Inside Trump’s red-state travel swing - Semafor

President Donald Trump’s decision to kick off a month of midterm campaign travel with rallies in red states like Oklahoma and Alabama has confounded some Republicans, but those involved in the plans argue there’s a strategy behind them.

Both rally sites — Durant, Oklahoma, and Mobile, Alabama — “hit multiple states and media markets” because of their proximity to neighboring states, a Republican official familiar with the strategy said.

Trump officials hope to turn out low-propensity voters, particularly in close races that Republicans need to win to keep control of Congress.

The Republican official also emphasized that Trump will travel to actual battleground states like Florida, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan.

Not everyone in Trump’s orbit is convinced.

“I don’t really buy it, but it’s a well-thought-out explanation,” one person close to the White House told Semafor. “I think they want big rallies.”