival

As Democrats kick off their convention in Chicago, Donald Trump is trying to regain his footing after weeks of struggling to adjust to Vice President Kamala Harris as his rival.

The former US president and GOP nominee delivered a speech at a factory in Pennsylvania on Monday as he attempts to undercut the Democratic celebration with a jam-packed schedule.

He is holding daily events in battleground states tied to subjects where Republicans think they hold an advantage, including the economy, crime and safety, national security and the border.

It is Mr Trump’s busiest week of campaigning since the winter, when he faced a large field of challengers in the Republican primary.

And his focus on policy in battleground states reflects the concerns of Mr Trump allies, who have urged him to try to broaden his appeal with swing voters as they grow more nervous about Ms Harris’ competitiveness.

In the weeks since President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid, Mr Trump has appeared at times in denial and has launched a series of deeply personal attacks on Ms Harris.

He has lied about her crowds by claiming images of them were generated by AI, talked about her looks, and played on racist tropes by questioning her racial identity as she runs to become the first woman, the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to reach the Oval Office.

The outbursts have raised concerns among allies that Mr Trump is damaging his chance in what they believe is an eminently winnable race.

“If you have a policy debate for president, he wins. Donald Trump the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, echoing others’ concerns.

Mr Graham said he wanted Mr Trump to focus on his plans for the economy and the US-Mexico border.

Some supporters at his rallies agree with that advice.

“He needs to quit talking about Biden other than Harris piggybacking on those policies,” said Kory Jeno, a 53-year-old from Swannanoa, North Carolina, who was waiting to see Trump speak last week in nearby Asheville.

“He needs to keep the conversation on the issues and what he’s going to do for Americans instead of running off on tangents where he’s just bashing her and that sort of thing.

Mr Trump “needs to stop the personal attacks”, echoed 75-year-old Mary Ray, who advised him to “be discreet when you’re talking”.

Asked whether she was thinking about Mr Trump’s most incendiary personal attacks — calling Ms Harris a “nasty woman” and questioning how she discusses her biracial heritage — Ms Ray furrowed her brow and pursed her lips.

“It hurts him with other voters,” she said.

Others have urged him to ramp up his schedule and to pivot away from rallies, where large crowds of his most ardent supporters cheer on his most incendiary rhetoric.

“The big rallies are fine, but I like him when he goes to a restaurant or just talks to anybody off the street,” said Bruce Fields, 70, who works in commercial real estate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“When he is talking to ordinary people, it adds a personal touch.”