'A classic Trump rally:' Politicians, experts react to Donald Trump's visit to Asheville
ASHEVILLE - The reaction to former president Donald Trump's rally in Asheville Aug. 14 was not one of surprise. Rather, area pundits and politicians say Trump delivered exactly what's usually on the menu.
In a somewhat meandering 75 minutes, what was promised to be a policy-focused discussion by the campaign, Trump took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, hyped an adoring crowd and vowed a brighter future for America if reelected.
“For all the discussion beforehand of being a focused, stick-to-the-script kind of speech about economics, it was a classic Trump rally. It was a classic Trump presentation. Yes, he talked about economics, but he wandered off into every other area he could possibly do. I don’t think that we’re going to see the kind of focused, energy and effort, but we’re going to get the classic Trump treatment in terms of his presentation and his approach," Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College in Salisbury, told the Citizen Times Aug. 15.
Why, though? "It is who Trump is," Bitzer said. "I think trying to imagine him being a truly focused and 'dedicated to the message' kind of messenger — We haven't seen it before. Why would we see it in the future?"
About 10 minutes into his speech, Trump acknowledged the intended focus of the evening. He was flanked by two policy promises. The first, "no tax on Social Security." The second, "no tax on tips."
"Now this is a little bit different day ... We're talking about a thing called the economy. They wanted to do a speech on the economy. A lot of people are very devastated by what's happened with inflation and all of the other things, so we're doing this as an intellectual speech. You're all intellectuals today," Trump told the crowd. "Today we're doing it, and we're doing it right now. And it's very important. They say it's the most important subject. I think crime is right there. I think the border is right there, personally."
The audience was smaller than Trump's 2016 visit to Asheville, when thousands teemed into the 7,000-person Harrah's Cherokee Center's arena. This visit, rally goers packed into the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the center's smaller of two main venues, which hit capacity at 2,055 people.
City spokesperson Kim Miller said the department that manages the civic center estimated approximately 3,000 people were left lingering outside the venue upon reaching capacity, though she noted exact numbers are difficult to distinguish.
“It was a speech that was supposed to be about the economy, it was supposed to mark this different Trump presentation of self, but it was what we’ve come to expect from Trump, which is rambling, long (and) left the teleprompter a lot," said Chris Cooper, a professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University.
"He used the opportunity to talk about his rivals in a negative light. He did certainly talk about some economic issues, but if you didn’t have the background with ‘zero percent tax on tips,’ and a few other economic related statements, you wouldn’t have even known that the message was supposed to be about the economy. The message seemed to be about how the world will be better if Donald Trump is elected.”
No mention of Asheville, WNC
For Cooper, among the first things he noticed was the distinct lack of references to the city of Asheville. Neither Asheville, Buncombe County or Western North Carolina were ever specifically mentioned.
Buncombe County, and Asheville, are a blue dot amid the red tide of Western North Carolina.
“I thought he might rage against the city, I thought he might use the city as an example of liberal-run cities, and he didn’t," Cooper said. "He didn’t even mention the fact that he was in the city of Asheville.”
N.C. State Rep. Caleb Rudow made a similar observation.
“He didn’t mention Western North Carolina or Asheville once in this speech. Which says a lot. He doesn’t care about this place, doesn’t care to even think about where he is," Rudow said. "He gave his kind of standard, rambling, hateful unfocused speech that he always gives."
Rudow, a Democrat, is running to represent the 11th District against incumbent Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who spoke ahead of Trump at the Aug. 14 rally.
Edwards, in a comment provided to the Citizen Times via email, did find a message for the district, which encompasses most of Western North Carolina, including Asheville, in the speech.
“President Trump made it very clear that he understands the plight NC-11 families are facing at their kitchen tables and gas pumps, and he effectively described how the Harris-Biden administration’s failures created those hardships," Edwards said. "I appreciated he showed the citizens of the mountains that he cares about our future and is not taking our votes for granted.”
Was the speech effective?
Of how Trump's approach was greeted by his North Carolina crowd, Bitzer said, "I think it certainly works for that audience, because those folks will walk through fire for him.”
“If you are attending a Trump rally, you are not undecided, you are not up for persuasion, you are a dedicated loyalist. And I think he believes that that crowd will help get him to an electoral victory. It certainly could do that in North Carolina, but in general, there is still a very small, but powerful, determinative force, called undecided, swing, persuadable voters. And I’m not sure an hour-plus litany of grievances is what they’re looking for in a candidate.”
Cooper said while it didn't live up to promises of being a policy-centric speech, it was what people have come to expect.
“Is it a success for Trump? It’s not an electoral game changer, but he certainly seemed to enjoy it, and there weren’t really any moments there that are going to be played three months from now," he said.
“This was Donald Trump. For good, bad or indifferent, this is what you get when you get Donald Trump. And you don’t get a different Donald Trump in Asheville then you do in Montana, then you would in California. He is the same Donald Trump everywhere."
What's next for NC?
The Cook Political Report reported Aug. 14 that Harris is ahead of Trump in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Arizona, and tied with him another key state, Georgia.
Of all the states that went for Trump in 2020, North Carolina was his narrowest victory — a margin of 1.34%.
As Bitzer said, polling indicates the state is back closer to a 50-50 dynamic, where he imagines it will remain in the leadup to November.
“I’m not expecting a landslide on either side at this point," he said.
Still, Harris, who's set to give her own economic speech in North Carolina on Aug. 16, didn't beat out Trump in every section of the poll. Trump in the survey led the vice president by 6 points when respondents were asked about who would best handle costs and inflation for the country, USA TODAY reported.
The survey also found that 49% of swing state voters said they were more worried about Harris setting economy policy. In May, 55% said the same about Biden.
“(Trump) keeps saying (Harris) doesn’t have a plan. And you’re like, well, actually she does," Rudow said. "Her record is four years as Vice President, passing through historic legislation for infrastructure, for clean energy, for bringing back American manufacturing, for reducing the cost of drug prices, for taking on big pharmaceuticals, and actually fighting for the people. And that’s what I expect her to continue doing.”
More: Trump in Asheville: Slams Kamala Harris and Joe Biden economy; little talk of NC
More: Trump hits grocery costs, inflation at North Carolina campaign stop as Harris gains ground
More: Donald Trump is rallying in Western North Carolina. But why Asheville?
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on X, formerly Twitter, at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Trump's visit to Asheville has come and gone. What are the takeaways?