Trump's lack of contact on TV and at rallies has led some voters and media to believe he is the same candidate as in 2016 or 2020, Weathersby added. However, a full rally shows the deterioration. You witness someone who often forgets what he's talking about, who he's referencing, and has trouble pronouncing words.”
According to Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone, he has attended over 600 Trump rallies since 2016, including 30 since the 2024 race began. He said Trump has changed since 2016. Carusone claimed Trump is older than reported and his words have darkened and become less coherent.
Another pro-Biden super PAC, Unite the Country, claimed the more voters are reminded of Trump, the more the election becomes a decision between Trump and Biden, giving Biden the edge.
Steve Schale, a longtime Biden ally and Unite the Country CEO, referenced a 2020 focus group member who stated Biden would win if he never posted on X. Several people nodded in accord.
“People remember what they want to remember positively about Trump. He said they forget about the sheer terrible pandemonium that marked it even more than anything Trump did as president about policy.
Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the Indivisible Project, a progressive grassroots group formed after Trump's election, said this year it's less about raw rally footage, which most voters won't watch, and more about media coverage.
She said Indivisible's mission is to highlight the election's issues, but she wasn't convinced seeing whole rallies would help. “It really is a little bit of an independent judgment call whether that kind of content is going to be galvanizing or depressing and demotivating,” Greenberg said.
VP for public affairs Matt Bennett of moderate Democratic group Third Way said the media is still struggling to cover Trump and his backers. Bennett mentioned the NBC News scandal over hiring former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and cutting Trump's live speech. Allowing him to directly project lies into people's minds is not ideal. Bennett thought portraying him in all his horror may be important. “This is a huge dilemma for Democrats and the press.”
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