In an exclusive interview with Breitbart, Donald Trump said he’s working to build a foothold in blue-leaning states to flip them in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump said he thinks he’ll be able to compete in numerous states Republicans have not won in years.
States Trump plans to target include New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota, New Mexico, and New York.
In fact, he flaunted the idea of renting out Madison Square Garden to hold a rally in the heart of deep-blue New York City.
🚨BREAKING: Donald Trump is reportedly considering renting out Madison Square Garden for a massive Trump rally in New York City this year.
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) January 3, 2024
“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,” Trump told the outlet.
Breitbart reports:
Asked what he means by make a “heavy play” for states like New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Virginia, and New Mexico, Trump said he plans to do rallies and speeches in those states as he campaigns for the presidency in the general election.
“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.”
Trump mocked Biden as “Mr. Scranton,” a reference to how the current president regularly references his childhood in the working-class Pennsylvania city, calling Biden “such a fake” and saying “there’s just no way” that Biden will beat him in the Keystone State this year.
“But we’re going to do these other states too, and it will be a heavy move,” Trump said. “I may rent Madison Square Garden and that’s the belly of the beast, right?”
A Trump rally in Madison Square Garden certainly would be the “belly of the beast” in the heart of a Democrat stronghold, but it’s also in a city near and dear to Trump’s heart. Trump recently appeared at Madison Square Garden alongside former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, rocker Kid Rock, his son Donald Trump Jr., and UFC’s Dana White for the big UFC fight there in November. When Trump walked into the Garden, the crowd went wild. While that was a big moment for him, doing his own rally there would be a significantly bigger step and investment of campaign resources into the heart of a deep-blue state.
Newsmax correspondent Mike Carter spoke with New Yorkers about the possibility of a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.
WATCH:
Trump has also mentioned the possibility of holding a rally in the Bronx.
