(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump will campaign in two battleground states Wednesday — his first public election-related events outside of New York since his hush money trial began earlier this month.
He will appear at rallies in Freeland, Michigan and Waukesha, Wisconsin. Trump was scheduled to hold an outdoor event on Sat. April 20 in Wilmington, North Carolina but had to cancel it because of severe weather.
Trump has repeatedly denounced his prosecutors for keeping him off the campaign trail.
“I should be right now in Pennsylvania, Florida, in many other states, North Carolina, Georgia campaigning,” he said as he entered the court on April 16 ahead of another day of jury selection.
“They want to keep me off the campaign trail,” he said later that day while campaigning at a New York convenience store. “We are going to go all over. We will be all over,” Trump vowed during that stop. “Weekends we are doing rallies over the place.”
Since the trial kicked off on April 15 with jury selection, Trump has made two retail campaign stops in parts of New York City on court days, including stopping at a construction site.
A campaign official told NewsNation that Trump will ramp up those retail stops in the coming days, including one expected this week.
The former president has not campaigned during some of the trial’s down times. The schedule shows the trial was in half session two days last week, and there was no court this past Monday.
When pressed about why Trump has not campaigned more in some of the available time, a campaign official said, “We have been unsure of the ebb and flow” of the court calendar at times and other difficulties in scheduling the events.”
“We will continue to take full advantage of Wednesdays and weekends,” the campaign official told NewsNation.
The presumptive Republican nominee is scheduled to hold a campaign event on Saturday, May 11 in Wildwood, New Jersey, located two and a half hours south of New York City, the official said.
Because of the financial disadvantage Trump and Republicans are facing, fundraising is also a priority. He is “spending a significant amount of time raising money,” the campaign official said.
The campaign official added in the past two weeks he has taken a lot of private political and fundraising meetings.
Fundraising will be his major focus this weekend he headlines a “2024 Spring Retreat” in Palm Beach for donors. It will also feature many of those considered running mate contenders: Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Tim Scott, R-S.C., J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
The trial has also helped him in the fundraising effort. He has sent out several pitches about it and how he has been disadvantaged.
Campaign officials said there are a lot of political activities Trump participates in during the time he is not in court and not seen by the public.
“President Trump is constantly working,” campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “Meeting with foreign leaders, meeting with donors, flying around the country… the president will continue to work to earn the votes of voters across the country.”
In that time Trump hosted Polish President Andrzej Duda and former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso for dinners.
