Former President Donald Trump is all set to speak at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this week, with the aim of engaging Asian American and Pacific Islander voters—a rapidly growing electoral demographic in the state. According to News 3 Las Vegas, Trump is scheduled to take the stage at the Thomas & Mack Center as a special guest at the "United for Change" rally organized by Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action, doors will open at 1 p.m. and the event will commence with pre-programming at 4 p.m., and Trump's remarks are anticipated at 7 p.m.
As per NBC News, alongside Trump, figures like former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and ex-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are also slated to speak at the rally, which is characterized as an event focusing on celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and encouraging their civic participation, the Asian American community has not historically been the focal point of such high-profile Republican events, the recent push indicating a wider GOP strategy to tap into diverse voter bases ahead of the crucial Election Day.
Charlie Kirk, Turning Point founder and president, said in a news release that Asian voters' values "closely align with the conservative platform but have been given too little attention by our movement," this statement coming amidst a backdrop of 2020 exit polling data showing a significant lean towards Democrat Joe Biden among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, with 58% offering their support compared to 40% for Trump, as per NBC News.
However, this view isn't universally accepted; Eric Jeng, executive director of the nonprofit group One APIA Nevada, argued against the narrative of Asian American alignment with Trump, telling NBC News that extensive door-knocking within the community has revealed a weariness towards Trump's rhetoric and policies, with issues like tax cuts for the wealthy, pandemic management, and the rise in anti-Asian hate still having tangible effects on people's lives, meanwhile Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung insists that the former president has been a steadfast advocate for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
In the backdrop of these contrasting perspectives, Nevada, a key battleground state which now sees Asian American and Pacific Islander making up a critical 12% of its electorate, will play host to this attempt by Trump and his allies to sway Asian American and Pacific Islander voters the Republican way just shy of two weeks before the nation goes to the polls.
