Trump holding far fewer rallies than in past runs

Former President Trump first defined his political brand and paved his path to the White House with big, raucous rallies — but he's hitting the trail much less frequently this time around.

By the numbers: Trump held 72 rallies between June and September of 2016. He's held 24 in that period this year, with another on the calendar for Monday.

Trump's campaign tells Axios he'll soon ramp up his schedule with "multiple rallies per week" in the final stretch of the campaign. He'd have to ramp up quite a bit to match the past two cycles.

• Trump held 69 rallies in October and early November of 2016, taking the stage as many as five times per day in the stretch run.
• Even with the pandemic raging in 2020, Trump controversially hit the road with 15 rallies in September and 43 over the five weeks leading up to Election Day.
• Trump stopped holding outdoor rallies for a few weeks after surviving a July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, but resumed in late August. He held a rally on Saturday in North Carolina and has another scheduled for Monday in Pennsylvania.

Breaking it down: People in Trump's camp give three primary reasons he's hitting the road less this time, Axios' Sophia Cai reports:

1. He's a known quantity. The campaign feels less need to define him or his candidacy for voters this time around.
2. Rallies are expensive. Trump's campaign managers this cycle are keeping a closer hold on the purse strings.
3. He's older, and more inclined to spend his time at Mar-a-Lago.

What they're saying: "President Trump's signature rallies remain a staple of his efforts on the campaign trail," campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios, adding that Trump had also "mixed it up" with retail campaigning and other "non-rally events."

• Trump appears frequently on cable TV and podcasts, often from his home in Florida. Meanwhile his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been criss-crossing the swing states.
• The Harris campaign has needled Trump with suggestions the magic is gone from his rallies, with smaller crowds that dwindle as he speaks.
• In the statement, Leavitt claimed "his rallies during this election cycle have been bigger and better than ever before."

Between the lines: It's little surprise Trump kept a lighter schedule earlier in the campaign.

• His calendar was complicated by court dates, and his then-opponent, President Biden, wasn't exactly lighting up the campaign trail — or the polls.
• Now, though, Trump is in a neck-and-neck race against a candidate who has proven no slouch at firing up her own base.