Former President Donald Trump will dial-in for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin on Monday in the final day of campai...
Former President Donald Trump will dial-in for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin on Monday in the final day of campaigning before the election for governor – after hinting he would play in the race.
Trump teased a possible appearance after protesters briefly interrupted a rally by Youngkin's opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, with President Joe Biden last week.
'Chanting. "We Love Trump" in Arlington, Va. Thank you, Arlington, see you soon!' Trump wrote.
But supporters won't be seeing him in the flesh.
Youngkin has praised Trump repeatedly, but also accused McAuliffe of seeking to 'nationalize' the race by trying to tie him to Trump, in a state Biden won by 10 percentage points in 2020.
Youngkin is campaigning Monday in a bus tour with four stops in Roanoke, Richmond, Virginia Beach and at Loudoun County Fairgrounds, in Leesburg.
Former President Donald Trump will call in to a rally with Virginia candidate for governor Glenn Youngkin Monday
Biden had ridiculed wealthy investor Youngkin as a Trump 'acolyte,' and tried to goad Trump into coming into the state by asking whether Youngkin was 'embarrassed' to host him.
'He won’t stand next to Donald Trump now that the campaign’s on. What’s he trying to hide?' Biden asked. 'Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed' he wondered.
Trump Save America PAC spokesman Taylor Budowich hyped the event without providing any specific confirmation.
Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign again with McAuliffe Friday, after stumping for him earlier this month
President Joe Biden (R) campaigns for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (L) in Arlington, Virginia
Former President Donald Trump will not appear on stage with Youngkin, but will call in to a rally. Trump's spokesman teased the event without providing details
'President Trump looks forward to being back in Virginia! Details will be released when appropriate,' tweeted Budowich.
After hosting Biden and former President Barack Obama, McAuliffe will campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday in Norfolk. She stumped for him previously.
The assist comes after a Fox News poll Thursday had Youngkin leading McAuliffe 53 to 45 among likely voters.
It was enough to give Youngkin an edge in the RealClearPolitics average, where prior polls have showed the two tied or McAuliffe holding a slight lead.
Trump early this month called into a rally his former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon held for Youngkin.
McAuliffe cut an add using it to try to link it to Youngkin, who wasn't there. Youngkin criticized the decision of a rally speaker who announced participants were doing the Pledge of Allegiance in front of a flag that flew "at the peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6.,' in reference to the Capitol riot. Youngkin called it 'weird and wrong.'
Indeed, last time Trump waded into the race - calling into a rally organized by conservative allies - McAuliffe´s campaign seized on the appearance, quickly cutting ads featuring Trump´s praise of the Republican, even though Youngkin called elements of the rally 'weird and wrong,' after an emcee at the event said a flag used for the Pledge of Allegiance flew at the 'peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6,' the day of the Capitol riot.
Former Vice President Mike Pence this week visited Patrick Henry College, Christian school in Northern Virginia, but didn't mention Youngkin by name even as he spoke about culture clashes in education that Youngkin has highlighted in his campaign.
Youngkin is a former private equity investor who briefly ran the Caryle Group. His net worth has been estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite his early praise for Trump, he has campaigned with a focus on local issues, including social issue flashpoints at Virginia schools. He has called for the resignation of the Loudoun County school board over an incident where a male student allegedly assaulted a female student inside a girl's bathroom.
McAuliffe is both a former governor and a former head of the Democratic National Committee. He has been a longtime friend and advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton, and helped raise campaign funds for both of them.
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