Trump says 'I don't want to change' on campaign tactics

Republican nominee Donald Trump may be sliding in the polls but that will not make him shake up his campaign strategy, he confirmed on Tuesday (16 August). The GOP candidate argued that changing his tactics to improve his support among voters may prove beneficial, but would be a betrayal to his supporters.

In a sit-down interview with Wisconsin news station WKBT-TV, Trump was firmly opposed to changing his campaign tactics. "Well, possibly I do, but, you now, I am who I am. It's me," he said. "I don't wanna change. Everybody talks about 'Oh well, you're gonna pivot, you're gonna' – I don't wanna pivot. I mean you have to be you. If you start pivoting, you're not being honest with people."

According to Politico, with the general election inching closer and early voting kicking off as early as 23 September in some states, it is not looking good for Trump. Early voting has become a key factor in presidential elections.

The New York Times reported that Obama was sufficiently ahead in Iowa and Nevada in 2012, allowing his campaign to relocate resources from those states to others.

However, Trump is not disillusioned, pointing to his primary election run as evidence.

"I've gotten here in a landslide and we'll see what happens. I mean, in the end – don't forget: When I lost Wisconsin, it was over for Trump," he said, referring to his loss to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in April. A month later, Trump went on to defeat all 16 of his primary rivals and eventually became the party's nominee.

In typical Trump fashion, the bombastic GOP nominee argued that his campaign was actually doing well, judging by the size of the crowds at his campaign rallies. "I actually think I'm doing good. I have the biggest crowds," Trump told Fox News' John Roberts. "You're there, you see them. Nobody's ever had crowds like this, they say. Somebody actually reported it the other day."

While Trump rallies may be popular, his polling numbers show he is not as popular as he believes he is. A new poll by NBC News/SurveyMonkey four-way general election match-up found Hillary Clinton leading with 43%, followed by Trump at 37%, Libertarian Gary Johnson at 11% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 4%. Clinton also leads Trump by a 25-point margin in a new poll out of their home state of New York.