The Coming Republican Re-Rally: Why Trump’s Ground Game Must Change
This was originally posted on Ron Bonjean’s Substack. Subscribe here to receive all of Ron’s thoughts directly to your inbox.
In recent weeks, the political press has been relentless, seizing on the fractures within the MAGA base, reviving controversies surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, and reminding readers of Donald Trump’s persistently low approval ratings. Add the latest uproar over Marjorie Taylor Greene’s inflammatory remarks, and one could be forgiven for thinking the Republican coalition is on the verge of collapse. But while the headlines amplify division, they’re missing something far more consequential: what’s coming next.
For months, Donald Trump has relied on a hyper-efficient messaging strategy — not through stadium rallies or rope-line stops, but through media saturation. He’s blanketed conservative outlets, commanded attention with Fox News interviews, driven viral content across social media, and built powerful imagery through Oval Office appearances and international visits. These moves serve his legacy and keep him top-of-mind. But they are not what fuel a movement.
Because here’s the glaring issue: Trump hasn’t engaged his MAGA base in person for months. That’s not just atypical — it’s risky. This is a movement that runs on proximity, visibility, and energy. And while the press is focused on GOP strife and firebrands like Greene, Trump’s political instincts — among the sharpest in modern politics — are likely telling him one thing: the time to return to the stage is now.
If Trump wants to shift the narrative, expect a dramatic uptick in domestic travel. Expect packed arenas, handshake lines, and high-touch grassroots engagement. Expect a pivot to something sharper — an economic message that speaks directly to what voters are feeling: financial anxiety.
Despite a booming stock market and falling gas prices, many Americans still feel squeezed by rising grocery bills, housing costs, and child care expenses. Trump knows this. It’s why he recently reversed tariffs on U.S. food imports, a rare policy shift designed to lower consumer prices. He also knows he has an economic record to draw on: the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that cut taxes and streamlined regulation. But that alone won’t be enough. He must not only remind voters what he achieved — he must show he understands the struggle isn’t over. That means offering new ideas to bring down everyday costs, reduce regulatory burdens, and restore financial certainty for working families.
But if Trump really wants to control the narrative, he has one more move to make.
Just as Nancy Pelosi once served as the GOP’s symbol of coastal liberalism, Trump’s next target is already emerging: New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. A self-described socialist with a tax-and-spend agenda, Mamdani offers Republicans a perfect foil. Expect to hear his name a lot. Trump will argue that Democrats are no longer merely out of touch — they are controlled by ideologues who want to raid your paycheck to fund their urban utopias. Mamdani will be cast as “Pelosi 2.0” — and in today’s economic climate, where voters are tired of inflation and weary of interest rate spikes, that contrast could prove devastating.
This combined tactic — energizing the base in person, defining a new Democratic boogeyman, and speaking directly to kitchen-table pressures — is not a question of if; it’s a matter of when. The political cost of not doing so would be too high.
Republicans may look fractured today. But if Trump re-emerges with renewed energy, a rally-driven strategy, and a focused economic message that connects tax hikes, inflation, and Democratic leadership, those divisions could dissolve almost overnight.
