What Have Trump’s Rallies Accomplished?
No president in at least a century has had a greater need to win over new voters. Yet Trump doesn’t even try.
Preaching to the choir.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty
Let's get one thing out of the way: There's nothing wrong with President Donald Trump designating Tuesday night's rally as his “official” campaign kickoff. Trump is unusual in that he formally launched his re-election campaign at the beginning of his presidency, and in holding an endless series of political rallies. But the only difference here between Trump and other first-term presidents is one of strategy. They're all running for re-election from day one, and many (okay, practically all) of their public appearances are staged with that in mind.
That’s mostly a good thing. Presidents should work hard to be re-elected in their first term. It introduces healthy incentives: Smart presidents will lead with an eye toward winning over new voters and thus strive to govern responsibly. So there's nothing wrong with Trump overtly campaigning from day one, or with arbitrarily designating one of his rallies as the beginning of a new phase of that campaign.