In the final weeks before the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump has decided to deviate from his usual route through key swing states and focus on visits to deeply Democratic areas like California and New York. The former president lost those states by wide margins in the 2020 election, but his team doesn’t see the trips as useless.

Trump, who has steadfastly refused to concede defeat in 2020 and continues to allege widespread election fraud, claims he has more support in California than his rival, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris. In an interview on a Southern California radio show, Trump expressed confidence that he could win the state if the election were “fair.” However, past election results suggest otherwise: He lost California to Harris by 29 percentage points.

Visits to states like California and New York serve a political purpose as well as a personal one, according to Trump’s allies. Despite their Democratic dominance, these states are home to significant numbers of Republican voters and donors. The trips allow Trump to raise funds for his campaign and also to support Republican candidates running for the House of Representatives.

Trump also uses his appearances in traditionally Democratic states to criticize their political leadership. During his visit to Detroit, Trump said that a Harris victory would lead to “the whole country being like Detroit,” blaming the Democratic leadership for the city’s economic problems. He may make similar statements in California, where Harris served as attorney general and senator.

However, Republicans have little faith in Trump's victory, especially after his several high-profile failures.