Eyes on 2024: Trump courts voters — and controversy — on the campaign trail

Former President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail over the weekend, sparking controversy along the way.

On Saturday, Trump traveled to New Hampshire, where he said immigrants coming from “all over the world” are “poisoning the blood of our country,” per NBC’s Ginger Gibson. He repeated the term again in a Truth Social post.

The Biden campaign responded by noting Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” also referenced “blood poisoning,” and said in a statement that Trump “channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy.”

On Sunday, Trump traveled to Nevada for a rally, where he said some of his so-called “fake electors” there were being treated “unfairly” on the eve of their arraignment. 

Meanwhile, Trump continues to dominate the GOP primary, and Trump’s rivals haven’t matched the energy around the former president’s events in New Hampshire, NBC’s Jonathan Allen writes from Saturday’s rally.

Trump campaign senior adviser Susie Wiles told reporters in New Hampshire that the president is hitting the campaign trail as he faces multiple court cases with trials beginning early next year, noting the looming court battles are a “scheduling nightmare,” per NBC’s Emma Barnett.

“We front load as much as we can,” Wiles said. 

In other campaign news … 

Knives out in Iowa: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley directly criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during her Iowa town hall, saying, “I have not talked negatively about anybody. But if you’ve got to lie to win, you don’t deserve to win,” per NBC’s Sarah Dean and Greg Hyatt. Also in Iowa, DeSantis criticized Trump, saying the former president would say the caucuses are “stolen” if Trump loses. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Biden navigates Hunter: While the White House has stressed that Biden does not plan to pardon his son Hunter, questions about a potential pardon persist, NBC’s Peter Nicholas and Jonathan Allen report. And NBC’s Mike Memoli writes that Biden is navigating his son’s indictments as he marks the anniversary of a tragic car accident.

Union drama: Memoli also writes that the International Association of Fire Fighters — the first union to endorse Biden’s 2020 run — “remains on the sidelines and faces internal divisions about whether to endorse at all in 2024.”

Backing down: GOP strategist Jeff Roe parted ways over the weekend with Never Back Down, a super PAC backing DeSantis that has been subject to internal tensions over the last few weeks. Roe’s departure came after the Washington Post published an extensive report detailing the group’s internal drama.

Candidate recruitment crunch time: Three months from the first Senate GOP primary, it’s a crucial time for Senate Republican campaign operatives to block problematic candidates in battleground states, Politico reports. 

Hefty price tag: Political strategists estimate a special election to replace ousted GOP Rep. George Santos in New York could cost up to $20 million, CNBC reports.

Holding the reins: Some fake electors from 2020 who tried to overturn the presidential election in favor of Trump now hold roles overseeing elections in their states or localities, the Associated Press reports.

Clouds over the Sunshine State GOP: The Florida GOP “voted to functionally strip all power from current Chairman Christian Ziegler, who is under criminal investigation for allegations of sexual assault, including rape,” writes NBC’s Matt Dixon. Ziegler has faced increasing calls to resign, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., joined those calls on Friday, telling NBC’s Alex Tabet that “it’s time to move on and select a different leader.”