The art of the campaign rally has always worked for President Trump. Those cheerful, bodacious get-togethers are a reliable and effective weapon in the Trump arsenal, and certainly one of his favorite forms of outreach.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump[1] heads for Tennessee and some friendly territory indeed, off to Nashville for an early evening rally with all the trimmings. An enthusiastic, affectionate audience awaits him; Mr. Trump[2] won 94 of the state’s 95 counties in the 2016 presidential election and most continue to look kindly on the president.
There is also considerable celebrity draw for the event. Trace Adkins — the towering, 6-foot-6-inch country music star known for his powerful baritone — will be on stage as well.
The pair have known each other for a decade. Mr. Adkins was a finalist on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008, hosted by a famous reality TV star by the name of Donald Trump[3].
“As a huge supporter of the Wounded Warriors Project that helps our great veterans, and so many other important charities, Trace will help set the perfect patriotic tone for the rally. This will be a special treat for President Trump[4]’s supporters Tuesday night,” says Michael Glassner, CEO of Donald J. Trump for President Inc.
Mr. Trump[5] will also headline a fundraiser during his visit for Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is now pursuing Tennessee’s U.S. Senate seat — of pivotal interest in party circles since Republican Sen. Bob Corker will be retiring at the end of his term. Democrats would like nothing more than to move in on the vacancy.
“Democrats sense an opportunity to flip a Senate seat held by Republicans for two decades,” an Associated Press analysis noted Monday.
One of Mrs. Blackburn’s opponents is former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen who bests her in two statewide polls conducted by Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State universities.
In the meantime, the Tuesday rally marks Mr. Trump[6]’s second visit to Nashville in 2018. In January, the president was in Music City to address the American Farm Bureau Federation. They liked him, and the feeling was mutual....
“You embody the values of hard work, grit, self-reliance and sheer determination,” he told them in his visit five months ago.WONDERING, WONDERING, WONDERINGThey are still paying attention. The majority of voters — 51 percent — now are convinced that “high-level federal law enforcement officials tried illegally to stop Donald Trump from being president,” according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey.It also found that GOP voters appear particularly suspicious: 72 percent of likely Republican voters agree with the aforementioned statement, up from 66 percent in a similar survey conducted in February, the pollster says.Even Trump[7] critics are beginning to wonder. The survey found that 29 percent of Democrats say