Former President Donald Trump has been vocal about his belief that his criminal trial in Manhattan has hindered his ability to campaign in crucial swing states. He has asserted that, if not for the trial, he would have been actively campaigning in states like Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
However, a scrutiny of Trump’s activities during the trial’s initial four weeks reveals a different picture. Despite having 12 days free from court proceedings, Trump has engaged in limited campaign travel and held few public campaign events on those days. Instead, he has primarily spent his court-free days at his properties in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, largely away from public view.
Of the 12 court-free days, Trump held no public events on seven of them, and even on eight days if a brief appearance before the cameras prior to a private meeting is discounted.
Trump has spent most of his court-free days without public campaign
While he did engage in campaign travel to Wisconsin and Michigan for rallies, as well as a planned rally in North Carolina (which was canceled due to severe weather), he largely refrained from visiting the swing states he claimed the trial was preventing him from reaching.
During the trial period, Trump made appearances in New York City and used the hallway outside the Manhattan courtroom to address the media, effectively turning it into a campaigning venue. However, the majority of his off days passed without any public campaign events.
Instead, he spent time golfing, attending fundraisers, hosting events at his properties, and conducting meetings and phone calls. Despite his assertions, Trump’s campaign activities during the trial have been relatively subdued compared to his claims of being impeded by the legal proceedings.
