Trump to Head to Arizona Next Week... Launching Election Campaign?

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Bloomberg News reported on the 29th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Arizona next week.

Until now, President Trump had refrained from public activities due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), but as the federal government took measures to ease lockdowns for economic reopening, he appears to be resuming external schedules.

According to the report, President Trump said at a roundtable with business leaders at the White House to discuss the resumption of economic activities, "I will go to Arizona next week."

He added, "I hope to go to Ohio soon as well," and "I want to hold a large rally in the not-too-distant future where people can sit next to each other."

Bloomberg News cited sources saying that President Trump's Arizona visit schedule may include a tour of a protective mask manufacturing plant. However, the exact date has not been determined.

Bloomberg News also noted that President Trump had been confined to the White House for over a month due to COVID-19, and since visiting Norfolk, Virginia, on the 28th of last month to attend the departure ceremony of the Navy hospital ship Comfort for New York, he has not left Washington.

President Trump is scheduled to attend and deliver a speech at the U.S. Military Academy graduation ceremony on June 13.

This Arizona visit is interpreted as a plan to secure a support base ahead of the presidential election.

Bloomberg News expects Arizona to be one of the key battleground states in the November election and reported that it is no coincidence that aides are considering President Trump's trip to Arizona.

Arizona was once a Republican stronghold, but recent polls show President Trump trailing Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, Bloomberg News reported.

Arizona, along with Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, is considered one of the major battleground states in this election.

Ohio is also one of the battleground states, and President Trump held his first election rally of the year in Ohio, signaling the start of his re-election campaign preparations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.