Outside of the Courtroom, Trump Rals Along the Jersey Shore’s Beach

Donald J. Trump, the former president, announced during a rally on Saturday in Wildwood, New Jersey, that his campaign would “officially play” in a state he had lost twice by a wide margin.
Former President Donald J. Trump engaged in a time-honored rite on Saturday that is relished by thousands New Yorkers who are in need of a vacation after a protracted and frequently tense week in his criminal trial in Manhattan: he went to the seaside.

At a beachside rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, where he was positioned between the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean, Mr. Trump addressed tens of thousands of supporters, mainly restating his attacks of President Biden that have typified his previous campaign speech.

After leaving court, Mr. Trump maintained that his Manhattan trial about allegations that he fabricated financial documents pertaining to a hush-money payment was a “Biden show trial,” despite the lack of any proof linking Mr. Biden to the case.

Mr. Trump continued his deceptive accusations that Democrats stole the 2020 election from him, lashed out at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses, and pledged to crack down on immigration.

Even if the majority of Mr. Trump’s address was repeated material, the venue was unusual. Despite the fact that New Jersey has consistently supported Democratic presidential candidates since 1992, and despite the fact that Mr. Trump lost the state by double digits in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, he maintained that he might win in November.

Speaking to a crowded beachside audience, Mr. Trump declared, “We’re expanding the electoral map, because we are going to officially play in the state of New Jersey.” “We will prevail in the state of New Jersey.”

For months, Mr. Trump, who formerly owned casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and frequently spends the summers at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, has been openly optimistic about his prospects in the state. Skeptics include political analysts and even a few of his advisors.
However, there are still extremely conservative areas of the state, such as the vicinity of Wildwood, a renowned beach resort for working-class families and a boardwalk town on the southernmost tip of the Jersey Shore. Pennsylvania, a swing state that supported Mr. Trump in 2016 but switched to Mr. Biden in 2020, is home to a large number of visitors.