Trump Dominates Coachella. Reasons?
The outcome of the 2020 election may provide insights into why Trump is headlining an event in the California desert, a location more commonly linked with music festival enthusiasts than the MAGA crowd.
TroibNews 
SACRAMENTO, California — With just 25 days remaining, Donald Trump needs to raise funds, engage voters in swing states, and secure a victory against Kamala Harris.
It's an interesting choice then, to organize a significant event this Saturday in the California desert, a locale often linked with music festival attendees rather than Trump supporters.
Temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees, and the state itself is not crucial for his potential return to the presidency, especially since major donors are located 150 miles away in Los Angeles.
However, insights from the 2020 election results may shed light on Trump's decision to headline in Coachella. Among the six competitive House races currently in California, Trump is visiting the only one he won during the last election.
Trump narrowly won the district now represented by GOP Rep. Ken Calvert. This is emblematic of the race Calvert faces now — a closely contested battle in which he must rally every potential Trump voter to overcome a well-funded opponent.
Joy Miedecke, president of the East Valley Republican Women Patriots, is involved in organizing the rally. She noted that the group’s merchandise store is seeing significant interest from Republicans eager to purchase their decorated Trump hats and t-shirts before the event.
Trump may be the main attraction, but Miedecke remarked that Republicans are also closely monitoring races further down the ballot.
“They're, of course, not as excited as they are about the presidential race,” she commented about event attendees. “But I can tell you that this is a very tight race, and it's very scary. And so we have lots of people that are making sure they're getting their votes in just because of Calvert.”
Currently, Calvert is in a tight contest with Democratic challenger Will Rollins, who is reporting strong fundraising results. A recent poll indicates that Calvert is trailing in enthusiasm, suggesting that a boost from a Trump rally could be beneficial as the election approaches.
Rollins’ campaign chose not to comment.
Calvert’s team has not disclosed whether he will attend the rally. This uncertainty indicates the difficult position facing vulnerable California Republicans, who must navigate the delicate balance of supporting Trump while not risking alienation from their constituents, especially as Trump remains deeply unpopular in many districts. However, Calvert's more conservative seat allows him greater flexibility in embracing Trump.
NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen stated, “President Trump’s rally is firing up voters who will reelect Representative Ken Calvert and stop extreme liberal Will Rollins.”
Trump may also be targeting Latino voters, who prioritize affordability and economic issues. His campaign is framing the rally as an opportunity to hold Harris and other Democratic leaders accountable for what they claim has turned the California Dream into a “nightmare” through “crushing costs” for housing and gas.
Polls from USC indicate that Trump is making headway with Latino voters in Calvert’s district compared to other swing areas, where Harris tends to have stronger support.
Interestingly, many Latino individuals living near the rally site actually reside outside of Calvert’s district, within Democratic-held seats governed by Reps. Raul Ruiz and Mark Takano, as pointed out by Christian Grose, the lead pollster on the USC survey. Still, in a highly competitive race like Calvert’s, even minor shifts in voter sentiment could be pivotal.
Democrats aren’t planning to back down.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez is set to lead a counter-protest at the rally, emphasizing that the predominantly Latino city will not tolerate Trump's disparaging remarks toward the community.
“Our plan for Saturday is to just let people know that we're not going to be intimidated,” he stated.
Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, remarked, “Even after Trump tried to block disaster aid for our firefighters, jacked up Californians' taxes to reward buddies in other states, and bragged about taking reproductive freedom away from women, Ken Calvert is right there, sitting on Trump’s lap, applauding.”
Ultimately, perhaps Trump simply has a fondness for California — though that seems improbable.
Miedecke added that the RNC requested McDonald's hamburgers be delivered to Trump’s plane post-rally, suggesting a true California fan might have opted for In-N-Out.
If you found this content engaging, consider subscribing to PMG’s California Playbook newsletter.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
It's an interesting choice then, to organize a significant event this Saturday in the California desert, a locale often linked with music festival attendees rather than Trump supporters.
Temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees, and the state itself is not crucial for his potential return to the presidency, especially since major donors are located 150 miles away in Los Angeles.
However, insights from the 2020 election results may shed light on Trump's decision to headline in Coachella. Among the six competitive House races currently in California, Trump is visiting the only one he won during the last election.
Trump narrowly won the district now represented by GOP Rep. Ken Calvert. This is emblematic of the race Calvert faces now — a closely contested battle in which he must rally every potential Trump voter to overcome a well-funded opponent.
Joy Miedecke, president of the East Valley Republican Women Patriots, is involved in organizing the rally. She noted that the group’s merchandise store is seeing significant interest from Republicans eager to purchase their decorated Trump hats and t-shirts before the event.
Trump may be the main attraction, but Miedecke remarked that Republicans are also closely monitoring races further down the ballot.
“They're, of course, not as excited as they are about the presidential race,” she commented about event attendees. “But I can tell you that this is a very tight race, and it's very scary. And so we have lots of people that are making sure they're getting their votes in just because of Calvert.”
Currently, Calvert is in a tight contest with Democratic challenger Will Rollins, who is reporting strong fundraising results. A recent poll indicates that Calvert is trailing in enthusiasm, suggesting that a boost from a Trump rally could be beneficial as the election approaches.
Rollins’ campaign chose not to comment.
Calvert’s team has not disclosed whether he will attend the rally. This uncertainty indicates the difficult position facing vulnerable California Republicans, who must navigate the delicate balance of supporting Trump while not risking alienation from their constituents, especially as Trump remains deeply unpopular in many districts. However, Calvert's more conservative seat allows him greater flexibility in embracing Trump.
NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen stated, “President Trump’s rally is firing up voters who will reelect Representative Ken Calvert and stop extreme liberal Will Rollins.”
Trump may also be targeting Latino voters, who prioritize affordability and economic issues. His campaign is framing the rally as an opportunity to hold Harris and other Democratic leaders accountable for what they claim has turned the California Dream into a “nightmare” through “crushing costs” for housing and gas.
Polls from USC indicate that Trump is making headway with Latino voters in Calvert’s district compared to other swing areas, where Harris tends to have stronger support.
Interestingly, many Latino individuals living near the rally site actually reside outside of Calvert’s district, within Democratic-held seats governed by Reps. Raul Ruiz and Mark Takano, as pointed out by Christian Grose, the lead pollster on the USC survey. Still, in a highly competitive race like Calvert’s, even minor shifts in voter sentiment could be pivotal.
Democrats aren’t planning to back down.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez is set to lead a counter-protest at the rally, emphasizing that the predominantly Latino city will not tolerate Trump's disparaging remarks toward the community.
“Our plan for Saturday is to just let people know that we're not going to be intimidated,” he stated.
Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, remarked, “Even after Trump tried to block disaster aid for our firefighters, jacked up Californians' taxes to reward buddies in other states, and bragged about taking reproductive freedom away from women, Ken Calvert is right there, sitting on Trump’s lap, applauding.”
Ultimately, perhaps Trump simply has a fondness for California — though that seems improbable.
Miedecke added that the RNC requested McDonald's hamburgers be delivered to Trump’s plane post-rally, suggesting a true California fan might have opted for In-N-Out.
If you found this content engaging, consider subscribing to PMG’s California Playbook newsletter.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
