(Photo Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Trump doesn’t think he needs to campaign swing states

Trump officially kicked off his campaign this week–and he told Time Magazine reporters he has enough support, and he’s “not sure” he needs to reach swing voters. Democratic candidates for president, including South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have specifically targeted the “swing” vote, or people who are open to voting either Republican or Democrat.

“I think my base is so strong, I’m not sure that I have to do that,” Trump reportedly told the Time reporter.

Trump won the 2016 election by winning narrow victories in many swing states, including Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

Is Trump making a big mistake by assuming he has the votes already? In his mind, no. On Thursday morning he retweeted a quote by MSNBC’s Michael Steele praising his economic accomplishments while in office, hinting that he plans to base his re-election bid on the strong economy and improving conditions for the middle class.

Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, reaffirmed his boss’ position that Trump should focus on rallying the base, rather than attracting swing voters.

“People all think you have to change people’s minds. You have to get people to show up that believe in you,” Parscale told reporters.

In most recent polls, Trump is losing to Democratic candidates like Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke in a hypothetical presidential match-up.