Trump reveals battle plans to take fight to five key states as he marches toward nomination

Former President Donald Trump presented an audacious plan to take the fight to several Democratic bastions in 2024 as he draws closer to clinching the Republican nomination.

In an interview with Breitbart, Trump pledged to go on the offensive in five states that are solidly Democratic: New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota, and New Mexico. He said, though, that these efforts wouldn’t distract from efforts in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia. The pledging of resources to states that are seen by many Republican strategists as lost causes illustrates the former president’s confidence in the 2024 election.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

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“One of the other things I’m going to do — and I may be foolish in doing it — is I’m going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn’t been won in years, Minnesota,” the ex-president said.

“I’m going to do rallies, I’m going to do speeches, I’m going to work them,” Trump said. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to work them as hard as I work Pennsylvania, where I’m doing very well.”

Further highlighting his ambition, Trump floated the idea of renting Madison Square Garden in New York City to hold a rally, which he called the “belly of the beast.” He recently appeared at the site for a UFC match alongside his son Donald Trump Jr., musician Kid Rock, Tucker Carlson, and UFC’s Dana White.

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Trump, a New York native, bemoaned the decline of his state, blamed the Democrats for its present situation, and expressed hope that deteriorating conditions could send more voters into the Republican camp.

“I left New York 8 years ago,” Trump said. “We had already suffered from De Blasio a little bit. But it hadn’t been long enough. He was a horrible mayor. He was the worst mayor in the history of New York. We were suffering from De Blasio a little bit, but it was eight years ago when I left, and when I left, it was the hottest thing. Now you look at it, and what they’ve done to that beautiful place is just horrible. So I think I have a chance there. I will spend time that I would normally not be working on New York and New Jersey and other places.”