The attempted murder of donald trump campaign in disarray, with Democratic campaigns pulling ads and pausing fundraising appeals — while Republicans, including the former president, forged ahead after a brief pause.
President Joe BidenThe Trump campaign, along with many Democratic leaders, were quick to suspend digital ads and fundraising messages in the wake of Saturday night’s shooting that left one person dead and the country shaken. Republicans did so briefly as well, but resumed more typical messaging on Sunday afternoon.
The differing responses highlighted the immense challenge of navigating a hotly contested political campaign in the aftermath of the unprecedented explosion of violence.
“Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, this is a very shocking development. And this happened at a very bizarre moment in the weekly campaign calendar — on a Saturday night. I think everyone is trying to calibrate how they respond to this moment based on how the public and voters are responding to it, and I think it’s too early to tell,” said Jason Roe, a GOP strategist and former Michigan chairman. Republican party.
Republicans quickly rallied around Trump, who, in fundraising appeals on Sunday, called for “unity” and promised he would “NEVER SURRENDER.”
The former president’s campaign briefly slowed its steady pace of fundraising messages, but changed course on Sunday afternoon. Several emails and text messages highlighted the now-iconic photo of Trump raising his fist while surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents immediately after the shooting. His campaign website also began redirecting to a fundraising page with that photo on Sunday night.
The resumption of fundraising messages coincided with Trump’s trip to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. Trump supporters in Milwaukee too gathered to honor himwhile allies, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) planned rallies elsewhere.
Supporters are looking to show “appreciation for someone who they think carries their message, their mantle, and it almost cost him his life,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump administration appointee. “This is a very powerful human emotion that, when translated into politics… is one of the most potent and politically persuasive emotions.”
In contrast to Trump’s fundraising campaign, Biden’s campaign quickly halted digital ads running on Facebook and Instagram, according to data from the platforms, and had not yet resumed them as of Sunday night. The campaign also stopped collecting emails and text messages. Major Democratic groups, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, also paused their fundraising messages and digital ads.
Biden is “trying to lead by example, be presidential, handle this the way things need to be handled. He’s choosing to be president, not a presidential candidate — and that’s the right thing to do now,” said Boston-based Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh.
Democrats’ schedules have also been mixed up: Biden has postponed an official visit to Texas originally scheduled for Monday, though he will still give an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt and then head to Nevada to speak at the NAACP National Convention.
Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to appear in Palm Beach County, Florida — not far from Trump’s famous Mar-a-Lago resort — on Tuesday to discuss abortion rights, an issue Democrats hope to leverage in the state and across the country. But this trip has also been postponed.
Some responses to the shooting appeared to cross party lines — in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, organized a unity press conference which also featured religious leaders and a Republican city council member.
