On Politics: Why Trump’s unity picks are not very unifying
Why Trump's unity picks are not very unifying
The latest, with 62 days to go
It is a time-honored political strategy for presidential candidates: Win your primary, hold your convention and then pivot to the center as you work to unite a broad coalition of voters around your cause. Or not. With nine weeks to go until the election, former President Donald Trump is showcasing his support from a coterie of divisive public figures, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country's most famous anti-vaxxer; Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman who drew support from white nationalists when she ran for president in 2020; and Elon Musk, who is probably the world's most polarizing tech billionaire. Trump has bubble-wrapped those three people in a valence of unity, calling them "former Never Trumpers" in a Monday fund-raising email that presented them as evidence he was "rallying Americans of all political stripes together like never before." But if that group aligns him with anybody, it's the political fringe — and in a tight election, Trump is betting that it's the disaffected, low-propensity voters who supported candidates like Kennedy who will help him win. "They are low-information voters, they're not really interested in the election, and they don't see the election really impacts them that much," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster. "It's an effort to try to get to those voters, get them to vote and get them to vote for the former president." 'He beats to his own drum'Trump and his aides spent weeks delicately courting Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has long espoused anti-vaccine views and who initially entered the Democratic presidential primary before switching to run as an independent. Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump last month; last week, Trump named him and Gabbard to his transition team, which binds them more tightly to his political operation and could give them power to shape a second administration. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democratic presidential candidates who had small but devoted followings. Trump's embrace of them mystifies Republicans who would prefer that their nominee focus on outreach to middle-of-the-road voters like the well-educated and often suburban Republicans who backed the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley during the G.O.P. primary. "I think he's trying to be as inclusive as possible," said the Republican donor Andy Sabin, politely, "but he's missing the boat by not bringing in Nikki Haley, who could be better than either one of those two combined." Sabin, who backed Haley during the primary, is not exactly surprised. "He beats to his own drum," he said. "He doesn't listen to anybody." Trump's alliance with Kennedy and Gabbard underscores that his strategy to find more votes depends not on attracting moderates but on reprising his 2016 strategy of bringing people who have little interest in mainstream politics into the fold. 'A delicatessen election'Kennedy's support reached into the double digits in some polls early in the presidential race, bolstered by the distaste of so-called "double haters" for both Trump and President Biden. Once Biden stepped aside, Vice President Kamala Harris absorbed much of his left-leaning support, according to the Democratic pollster Ben Tulchin, leaving behind a group of Kennedy supporters who seem more likely to back Trump. "What's left," Tulchin said, "is working-class, non-college-educated, younger white men disproportionately supporting R.F.K. Jr." By July, New York Times polling found that only about a quarter of Democrats viewed Kennedy favorably, compared with nearly half of Republicans. A poll of four battleground states by The New York Times and Siena College taken in August found that Kennedy's supporters were disproportionately likely to be 29 or younger. More than half of them said their highest level of education was either high school or some college but no degree. Fifty-two percent of his supporters in battleground states were male, while 45 percent of them were female. Kennedy's supporters could be a natural demographic fit for Trump's campaign, which has focused heavily on winning over young men, and one that could help Trump in an election that could be very tight. "It's called a delicatessen election," said Newhouse, "which means you take a slice and slice and slice of voters to add to your pile." It will be a challenge for the Trump campaign to actually turn them out, however. The Times's polling found that Kennedy voters were much less likely than supporters of other candidates to say they actually plan to vote in November. — Ruth Igielnik contributed reporting. An update on Trump's trialsAfter going largely quiet over the summer, proceedings in some of Trump's civil and criminal trials are ramping back up this week. Here's what's happening:
Tell us: How are you feeling about next week's presidential debate?The presidential debate next Tuesday will be the first time that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off onstage. And it could be the most important moment of the fall campaign. I want to know how you're feeling about it. Are you planning to watch? Are you excited? Are you dreading it? And what do you want to see the candidates asked about? You might recall that I asked you this before the June debate between Trump and President Biden. You had a lot of thoughts — some of which turned out to be quite prescient. I'd especially love to hear from you if you responded then. What feels different now? Weigh in here, and I may feature your answer in an upcoming newsletter. Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have feedback? Ideas for coverage? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
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