Trump takes long campaign rally break, as Harris, Walz and Vance barnstorm battlegrounds

• Former President Donald Trump said that he plans to stay off the presidential campaign rally circuit until after the Democratic National Convention, which ends on Aug. 22.
• The pace and the plan for the Republican nominee's August this year is a stark departure from what Trump's schedule looked like in August of 2016, the last time he campaigned in person for president.
• Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, — as well Trump's running mate JD Vance, — have all spent the week barnstorming presidential battleground states.

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to stay off the presidential campaign rally circuit until after the Democratic National Convention, which ends on Aug. 22.

Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump was asked why he had not been "campaigning this week."

"Because I'm leading by a lot and because I'm letting their convention go through and I am campaigning a lot," Trump replied.

The reporter followed up. "Are you going to pick up your travel?"

"After their convention, yeah," Trump replied, referring again to the Democratic convention, which runs from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.

The pace and the plan for the Republican presidential nominee's August this year is a stark departure from what Trump's schedule looked like in August of 2016, the last time he campaigned for president in person.

That month, Trump held 27 raucous campaign rallies across 15 states. When he wasn't filling stadiums, Trump seemed to live on his plane, jetting between battleground states and fundraisers and phoning in to interviews — all while running his family's real estate business.

By contrast, Trump has only held one rally so far this