The Democratic National Committee flew four planes carrying banners with anti-Trump messaging over college football games in four major swing states in the upcoming election on Saturday, it announced.
The four stadiums set to see the banners are Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan, Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia, Beaver Stadium at Pennsylvania State University and Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin.
Photographs on social media show the DNC made good on its promise in Pennsylvania.
The planes flying over Michigan and Penn State seek to tie Trump and running mate JD Vance to the far-right manifesto Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation. Trump has disavowed Project 2025 multiple times and says he has no intention of implementing its full policy list if he does win the election. However, figures who worked in Trump’s first administration contributed to the project.
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One of the banners also aims to exploit one of the most historic rivalries in college football. The plane set to fly over Michigan will fly a banner that reads, “J.D. Vance [loves] Ohio State [plus] Project 2025.” Michigan and Ohio State are considered to boast the fiercest rivalry in the sport, and Vance spent much of his childhood in Ohio, went to Ohio State for undergrad and claims to be a life-long Ohio State Buckeyes fan.
Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) speaks at NMC-Wollard Inc. / Wollard International on August 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
Vance previously revealed that he had told Trump that his loyalty to the Buckeyes could impact the former president’s chances in Michigan this November when Trump was selecting Vance as his running mate.
“When he first asked me to be a VP I was like, well, you know, hopefully we don’t lose Michigan by like 900 votes, because you’re going to regret it. ‘Cause it’s probably just a thousand p—d-off Wolverine fans who wouldn’t vote for a Buckeye. But I think that most Michiganders are going to be able to put sports rivalries aside and put the country first, which is what, of course, all of us believe is the most important thing,” Vance said during an appearance on OutKick’s “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.”
The Democrats’ latest campaign gimmick comes just three days before the first presidential debate between Trump and Harris on ABC News, as Harris has fallen steeply in some polls over the last few weeks, especially in key battleground states.
New York Times columnist Brett Stephens slammed Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview with CNN on Thursday as “vague” and “vacuous.” (AP/Stephen B. Morton)
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Nate Silver of 538’s latest projection on Friday showed Trump gaining ground on Harris in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia.
Silver released his latest election forecast, writing on his Substack, “The forecast is still in toss-up range, but Trump’s chances of winning are his highest since July 30,” Silver wrote. Silver’s model shows Trump’s chances of winning the Electoral College have increased from 52.4% to 58.2% since last Thursday. Harris’ odds, meanwhile, have decreased from 47.3% to 41.6%.
The current odds on Polymarket show Trump with a 50% chance of winning in November, while Harris holds just a 48% chance.
A recent series of Fox News statewide surveys in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina showed Harris up by 1 percentage point in Arizona and by 2 points in Georgia and Nevada, while Trump is ahead by 1 point in North Carolina. All are within the margin of sampling error.
Trump is spending his Saturday making an in-person appearance for a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, about two hours away, where the Wisconsin Badgers will play South Dakota on Saturday.
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South Carolina governor Henry McMaster and former U.S. President Donald Trump make an appearance on the field at halftime during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 25, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Harris made a visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is about two hours away from Penn State’s game against Bowling Green. Harris welcomed the endorsement of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Rep. Liz Cheney while visiting a spice shop called Penzeys Spices.
If Trump’s positive polling trends play out, and the DNC’s aerial campaign strategy doesn’t work out, Vance has proposed that he and Trump make a visit themselves to Ohio Stadium at Ohio State for the Buckeyes’ upcoming game against Michigan on November 30.
“Well, let’s go to the Ohio State-Michigan game, assuming we win, because I bet I can get some pretty sweet tickets as the VP-elect, and we’ll be in a celebratory mood,” Vance said on OutKick. “And look, it’s, it’s going to be a big game this year. I think it’s going to determine ultimate seeding in the College Football Playoff. I mean, how both teams might actually make the playoff. I know Michigan’s, you know, sort of people aren’t putting them as high this year, but you never know, because it’s always a good program. So, we’ll see, guys. I’m feeling very good about the Buckeyes. I’m feeling very good about the Bengals.”
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