Trump heads to North Carolina as allies push for messaging shift

14/8/2024 18:14

        Republican Donald Trump will head to the swing state of North Carolina on Wednesday, struggling to turn the page on a difficult stretch of a White House campaign in which his lead in opinion polls has all but evaporated.
        
        Trump, who will deliver remarks at 4 p.m. in Asheville, has frustrated some allies, donors and advisers by attacking his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, in deeply personal terms, rather than focusing on what they argue are the failed policies she has promoted while in office.
        
        Some Trump allies have been surprised by Harris' massive fundraising figures since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month, paving the way for her bid. Others have privately expressed frustration at the Trump campaign's inability to settle on a consistent line of attack that they say would likely appeal to a broad range of voters.
        
        The former president's broadsides related to Harris' racial identity have in particular provoked concerns. Trump has frequently implied that Harris, whose mother was born in India and whose father was born in Jamaica, has only recently leaned into her Black identity.